Windows Defender

What is Spyware and Anti-Spyware software?

Spyware is software that gathers information about users web-surfing habits for mainly money-making purposes, while taking up memory and space on each computer. Spyware (also referred to as adware or malware) installs itself on unsuspecting users machines by ‘piggybacking’ on programs people choose to download. Many times the very fine print user agreements mention ‘free’ downloads and services as long as it is agreed the company will use spyware to monitor web habits for business research purposes.

Most spyware does this either by generating pop-up advertising on a computer, hoping the user will click on the ads and make purchases, or by stealing information (either personal information such as credit card numbers or sensitive corporate data) from the computer and passing it on to third parties. Some kinds of spyware, called keyloggers, actually record everything that is typed on the computer and pass that on to a third party.

Anti-spyware software detects and removes spyware from the computer. The software scans the computer and tags the spyware programs for either quarantine or deletion. Many times numerous spyware programs are resident in computers without the users knowledge. As with anti-virus software, anti-spyware software also needs to be updated regularly in order to get the latest version to protect users from the latest variants constantly being produced.