Spyware
©2003 Suzy Wurtz
Well-written espionage novels are great summer reading. The Company, Robert
Littell’s fictional account of the history of the CIA was a compelling story. We
had it on audio (40 hours worth!) and I searched for chores so that I could
listen to it. There’s nothing like a good mole tale. We enjoy Vince Flynn’s work
at our house, too, when we need to escape the workaday world. Yes, I like spy
characters.
But not when they’re in my bedroom.
I have long been aware of surveillance software, the product that allows
employers to see what places their workers are visiting on the Internet. But
only recently did I find out
about the spies lurking on my home computer.
Apparently when I’ve downloaded “free” software, an unmentioned tracking program
was also installed. These tracking programs report my Internet activities
without my knowledge. It’s called spyware, and it’s no piece of fiction.
I’m not talking about computer “cookies. A cookie is a text file that stores
information about sites I frequent. It’s a timesaver that allows me into a web
site without logging in and giving the password. It’s the link that makes the
opening page at Amazon.com say, “Hello, Suzy Wurtz. We have recommendations for
you.” These suggestions are based on my previous purchases and the last time I
visited the site. But cookies aren’t working programs and seldom (so far!) have
contact with anybody else except the sites from which they came----the ones I
have relationships with.
But spyware is another matter. These moles are computer programs that reside on
your computer and regularly send messages back to “headquarters.” They can
track, among other things, your Internet usage, your name, zip code, and even
what software is on your computer. Besides collecting things, these programs
take up space and operating time.
My techno-savvy spouse heard about spyware and downloaded a free “spy catcher”
from Lavasoft.de called Ad-aware. It’s free for personal home use, but if
you’re a business, they want you to pay. We ran Ad-aware in March and discovered
about 150 “data mining” files on my PC, which alarmed me. Many of them came from
a sweepstakes and game web site I hadn’t used in years, called IWON.com. Tens of
programs from this site had been watching me for a few years. It felt creepy.
The Ad-aware software quarantined them, but when we checked again a month later,
there were more spy programs from different places. So, now, we regularly clean
up the data mining programs and I’m a little more careful about what I download.
It’s true that there are no free lunches and there is no free software.
Last month, I weakened, however. Receiving an offer from Hotbar.com to add fun
graphics to my email, I downloaded the toolbar and programs. And I also
downloaded many spying, data mining programs. Only after our Ad-aware check
found them, did I delete the entire program folder. But lo and behold, there
were still some Hotbar spies remaining in secret places even after that! Like I
said, this is creepy.
If you’re interested, do a search on “spyware” to find out more about it. MSNBC
recently reported that a patriotic campaign offering a flag cursor for your
mouse pointer came attached with spyware and adware (source of many of those
annoying “pop ups”).
What can you do? Delete any “cookies” from sites you don’t regularly contact.
Get a spy catcher program and regularly monitor your PC. You’ll be amazed at the
seemingly innocuous sites that plant spies on your computer.
Yes, espionage stories are compelling. But from now on, the only secret agents I
want contact with are the ones in books.
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