Spyware

Spyware is a type of malware designed to monitor the digital activities of the user, usually without their consent or knowledge. It is often secretly packaged with another program or disguised as legitimate software. Undetected spyware may lead to computer malfunctions, financial theft, or stolen personal information.

What is Malware?

Malware is short for malicious software. Malicious software includes viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and any other program or segment of code written to act against the best interests of the computer user. Malware can infect mobile phones and tablets as well.

Each type of malware is similar, but distinct:

Worms are designed to make more copies of themselves. They spread through networks, emails, attachments, or any other way they can. Once copied onto a host computer, worms replicate as many times as possible. This takes up excessive amounts of hard drive space, as well as drastically slowing down the computer.

Viruses are another matter entirely. While worms only replicate themselves, viruses are created to damage, delete, or modify data. This makes them much more dangerous to the average user. Viruses may damage a computer’s operating system, force a computer to shut down, redirect web browsers to different pages, track a user’s activity, or lock private files away for ransom. Viruses often require a skilled technician to properly remove.

Trojan horses, also called Trojans, are disguised as legitimate software, tricking users into installing it. Many Trojans masquerade as antivirus software, telling the user about fake threats. They then offer to remove these viruses for a fee. If the user pays this fee, the malware steals the user’s credit card information, which the creator can abuse or sell.

Dangers of Spyware

Spyware is a specific type of malware and is designed to record a user’s activities on a computer or network.

In some circumstances, users voluntarily agree to host legal forms of spyware on computers. Many websites’ legal terms of use allow for implanting cookies on visitors’ computers. Cookies are small text files that record and submit the web browsing history of a given computer. In these cases, the user is voluntarily exchanging their browsing history for the convenience of using that website. Users’ browsing histories are placed into a database and kept track of, so that advertisers can build digital profile of users. The database fed into an algorithm provides these users with advertisements tailored to their interests. These ads usually appear as banner ads on the top and sides of webpages.

However, in many circumstances, the user does not give consent for their personal information to be harvested. In these cases, spyware is installed on the computer without the user’s knowledge. Malicious spyware may be installed through a virus or may be bundled with legitimate software. Keyloggers, one type of spyware, record every keystroke entered into a user’s computer. Text files containing all this text are periodically sent to a remote system, which is usually operated by the person who distributed the keylogger.

Keyloggers harvest all URLs, usernames, and passwords typed into the account. If the user shops online while the keylogger is installed, the spyware may also harvest credit card information, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, or any other sensitive information normally encrypted online, before it is encrypted and transmitted. Criminals may use this information to steal money from bank accounts, purchase items with the user’s credit card, or steal the user’s identity. Other forms of spyware will track, catalogue, and sell the user’s online activities, email contacts, phone numbers, purchase histories, and personal files. In the 2020s, the growing use of artificial intelligence and modern spyware campaigns using highly targeted, precise, sophisticated, and highly persuasive techniques can pose excessive danger.

Handling Spyware

The best way to deal with spyware is to avoid downloading malicious software. Computer users should always research a program before installing it on a computer. If a website has alerts or cautions from search engines, that website should be avoided. Antivirus programs should always be kept up-to-date, and full scans should be periodically performed to avoid these and any other online threats. Most antivirus software can be configured to automatically perform daily or weekly scans.

If a computer user suspects that their computer is infected with spyware, the individual should first perform a full scan with a reputable antivirus software. Should that fail, the computer user should research and use any number of specialized spyware removal tools. If a computer user still suspects that a computer is infected with spyware, the individual should immediately take the computer to a specialist for analysis and repair.

Once a computer user realizes that a computer may be infected with spyware of any kind, the user should stop utilizing the computer for any private or sensitive tasks. Any information entered into the computer may be recorded and shared. For this reason, the machine should not be used for shopping, banking, sending and checking email, or any other important activities until any and all malware has been definitively removed from the machine.

Bibliography

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Curtin, Matthew C. “Strategies for Effective Mitigation.” Interhack, 29 Dec. 2015. web.interhack.com/publications/spyware/mit. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.

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