Spyware and Malware

What is spyware?

Spyware is software that is installed on your computer by programs, sometimes without your knowledge, that may pass on information about you and your system to the spyware company.  It may be installed by visiting certain web sites, or you may agree to it as part of a licensing agreement when you download an often "free"  program.    It may also add unwanted feature that are hard to remove.  Other programs are considered Malware because they cause system instability and may lead to crashes or other difficulties with your computer.

For more information on Spyware see the Microsoft web site

The following is a list of a few of the known spyware or malware programs.

• WeatherBug - Causes system instability
• WebShots - Downloads and installs additional spyware/malware without user's knowledge.
• New.Net - Changes TCP/IP and Winsock Stacks causing network instability
• Gator - Routs all web traffic requests through remote servers which is a security risk