Spyware

=__Spyware__**:**=

computer software that obtain's information from a users computer without a user's knowledge or consent.
 * __Definition:__**

the first recorded record use of the term spyware occured on October 16, 1995 at a microsoft business model. Spyware was first denoted hardware ment for espionage purposes. In the early 2000 the founder of zone labs used the term press release for the ZoneAlarm Personal Firewall.in the early 2001, Steve Gibson of Gibson Research realized that advertising software had been installed on his system, and suspected it was stealing his personal information. After analysis, he determined that it was adware from the companies Aureate(later Radiate) and Conducent. Gibson developed and released the first anti-spyware program, OptOut. As of 2006, spyware has become one of the preeminent security threats to computer systems running Microsoft Windows operating systems. In an estimate based on cutomer-sent scan logs, Webroot Software, makers of Spy Sweeper, said that 9 out of 10 computers connected to the Internet are inflected. Computers where Internet Explorer (IE) is the primary browser are particularly vulnerable to such attacks not only because IE is the most widely-used, but because its tight intergration with WIndows allows spyware access to crucial parts of the operating system.
 * __History:__**

__**Comparison of Past and Present Day devices:**__ 2011-
 * 2000-**

__Purpose:__ Spyware is installed on a computer to track personal data and then send that data back to the spyware's programmer or to another third party. The entire function is to invade privacy and steal information.

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