How to Be "Spywary": It's More Software Than You Bargained For

by Liz Brady

So you've downloaded the latest antivirus software, you filter your e-mail, and you browse the Internet responsibly. Your PC (personal computer) must be relatively secure, right? Think twice before you answer that question. Recent developments in technology allow outsiders to access personal information from your own computer files--without your knowledge.

Dubbed "spyware," these stealthy programs covertly gather information about your personal browsing habits and online activities or harvest your personal files and then sell this data to advertisers for marketing purposes.

While spyware developers assert that tracking an individual's computing behavior is harmless and actually benefits the consumer by enabling targeted marketing, consumer advocates contend that spyware is an intrusive violation of privacy. "Anything that comes onto my computer without me asking for it or giving permission for it is a violation of my rights," argues Ken Dwight of Houston, who is widely recognized as "The Virus Doctor" for his expertise regarding "malware," short for malicious software.

Furthermore, consumer advocates, like Dwight, note that the crafty nature of this spying software makes it difficult to identify. "Spyware doesn't even want you to know it's there in the first place," Dwight says. "The big problem today is that you don't have any reliable way of knowing where it came from."

According to officials from Microsoft, spyware and other deceptive software cause more than 50% of Windows' operating systems failures, costing millions of dollars in computer support each year. A host of solutions are being considered to curb the dissemination of spyware and to eradicate the ubiquitous malware, but experts forecast only gradual progress over the next few years. In the meantime, answers to these common questions may help you understand spyware and secure your PC and your privacy.

How can I tell if my computer has been infected with spyware?

Spyware is a form of malware, but is not designed to harm the computer or the computer user. Spyware basically parks itself somewhere in your PC and collects information about your computing habits, such as the Web sites you visit, the time you spend online, and the types of programs you install on your computer. The infiltration is surreptitious, so you may not even recognize it exists.

Even so, spyware frequently causes PC performance issues that provide warning signs indicating its presence. For instance, if your computer behaves sluggishly (especially when connected to the Internet), if your browser's start-up page or other browser settings have been changed without your knowledge, or if random windows or ads continue to pop up, there is a good chance spyware or other variants have been installed in your system.

Those variants may include: Trojans: Malware that surreptitiously performs tasks--like allowing a remote user to control someone's PC over the Internet. Keyloggers: Types of trojans that track all keys a user types and sends those logged keystrokes to a remote user--used to capture personal information such as passwords, account numbers, and even your mother's maiden name for identity theft purposes.

How did spyware enter my computer?

"Anyone--software companies as well as individuals--who wants to collect valuable user statistics can write or deploy spyware," notes Hao Wang, a Ph.D. candidate in the computer science department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who researches privacy-violating software for the WiSA (Wisconsin Safety Analyzer) Project. "Spyware is stealth--their malicious behavior is often well-hidden to unsuspecting users," he adds. "This is why they are called 'spyware.' "

Wang says spyware can enter your system through several methods:

Direct installation: This occurs when a consumer unsuspectingly installs a malicious program advertised as something useful--for instance, the software may claim to enhance your Web browser. Also, spyware can be directly installed when a consumer fails to carefully read the software's EULA before clicking, "I Agree."

Piggybacking: Some spyware is attached to benign (and often free) software programs installed by the computer user. The benign software installs on your system and--automatically--spyware from the third party vendor installs as well.

Security holes: Known security flaws in Internet Explorer have allowed spyware to infiltrate PCs that regularly use Internet Explorer as a search engine. Internet Explorer has built-in mechanisms, such as ActiveX, that allow mobile code to be downloaded to your machine. Once in your system, the mobile code can perform an endless number of functions from your PC.

How can I avoid spyware?

In testimony presented to the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Jeffrey Friedberg, director of Microsoft Windows Privacy, stated: "Spyware and other deceptive software share a common theme: They use ambiguity, coercion, deceit, and outright trickery to lure or even force users to execute or install unwanted and often invasive programs." Considering this array of deceptive weaponry, is there any way to prevent spyware or other forms of malware from infecting one's PC? Most important, experts say, PC security is a matter of user education.

Experts offer these tips to avoid spyware and other deceptive software: Be sure your browser security level is set to at least medium (for Internet Explorer click on Tools, Options, and then Privacy). Keep in mind, however, that security settings higher than medium may make Web sites less usable. Try using a different Web browser. Browsers such as Opera (commercial software with free download) and Mozilla (open source and free) are immune to the automatic installation flaws in Microsoft Internet Explorer and always prompt the user before downloading and installing software.

I think my computer already is infected with spyware--what now?

Some spyware applications offer standard uninstallation programs--check in the add/remove program module in the Windows Control Panel. Other spyware software is more complicated to remove. Consequently, an entire industry of anti-spyware and spyware removal software has popped up in response to spyware's omnipresence.

Here's a list of popular spyware removal software (all are free except the final two, as indicated). Keep in mind, however, that none of these programs guarantees the removal of all spyware applications:

Spybot Search and Destroy: Leader in software removal, but slightly difficult to use. Ad-aware: Easy to use and very popular. Designed to remove spyware and browser cookies. Hijack This!: Restores browsers whose settings or home pages have been "hijacked." CW Shredder: Removes a piece of software called the Coolwebsearch Trojan. Created by the company that designed Hijack This! ZeroSpyware: Removes existing spyware from your computer and helps block future spyware installation. Costs about $30. Pest Patrol: Software that searches your entire PC for hidden programs. Costs about $40.

What other solutions are being considered?

Spyware has become a persistent problem because it is a profit-driven activity. "There was never any real, positive intent other than to make money," says Dwight. And, according to Wang, the problem is so menacing that reducing spyware proliferation may require legal action. "In terms of spyware, at the present time it is impossible to predict when it will stop or how we can stop it as there is no law that governs these software at the moment," Wang says. "From a technical standpoint, currently the solution posed to address the spyware problem is entirely based on antivirus technology."

Utah already has adopted a law regulating spyware and other malware, and lawmakers in California and Iowa are considering taking similar action against deceptive software. The SPY BLOCK (Software Principles Yielding Better Levels of Consumer Knowledge, S2145) Act, introduced in the U.S. Senate in February 2004, would, among other things, prohibit the installation of software on another person's computer without notice and consent.

However, some spyware experts doubt the effectiveness of legislative attempts to control deceptive software. "It won't do any good at all--it's absolutely worthless," Dwight says. He notes that the very nature of spyware makes it difficult for authorities to track who and where spyware comes from. Furthermore, Dwight attributes the futility of legislative measures to the fact that many spyware applications are created in foreign countries by writers who cannot even be penalized under U.S. law. In his opinion, legislative efforts to control spyware are "just a way of politicians getting their name in the paper."

Microsoft has publicized a strategy that involves public and private sectors in the fight against spyware and other misleading software. "This strategy," Friedberg announced in his testimony, "has four prongs: widespread customer education, innovative technology solutions, improved industry self-regulation, and aggressive enforcement under existing state and federal laws. Legislation could complement this strategy, but we believe it should be carefully crafted to target the bad behavior--not the underlying technology," he said.

Whatever the future holds for spyware and its deceptive software counterparts, for the present, PC users will be forced to cope with and adapt to these undesirable intruders. Because the sponsors of spyware will undoubtedly continue to adapt their deceptions, the best advice to users is to maintain vigilance and keep informed about remedies.

September 13, 2004