The hard facts about spyware.

No one should be too paranoid, but an informed user is a safe user. Spyware has recently begun cascading into the computer market at an astonishing rate. Surprisingly there are a lot of misconceptions about what spyware really is and how dangerous it can be.

Spyware and Adware are fundamentally different- This is important so listen up! Many people have the common misconception that spy software is made by advertisers to profile their shopping and surfing habits. This is a false and potentially dangerous assumption.

This misconception probably stems from the fall of two companies- Radiate and Conducent. Both of these companies attempted to sell banner space inside of freeware applications and to share this revenue with software authors in exchange for letting them distribute and selling space inside the freeware. This seemed to be a fair deal but what they didn’t disclose to software authors and didn’t tell consumers is that they were secretly profiling and logging surfing habits.

Conducent and Radiate have long been out of business but they left the legacy of adware paranoia with them. Adware may have spyware-like features, it may profile shopping habits, and it is usually annoying, but it is not near the security threat that real spyware can be. In short Adware is not trying to capture your secret chats, e-mails or passwords. It usually is trying to entice you to buy something by showing ads, throwing out pop-up windows, profiling your surfing habits or gathering broad and general information about you.

Spy software creates dangerous security holes- The latest “rage” among spyware vendors is the ability to let the spy remotely connect to the target’s computers. Right now we have identified several spyware programs opening a default port on the system and using a hard-coded or default, easy to guess or easy to brute force password. We have analyzed and carried out sample attacks in this scenario. Hackers can use a simple port scanning tool to scan entire networks and easily penetrate affected machines. People who have certain remote spyware programs installed on their machines are literally sitting ducks. Ironically, in the case of shared-machine spousal spying, the spy has actually opened themselves up to severe security threats because they operate on the same machine as the victim.

Spyware can be illegal- The use of Spyware or key recorders is illegal in some countries. If you are thinking about spying on people’s computers then think again. It may carry stiff legal penalties, up to and including prison time. Unfortunately there are virtually no laws currently restricting employer monitoring of computers in the workplace for citizens of the United States. The good news is there is pending legislation to tighten these rules focusing on requiring notification of employees if their computer activity is being monitored. As of today this disclosure is not required.

Spyware is common- We know what you might be thinking; spy software seems rather “James Bondish” and beyond the reach of average users. This is not so. It is now mass-marketed, cheap and very easy to acquire. You can find spyware for sale through Internet auctions, via e-mails (often spam), and all over the Web. You can even get spyware for free if you know where to look.

Spyware is easy to install- There are no special technical skills needed to install these programs. A teenager can do it and according to reports we have received from users they sometimes do. Spy software companies have made it very easy for just about anyone to start spying.

Spyware may be sold under legitimate pretenses- Many spy programs are marketed as “child monitoring systems” when in fact they are bought by employers, spouses, and other individuals for the sole purpose of gathering system and personal information without a user’s consent. Because of this programs are often missed by anti-virus software designed to target viruses and trojan horses. Let’s be realistic, spy software makers know exactly why people are really buying these programs.

We believe parents have a right to monitor there children but if a system is monitored it should be made clear this software is in place and the software should give the user adequate warning whileit is in operation. The same holds true for employers and employees. Spies intentionally ‘misuse’ monitoring software- Established spy software companies usually ask purchasers to agree through a EULA (End User License Agreement) not to monitor users without their knowledge and consent. You guessed it- most spies have absolutely no intention of letting users know they are under surveillance.

Spyware software can be detected- Spy software makers will go to great lengths to convince users they are ‘untraceable’ or they cannot be sniffed out by counter-surveillance probes. While spy ware makers use very sophisticated counter-detection and stealth technologies the vast majority of them can be scanned for and removed. If it is being sold on the commercial market- it can be targeted.

Some commercial spy programs are repurposed ‘Trojan horses’- This is sad but shockingly true. Some spyware vendors have went as far as to repurpose old Trojan horse programs found on hacking boards and are selling them as new spy technology. (A Trojan horse is a malicious, security-breaking program disguised as something benign.)

Deleting history and computer use logs does nothing against spyware- While erasing usage history is useful to protect your privacy this type of protection is worthless if your activity is being logged or snapshots are being taken of your computer use. Deleting history, files, cache and cookies cannot and will not protect you against the prying eyes of spies.