To be sure, most of this software is more annoying than
harmful. However, as Jamie Garrison, co-owner of Aluria
Software, which produces the spyware stopper, put it,
"Some spyware can ruin your life. It's that
invasive."
So, what can a user do to avoid the onslaught of
underhanded tracking programs?
The Spyware Menace
Garrison said the most pressing issue related to spyware is
that people do not take it seriously enough. Part of the
problem is awareness. Many people are only now finding out
about spyware. "Few users are aware that everything they
do on the Net or even while not connected to the Internet can
be tracked," Ken Lloyd, lead developer at Aluria, told
NewsFactor.
After all, spyware can range from a stealthy program that
runs in the background, transmitting your surfing habits to a
company for marketing purposes, to keylogging software
installed by a spouse to monitor communications.
"Well over 85 percent of people have spyware on their
computer," Lloyd said.
Programs That Fight It
Gartner analyst Richard Stiennon told NewsFactor that while
antivirus products from companies like McAfee and Symantec (Nasdaq:
SYMC - news)
can be used to detect spyware, the user is also an important
ingredient in stopping spyware. He or she must recognize
spyware programs -- and know enough to remove them -- when
they are detected.
Of course, most users do not know much about spyware.
Stiennon recommended that users get a desktop firewall program
that blocks unwanted outgoing connections. Then, even if
spyware is running, it will be unable to connect to a server
to transmit information.
(Story continues after advertisement)
One personal firewall, ZoneAlarm, can make sure spyware
cannot communicate with the outside world. According to Fred
Felman, vice president of marketing at Zone Labs, ZoneAlarm
"shuts down Internet connectivity instead of losing
control of the system" when an unauthorized application
tries to send information from a user's PC. Felman told
NewsFactor that ZoneAlarm allows users to specify which
programs are allowed to send and receive data over the
network. Users even can restrict programs to certain ports or
domains.
And in addition to antivirus vendors and personal
firewalls, a number of companies like Aluria make spyware
detection and removal software.
Arms Race
Even when a person recognizes spyware on his or her
computer, removing it may be tricky business. According to
Garrison, some spyware manages to "embed" itself
into the software Windows uses to provide TCP/IP (Internet
networking) services. She said that removing such spyware
"actually removes your Internet connection. It's fixable,
but it's a real pain."
This makes sense, considering that malware authors are
always trying to stay one step ahead of users and spyware
stoppers. The latest rash of annoyware consists of programs
that send pop-ups to instant messaging (news
- web
sites) programs like MSN Messenger. Even more irritating,
many of those pop-ups simply inform users that they are
vulnerable to unwanted messages.
And it gets worse: Stiennon said that programs being sold
to block this plague of IM pop-ups are scams, too. "Just
go into the admin functions in the control panel [and do it
yourself]," he said, noting that the program vendors are
taking advantage of people who do not know they can turn off
the function by themselves.
The Perils of Free
In fact, according to Garrison, most spyware is installed
by users voluntarily, even if they do not know it. She blames
free products like Grokster and Kazaa for piggybacking spyware
onto users' computers, though she noted that it is all
disclosed in the fine print. "Here's the really dirty
part of it. Let's say you go out and download a free program.
It's almost certainly going to have spyware.... Very rarely
does spyware get on your computer without your consent."
So, what is the solution? "Stop using free products...
Don't download it if it's free."
Lloyd agreed. "The latest trend for software companies
is to give their software away for free. By doing this they
bundle ad software within it. They usually tell the customer
in the EULA (end user license agreement) ... that some
additional ad-tracking software will be installed, but they
bury it so deep that the average person has no idea."
It's the User
In addition, Garrison said, most users have themselves to
blame for spam. "They say yes to it in their user
agreement."
Felman noted that users also need to be conscious of human
engineering. "It's interesting; we talk about the
automated way that people do this, [but] there might be a
bigger risk in the human factor." Felman mentioned scams
that depend on users not paying close attention and providing
information to third parties about usernames and passwords.
"I got an e-mail from an organization purporting to be
Drugstore.com, and it looked a lot like other e-mails I've
gotten from Drugstore.com, using images from their server but
the text asking for my username and password."
Ultimately, the solution to stopping spyware -- and other
scame -- lies with the user. Spyware removal and detection
software can be useful, but the best way to fight it is by
making sure it is not installed on your computer in the first
place. In the end, as Garrison said, the best spyware-stopper
is an informed computer user.
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