UNDERSTANDING MALWARE AND EVERYTHING ELSE ABOUT IT [PART 5]:SPYWARE ||SIZ EDUCATION|| CLUB75.

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Spyware just like the name implies can easily be decipher as a kind of spy agent or spy software or spy application with a major function of spying on something or someone it is assigned to.

Think of it as anything in form of any technological program or software that can Instill itself in a computer or mobile phone and inturn gather Intel about the owner of the computer or phone whereby giving a third party access to those sensitive information stored on the device it attached itself too.

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Spyware as a form of malware or malicious software is one which Installs itself on a user's device without them knowing or without their permission and subsequently gather information about the user on the the device.

It is an Infectious program design by cybercriminals to spy or carry out secret surveillance and monitoring activities on a user through their device.

They are designed to spy on a user and also steal sensitive information from the user device and then give those information to a remote user or third-party.

This implies that once it has been installed on your device without your knowledge or permission,you are no longer the only person who have access to the information on the device anymore,a 3rd party can now conviniently gain access to those stored data on the device.

This Spyware malicious software operate by monitoring and tracking "keystroke and login credentials" of the user whenever they make use of their device and in turn relay or send it to the author of the spyware program.

WHAT DOES SPYWARE DO IN A DEVICE & HOW DOES IT WORK??

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Malware general are known to be program that are designed to wreck havoc In a computer and even destabilize a whole network,but some are not typically designed to erase,damage or destroy data.
The earlier you understand this,the better,because most of our Android phones,PCs,MAC,IOS are Infected with malware such as spyware but we do not know probably because we didn't loss important data or our device is still working well.

Here is how the spyware operate in a computer and how it works.

•Infiltrate your vulnerable device:This happens when you visit unsafe and malicious website,open unsafe attachment online or on your email, downloading malicious apps and files online.
These are some ways the spyware could gain access Into one's device.

•Start data capturing and monitoring of device:After installing itself in the user's device without their knowledge,the malicious software begins to capture and monitor your data and Information as well as every of the your activities carried out on the device from browser history to keystrokes and logins credentials.

•Providing data to the 3rd party or author of the spyware program:Once the spyware is installed on the devices,it starts relaying sensitive data to the 3rd party or remote user whereby providing your information to the author or designer of the malicious program.

Some list of data and things that can be collected or spy
on by the spyware malware are:

•keystrokes
•user's browser history
•Email address and login credentials.
•financial or bank account information such as credit card details and account pin.

HOW CAN A USER'S DEVICE GET INFECTED.

It is imperative to note that every device that is capable of connecting to the internet is prone and subsceptible to spyware attack.

Here are some ways your device can get Infected with the spyware malware.

•Clicking and accepting pop-up window that appears on your browser without proper scrutiny or effective safety or security measure in place.

•Downloading file,apps and software from unreliable source or unsafe website.

•Opening email attachment from unknown source or sender without scanning it first to validate it credibility.

•Visiting unsafe website might also get your device Infected.

•downloading pirated movies,music or games might pose a high risk to your device as these things most of the time contain an attachment of the spyware program.

The creator of this malicious software are so tricky as they always attach the progarm to even legitimate files online,so a user has to be careful of what comes into their device and also make it a point of duty to scan every file and data before Installing them on the computer.

SIGNS OF SPYWARE INFECTION.

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Spyware is relatively difficult to detect or recognize because it is a spyware and it is design to operate decreetly, secretly and undercover like an agent.

But there are certain sign that shows that a device is Infected with the spyware.
Here are some of the sign exhibited by a computer Infected with the spyware.

•Infected devices tend to always run out of hard drive space.

•Frequent and persistent pop-up window that can really be annoying.

•Your broswer will always redirect you to unsafe website everytime you click on other page without your permission.

•Waking up to discover icon of program or application you never downloaded on your device.

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR DEVICE FROM SPYWARE ATTACK.

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•Make use of strong and secure antivirus software program or application.

•Avoid clicking on pop-up windows that appear on your browser.

•Avoid opening email attachment with link when you are unsure of the source or the sender is unknown.

•Do not visit unsafe website or download any attachments from there.

•Always make sure to scan every attachment,file or document sent to your device before proceeding to do anything with it.

•Do not click on links that comes in form of text messages if they seem suspicious.

HOW TO REMOVE SPYWARE FROM DEVICE AND WHAT TO DO AFTER THE REMOVAL.

To remove spyware from a device can really be a bit difficult as they can not be easily detected or recognized.
But making use of quality and strong virus scanning software can detected and also eliminate this malware from the system.

And also, Making use of virus removal tool can also do the trick.
Downloading and running a virus removal tool on you device scans your device thoroughly for threat that most times even your traditional antivirus program couldn't detect.

Some applications can also pose threat to your device,so once you notice a suspicious application on your device,do well to uninstall it.

After,the cleaning of your device from the malware,it is imperative to put some preventive measure in place to barricade future attack.
Some of these preventive measures against spyware are

•Modify or change your current password or pin: Remember spyware target your keystrokes and login credentials,once you have succeeded in flushing the spyware out of your device,it is only pragmatic that your change your password and login credentials.

•Make some changes on your financial account information too:Spyware also target your financial accounting credentials,so you should make certain changes regarding your financial account information,like alerting or visiting the bank to change your credit card pin, password on the bank application or software and other information that you believe a 3rd party already have access to.

•Backup and secure your personal data: Although the spyware majorly target your logins credentials and password,but it is also important to secure your personal information too.
Backup your data and make sure your to encrypt your data on your device to keep it extra safe.

EXAMPLES OF SPYWARE

•HAWKEYE:The Hawkeye spyware is an example of spyware that is designed to capture keystrokes,login credentials and other sensitive and high-risk personal information of a user.

•OLYMPIC VISION:This malware spread and disseminate through emails messages and attachment targeted towards employee of a particular company or organization.
It is also design to monitor and log keystrokes and also steal clipboard data as well as other sensitive information of users from the company or organization server through the collective Infection or attack launched on the employees devices.

•COOLWEBSEARCH{CWS}: The coolwebsearch spyware has been around since 2013.It operate by redirecting a user's browser to an entirely new homepage which most times are unsafe and without their permission.
It keeps bringing up pop-up ads on a user device and navigating the user browser to those unsafe website by changing the browser permission and consequently marking unsafe website "SAFE".

IS SPYWARE A VIRUS?

Spyware and virus are both subdivision of malware or malicious software,they are both member of the same family known as Malware.

Spyware isn't a virus,they are totally different and have different mode of operation.
They are different in the sense that,spyware are designed to spy on a user's information and then relay the information to a 3rd party or remote user while the virus spread from one device to another destroying, modifying and even stealing information of users.
Computer virus is designed for destruction and theft while spyware is designed to create a backdoor for a remote user to gain access to a user's information.

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This is where I will be drawing the curtain on today's edition (part 5) of "UNDERSTANDING MALWARE AND EVERYTHING ELSE ABOUT IT"

See you in my next continuation post on SIZ EDUCATION here in @Steem-Infinity-Zone community.

I hope you learnt something new today😊
I'm glad you did.

Thanks for reading.
Special thanks:@siz-official
@faran-nabeel.