Spyware is computer software that collects personal
information about users without their informed consent. The term, coined in 1995
but not widely used for another five years, is often used interchangeably with
adware and malware (software designed to infiltrate and damage a computer
respectively).
Personal information is secretly recorded with a variety of techniques,
including logging keystrokes, recording Internet web browsing history, and
scanning documents on the computer's hard disk. Purposes range from overtly
criminal (theft of passwords and financial details) to the merely annoying
(recording Internet search history for targeted advertising, while consuming
computer resources). Spyware may collect different types of information. Some
variants attempt to track the websites a user visits and then send this
information to an advertising agency. More malicious variants attempt to
intercept passwords or credit card numbers as a user enters them into a web form
or other applications.
The spread of spyware has led to the development of an entire anti-spyware
industry. Its products remove or disable existing spyware on the computers they
are installed on and prevent its installation. However, a number of companies
have incorporated forms of spyware into their products. These programs are not
considered malware, but are still spyware as they watch and observe for
advertising purposes. It is debatable whether such 'legitimate' uses of adware/spyware
are malware since the user often has no knowledge of these 'legitimate' programs
being installed on his/her computer and is generally unaware that these programs
are infringing on his/her privacy. In any case, these programs still use the
resources of the host computer without permission.
Pop-up Blocker
Pop-up ads or popups are a form of online advertising
on the World Wide Web intended to increase web traffic or capture email
addresses. It works when certain web sites open a new web browser window to
display advertisements. The pop-up window containing an advertisement is usually
generated by JavaScript, but can be generated by other means as well.
A variation on the pop-up window is the pop-under advertisement. This opens a
new browser window, behind the active window. Pop-unders interrupt the user
less, but are not seen until the desired windows are closed, making it more
difficult for the user to determine which Web site opened them.
((SITE MAP))
|
