Anti-Spyware Protection: Behind How-To Tips

There is no doubt that "how-to articles" have become a separate genre. One can find such an article about almost anything; there are even some entitled "How to Write a How-To Article". And, of course, the Web is swarming with the ones like "10 Steps to Protect Your PC from Spyware"(if not 10, any number will do; odd ones like 5,7,9 are most popular) or "How to Forget About Spyware For Good". Please don't accuse me of being sarcastic -- I am not; all these articles by all means are informative and so very useful. They all include really handy tips to protect you from this recently emerged plague called spyware. But?

A typical how-to article is short and snappy, with all unnecessary particulars carefully avoided. An ideal one is a clear scheme of what to do and how (because it is a how-to article). Some essential facts will surely be omitted just for the sake of brevity. Let's look into the author's "trash bin" for info ruthlessly (and maybe baselessly) thrown away.

Hint one: What on earth is spyware?

When you decide to apply "anti-spyware protection", you'd better realize what you want to be protected against. Unfortunately, there is not such thing as complete security. And?

"There is no such thing as spyware in itself"-- you are perplexed, aren't you? I bet you are; what's more, it was Kaspersky who recently expressed this opinion. "The term spyware is basically a marketing gimmick," wrote Kaspersky in the company weblog on March 03, 2005. "Just to separate new ersatz-security products from traditional ones, just to push almost zero-value products to the security market."

This quote (extremely curtailed and out of the context) have already spread all over the Internet, but it is very useful to read the whole posting to see the whole picture, so visit http://www.viruslist.com/en/Weblog?Weblogid=156679222

Few definitions caused so much controversy and confusion as did "spyware". Eugeny Kaspersky blames marketers for having coined this term--and partially he is right. But only partially.

As a professional, he classified various malicious programs according to their structure and characteristics; in this classification there is indeed no place for "spyware", which is too vague term to exactly denote anything with a particular structure.

On the other hand, marketers and journalists needed an expressive, easy-to-remember word to name existing (!) information-stealing programs to tell users (who may be not so versed in software as its developers) how to protect their computers.

What is "spyware" then? Spyware is a commonly used general term for any type of software that gathers personal information about the user without his or her knowledge and transmits it to a destination specified by the author of the program. Spyware applications are frequently bundled in other programs--often freeware or shareware--that can be downloaded from the Internet.

So, the term is very general and doesn't reflect either structure or characteristics of such software. After all, it is only a conventional word for programs that steal information.

According to Kaspersky, programs which are now called spyware, have existed for years. It's true. Who disagrees? Password-stealing Trojans were actually known as far back as in 1996. But it's also true that most dangerous information-stealing programs are on the rise. Spy Audit survey made by ISP Earthlink and Webroot Software (the survey lasted for a whole year 2004) showed--16.48% of all scanned consumer PCs in 2004 had a system-monitor, 16.69% had a Trojan.

Another bitter truth is that some unscrupulous producers now are jumping at the chance of making quick money. There are lots of suspicious, low-performing, or adware-installing products. See, for example, the list at http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm But saying that all the dedicated anti-spyware solutions are like that?To put it mildly, it's a bit too much.

Hint Two: Too Many Promises Made -- Is it Possible to Keep them?

There are loads of software programs nowadays created for fighting spyware. An ordinary consumer tends to get lost in plenty of information and lots of products, which are supposed to help him get rid of spyware. If all the advertising claims were true, it would have been easy. In reality it isn't.

Anti- spyware and anti-viruses work almost the same way. The efficiency of most anti-spyware programs is determined (and restricted, too) by signature bases. The more code clips (i.e. signatures) there are in the base, the more effectively the program works ? it means the more spyware programs it can identify. Only programs from the signature base are recognized as spyware; all other spy programs will be running unnoticed and unstopped.

So, absolutely all the signature- basis- containing programs are pretty much the same, whatever their ads say. They all rely on the same "match pattern"; the difference is only how many signatures each of them contains.

What conclusion we can make here? The bigger the signature base, the more reliable the product is, no matter whether it is anti-spyware or an anti-virus. If the software applies signature base, it's better to choose a product from a big company, which can afford spending plenty of money on research and updates.

