Spyware

Spyware can arrive to your computer with freeware or shareware, attached to or embedded in email or messenger communications, through peer-to-peer downloads (P2P, music/video exchange), as an unwanted ActiveX installation, or accidentally or deliberately by a person with access to your computer. Once installed, spyware does its job invisibly. It is designed for stealth operation, and it is usually difficult to detect and remove it. There are various anti-spyware tools available to detect and remove spyware (e.g. Spybot S&D).

While some spyware can be installed with the your knowledge (usually the user may not clearly understand what he or she has done), many times it is installed as a part of another program. Even if a software bundling and information tracking practices are disclosed to the consumer through the License Agreement, such disclosures are rarely noticed by users or give them any real understanding that information will be collected by the spyware and how the collecting party will use it. Many users simply do not read the License Agreement and just click Accept button.

Infection process:
Spyware is not a virus and anti-virus software does not protect against it. While attached to legitimate downloads, it easily passes through firewalls. When installed, spyware integrates invisibly into the operating system and cannot be easily noticed and/or deleted.

Effects:
In principle, spyware operates invisibly. However, it may slow down some system processes when collecting information, and internet communication while transferring data to the third party (randomly or on timely manner).

The major damage potential is in revealing passwords, confidential data and communication, theft of intellectual property and/or identity theft.