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Adware and Spyware

From Mary Landesman,

Miscreant apps increase the cost of 'free'

Has this ever happened to you? One day you're browsing the Internet as normal. The next day your browser's homepage has been changed to some off-color site and your desktop is serving up some program you don't recall installing.

Termed adware, the Internet is filled with programs that hijack your PC for profit, most hidden inside so-called "free" downloads and pop-up ads that forcibly install software on systems with improper security configurations. This doesn't mean that all free downloads are bad or that all pop-ups try to surreptitiously install software. It does mean, however, that you'll want to play close attention to both the licensing agreement of free downloads and the security settings in your browser.

What exactly is Adware? Generally speaking, it's a program that installs an additional component that feeds advertising to you or points your browser homepage to sites feeding advertising.

Unless you're a fan of guerilla marketing, such tactics can be annoying. Worse, the mechanism that feeds the advertising can introduce system anomalies or incompatibilites that cause problems with other programs and can even disrupt the functioning of the operating system. Finally, a hijacked start page or toolbar can be difficult to reconfigure to its original settings because adware typically integrates itself in a manner that exceeds the average user's technical capabilities. Even more frustrating, the now present system anomalies can prevent even seasoned users from accessing the system areas they need to delete the offending program. When it is successfully removed, the original free program you did want may not work without the accompanying Adware component, forcing users to either abandon a program they do like or subject themselves to a constant onslaught of advertising.

Some Adware is a bit more insidious than others. In order to provide targeted ad banners, Adware often contains another hidden component that tracks web useage. When this occurs, the program is no longer considered Adware but instead is termed Spyware. Information gathered, often referred to as "traffic data", can consist of rather benign cookies and time spent on certain sites.

However, more often it also obtains your system's unique numerical hardware ID (MAC address) and IP address, combines it with your surfing habits and correlates it with any personal information you provided when the "free" program was downloaded. Worse, it trades this information with affiliate advertising, building an increasingly complex dossier on who you are and what you like to do on the Internet. Is having your local temperature displayed on your desktop a fair trade for your privacy? If not, dump the freeware and buy a thermometer, because the odds are that's the trade you are making.

Of course, there are shining examples of free software that really are free with no strings attached. Admittedly tedious, the best way to sort good from bad is to simply read the end-user licensing agreement or privacy statement that accompanies the intended product or site. Wotch Yourself takes a step through of a privacy statement from Wotch networks and helps identify potential pitfalls. Be sure to read the article to help you understand the terminology these advertisers often use to hide their malicious intent.