Spyware, Viruses, and Online Privacy

We have all been using computers long enough to have some familiarity with the trouble spyware, pop-up adds, viruses and other similar nuances cause for computer users. Often times it seems as if computers are rendered unusable because of the detrimental effects some of the programs can have on the speed and processing power of a computer. In this post I'll be looking at many types of viruses and spyware programs, how they can be prevented, and exactly what this says about online privacy in this day and age.

The term "spyware" came into popular use in 2000 when the Internet and technology boom was really beginning to take off. The purpose of the software is to expose the infected computer to various forms of advertisement for a spyware company's own commercial gain. There are many ways that spyware attempts to install itself on a computer, all of which are involved with exploiting some sort of weakness in the computer's software.

One method used to infect a computer is known as "piggybacking". Many spyware programs will come bundled with a popular computer program. When the user installs the desired computer software, the spyware software will install simultaneously with the user ever being aware of its presence. Some popular computer programs which have been known to piggyback spyware are the file sharing programs kazaa and morpheus, past versions of AOL Instant Messenger, the popular turn-based strategy game Dope Wars, and even a program from the Sony BMG music company known as Extended Copy Protection. In 2005 this program caused a great amount of controversy. The Program was put on various music Cd's from Sony and was automatically installed on a computer when the user attempted to play the CD. The program interfered with the way the Windows operating system normally played Cd’s, which ultimately exploited some security flaws allowing spyware and other virus type programs to infect the computer.

A second way spyware is installed is through deception. Internet Explorer is commonly exploited in this way. Spyware programs will often imitate a Windows dialogue box and ask some question dealing with an out of date browser, or upgrades for faster safer browsing. Instead of the "yes" and "no" buttons having the desired effect, they instead act as links to download some sort of spyware. No matter which button is pressed it is a link to the spyware program.

Internet Explorer, and Windows are typically the most affected by spyware. This is because of a couple of reasons. The first is that the majority of computer users in the world are running on the Windows operating platform, and so it is more profitable for spyware companies to develop software for Windows and not other operating systems such as Linux or the Mac OSX.

Computer viruses are vastly different and far more malicious than spyware. The main differences are in the methods of transmission, and the effects on the computer. While spyware is spread through the Internet by programs and links, viruses need a host such as a floppy disk or a flash drive, or a network through which the virus can be sent. While the purpose of spyware is mainly for advertisement and commercial gain for a corporation, viruses are used to cause harm to computer programs by deleting or damaging files. Some viruses simply make themselves know by displaying text messages, audio or video. These viruses do no real damage, however they do take up space used by other vital programs causing poor computer performance. Another difference from spyware is that viruses can copy themselves and make a slight change, much like a biological virus from which the name is derived, making them very hard to locate and delete.

However unlike biological viruses, computer viruses are not born into existence through a random occurrence; they are man made. People make viruses for many different reasons. The majority are pranks and a form of computer vandalism. Some are political and attack corporations that produce a product the virus programmer may not agree with.

Many programs are available to combat the spread of viruses and spyware. For spyware programs like Ad-aware and Spy-bot locate spyware and quarantine or delete it. For viruses, MacAfee and Norton are two of the leading virus scan and protection programs. Other than programs and software, there are groups out there against the use of spyware and the creation of viruses. The Anti-Spyware Coalition is a group of computer companies, anti-spyware companies, and other consumer groups. Their purpose is to bring an awareness of the problem between the corporations so that an agreeable solution to the spyware and virus problem can be found. Some notable members of the coalition are Microsoft, AOL, Dell Computers, MacAfee, and Google.

Many see spyware as an invasion of privacy and rightfully so. For many, browsing the web is one of the few mediums of entertainment left where they can choose which websites to go to and see advertisements that they want to see. Spyware eliminates this. Aside from the inconveniences, it can cause thousands of dollars of damage. Viruses and spyware are often detrimental to a computer’s performance, which can cause the owner to spend hundreds of dollars and software to correct the problem, or thousands on a new computer. Many spyware programs and viruses have also been linked to identity theft through the copy of bank and credit card information. I think we can all agree that nothing is as private as ones identity, and to have that stolen is a blatant and malicious invasion of ones privacy.