Another conclusion we can make is that all such software without constant updating pretty quickly becomes useless and even dangerous, because users still expect it to protect their PCs. New spyware is constantly being developed, and anti-spyware developers have to catch up with it all the time. This race started when very first malicious programs appeared, and it is impossible to say whether it will ever end.

Alexandra Gamanenko currently works at Raytown Corporation, LLC--an independent software developing company. Software, developed by this company, does not rely on signature bases. Its innovative technology is capable of disabling the very processes of stealing information,such as keylogging, screenshoting, etc. Learn more -- visit the company's website: http://www.anti-keyloggers.com

---

With the Rise of Internet Crimes, Users are Turning to High-Tech ?PI?s? for Solutions

High-tech private investigators are becoming the answer for many Internet... Read More

Is Your Music Player Spying On You?

In today's times spyware is a very serious issue and... Read More

Watch Out For That Scam

The IFCC (Internet Fraud Complaint Center) received over 200,000 complaint... Read More

Is The Internet Over Regulated

Today's Internet or World Wide Web is being over regulated.But,... Read More

Mall Protection

The Loss Prevention Manager should be receptive to the needs... Read More

A New Low

A new variation of the Nigerian Scam theme ... Read More

If You Steal It, They May Come!

Business on the internet is getting down right shameless. This... Read More

Is My PC Vulnerable on the Internet?

No longer are viruses the only threat on the internet.... Read More

3 Pervasive Phishing Scams

Scams involving email continue to plague consumers across America, indeed... Read More

Sarbanes-Oxley: A Cross-Industry Email Compliance Challenge

Is your enterprise following the rules?The bulk of financial information... Read More

Dont Miss Information Because of Misinformation

It has been said that with the wealth of information,... Read More

How To Give Away Your Personal Information

Identity Theft and Your Personal Information Identity theft is... Read More

Hacking Threats and Protective Security

The 1998 Data Protection Act was not an extension to,... Read More

Internet/Network Security

Abstract Homogeneous symmetries and congestion control have garnered limited interest... Read More

Don?t Become An Identity Fraud Statistic!

"You've just won a fabulous vacation or prize package! Now,... Read More

Online Shoppers, Beware of a New Scam

Beware of a New Scam Aimed at Bargain-HuntersTrying to buy... Read More

How to Protect Yourself Against Online Criminals

Credit card fraud is a growing problem for online businesses... Read More

Phishing

Recently I have received email from my bank/credit Card Company,... Read More

DOS Attacks: Instigation and Mitigation

During the release of a new software product specialized to... Read More

Crack The Code - Thats A Direct Challenge

I Challenge You To Crack The Code ------------------------------------- I had... Read More

Data Security; Are Your Company Assets Really Secure?

Is your data secure? Think again. Securing data is unlike... Read More

Identity Theft ? Beware of Phishing Attacks!

"Dear Bank of the West customer", the message begins. I've... Read More

Parental Control - Dangers To Your Child Online & Internet Child Safety Tips

Did you know...? 1 in 5 children who use computer... Read More

Secure Your PC From Hackers, Viruses, and Trojans

Viruses, Trojans and Spyware: Protecting yourself.No user on the internet... Read More

Online Cell Phone Scams and Spam

They're out there. Individuals trying to make a quick buck... Read More

Identity Theft -- 10 Simple Ways to Protect Your Good Name!

Identity Theft is one of the most serious problems facing... Read More

Identity Theft - Dont Blame The Internet

Identity theft ? also known as ID theft, identity fraud... Read More

Hacked: Who Else Is Using Your Computer?

A friend called me one day and asked if I... Read More

Everything You Need To Know About Spyware and Malware

You are at your computer, checking out software on EBay.... Read More

Phishing-Based Scams: A Couple of New Ones

Phishing in its "classic" variant is relatively well-known. Actually, 43.4... Read More

The 5 Critical Steps to Protecting Your Computer on the Internet

Spyware, viruses and worms... oh my!If you are connected to... Read More

Is Spyware Watching You?

Imagine my surprise when I received a phone call from... Read More

Phishing, Fraudulent, and Malicious Websites

Whether we like it or not, we are all living... Read More