Why should you be Concerned About Spyware over Adware?

Spyware was introduced as a way for advertisers to get consumer information as it pertains to computer users and be able to target ad campaigns based on the subject’s computer habits. Spyware can also consume all of a computer’s resources such as processor and memory while it uses the internet connection to transmit statistics and other information to another server. Spyware also makes promises to protect your anonymity yet it still makes one suspicious and many times does just the opposite. Adware, while annoying, is not quite as serious and its intent is only for transmitting advertisements in a targeted marketing campaign.

But everyone knows that a personal computer (PC) functions similar to a server and will transmit information to interested third parties given consent or no consent from the user. There is always somewhat of a chance or risk that any kind of information to include information that should be secure can get transferred to an interested third party with or without the user’s permission. In essence many of these advertisers are getting information from you that they would have to pay for otherwise if it were not for spyware.

Like spyware, adware gets installed on a user’s computer without his or her permission. But adware is used mostly to display popup ads and nothing more. Spyware is much more serious in that it affects a computer by slowing it down, throwing out numerous popup ads, and invading the user’s privacy. Plus, some spyware can even become mail servers on your computer and distribute spam email.

Spyware and adware are used many times to help software companies offset the cost of software development. This is why they will allow adware and spyware to be placed in the products they offer as shareware or freeware. The plus for the software companies is that their product can get marketed plus they can enjoy some of the revenue from users clicking on the ads.

Spyware can also present itself as a helpful piece of software when actually it is doing more harm than help at all. Take for instance the BonziBuddy. This was designed and communicated to be a help agent much like Microsoft’s office assistant. It was supposed to help you and assist you in using a computer and the internet. The problem was that it was also collecting personal information about users and transmitting it to its sponsors. BonziBuddy was recently ordered by the Federal Trade Commission to pay $75,000 in fines because it transmitted private information of computer users under the age of 13 (source: Wikipedia, BonziBuddy, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonzi_Buddy, retrieved 14 November 2007).

Adware typically does not go to the levels that spyware does. It is usually only for displaying those annoying ads. And Spyware is very deceptive because of the following:

Its intent is to only invade and infect computers for commercial gains.

It will very quietly study where you go on the internet and send that collection of information back to the advertising host.

It can create annoying pop-up advertisements.

It can steal your credit card and other identifying numbers by recording the keys you press to enter them when doing online shopping or bill paying.

It can sometimes get around anti-virus software and firewalls.

So indicative of spyware is when your computer begins to slow down for no apparent reason and stay slow. And since anti-virus software does not typically detect spyware, it doesn’t alert the user right away. So the spyware could affect a computer’s productivity for quite some time until the user figures out what is going on and runs anti-spyware software to fix the problem.

Article Source: http://www.spywaretool.com

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