Monday, May 22, 2006

How spyware gets on your computer

Two interesting links this weekend show how the spyware writers get their wares onto people's computers. An article in The Enquirer explains the most common spyware terms for getting infected. Anti-virus company Sophos announced how it's detected and stopped a rootkit exploit based on an online poker game.

The most common spyware terms only confirm what us techs see every day. The bulk of the terms are music download terms, others are screensaver and ringtones. Do a search on any of these, and you can be sure the top results will all be spyware related.

Sophos' detection of a rootkit using an online poker game illustrates the risks with online games. The only positive thing I can think of with this is that it targets adults instead of kids.

If people must go to these sites then it's important to run your Windows system in a restricted user profile, have an up to date antivirus and a firewall.