Why Spyware Programs Pose A Risk You Cannot Just Ignore
You’re typing on the internet, filling in information for your profiles for a delivery, you enter your shipping address. At another site, you’ve entered a password, and entered your credit card number. Going to the Social Security web site to check on your account balance, you enter your social Security Number. Two weeks later, someone is using your credit card with a near perfect match of your data, and your life is upended as you try and clear your good name.
What happened? You probably got hit by a spy, or to be more precise a keystroke logger, in this instance. Now, this is nearly a worst case scenario, but even minor spyware problems are endemic and can be a great source of frustration. Spyware programs come from a variety of sources, and all of them try to install themselves on your personal computer without telling you they’re doing it. Among the things spyware can do, in addition to keystroke logging, are to track and report what web sites you visit, scan files on your hard drive, look for vital personal information, snoop through applications on your desk top to report what...