A Prestigious Computer Award.

In the Field of computing and computer programming, the Tuning award is one of the most prestigious awards members of the field could hope to receive. For the first time in the awards 40 year existence it was presented to a woman. 74-year-old Frances Allen was presented with the Tuning Award for her work at IBM. She did extensive and very innovative work with performance compilers, which are programs which help to turn computer code into the readable ones and zeroes. Shes also worked on intelligence analysis software for the Nation Security Agency, and helped develop Blue Gene, IBM's supercomputer. I think that this is a pretty remarkable acievement by this woman. She's as old as my grandma, who doesn't know a thing about computers, and shes been able to achieve some pretty amazing things.

Real Lecture vs Virtual Lecture

The experiment we did last Monday's class where the class discussion was held in a chat room definitely had some ups and downs. There were a few reasons why the chat room generated a more beneficial discussion. I think one reason the chat was great was because it allowed people more time to think about what they wanted to say, which ultimately led to a well thought, articulate statement. A second advantage of the chat was it allowed people who normally may feel uncomfortable speaking in front of a group to give their opinion in a relatively tamer environment.

Despite these advantages, I think that there were some crippling disadvantages to the chat room. The first was due to some technological failures. The chat program was a bit glitchy and also, the text window could not be expanded. Comments were often rushed above the visible window before I could read them. While it is true that a more stable chat program could have been used, I think it needs to be kept in mind that whenever technology is involved there is always the chance that something could go wrong. I think another disadvantage to the chat room was I couldn't quite interpret the tone of comments. In the class room its a lot easier to read how people feel about certain issues by the tone of their voice. That sort of "heat" was lost in the chat session.

Reselling engagment rings

This is about yet another article I found on CNN. Its about a man who was engaged to be married and for some reason it just didn't work out. So he tried to sell his ring back to the jeweler and they would only give him 32% back. He then created the internet auction site called "I do....no i don't". If anything, I think its a pretty clever title. Surprisingly, there are may in the same predicament. I dont know about you guys, but I'd feel a little weird buying a failed, used engagement ring.

Mourning on Facebook and Myspace

I just read a very interesting article on CNN about how social sites such as facebook and myspace have become places to mourn friends or loved ones that have passed away. The article states that these sites have become places of comfort for friends trying to cope with a lost. Since it is a personal space created and customized by someone, friends often seek comfort through these sites by leaving goodbye messages; it's as if they can actually talk to their deceased friend. This ties in to some discussion we've been having in class about how it may be easier for people to express themselves in an online environment. I just found it pretty interesting that these online social sites are a way for people to live on for a long time after they pass away.

An increasing reliance on technology.

I was recently reading something on CNN about Apple's new iphone. I would just like to comment on the cell phone craze that seems to be sweeping the western world. It's really amazing to me that almost 10 years ago not many people, except for wallstreet business executives, owned a cell phone. In 2007, it's hard to find someone who doesn't have one. These phones are becoming increasingly more complicated and complex as well. They don't just make phone calls anymore. They can take pictures and videos, play music, connect to the internet, send email, and probably do a lot of other theings that I don't know about. Last summer my cell phone was stolen and I think I went a good few weeks to a month without one. It was kind of weird to see how much I had come to depnend on such a small communications device for a number of different things. It makes me a little bit uneasy to think about how dependent our society has become on these things.

What should come first?

Last class we had a discussion about MUD's and priority. Should an on-line persona be considered equal to or more important than one's real life? Personally I tend to feel that nothing should come before your real, living, breathing life. Yes, a computer persona could be considered very important or a large part of someones life, but at the same time it will not always be there. Computers can malfunction, networks can crash, but you'll always have your actual life to live and experience.

Do you think that an on-line identity or character can be equal or more important than one's day to day life?