Adware
Advertising software is software which monitors the web pages
you visit in order to selectively present advertisements typically in the form
of popups and can be a real nuisance.
Adware is commonly
bundled with file sharing and other "free" utility software. This means that
when you download and install some selected free desktop utility etc you are
also installing ( sometimes unwittingly ) an adware program. Even though the
EULA for the utility or whatever might declare that some other software is
bundled with it, sometimes the fact that this extra bundled software is
adware can be somewhat obscure.
Simply removing the bundled extra(s) quite often isn't a viable option as the
utility ( or whatever ) may cease to function without it ( them ).
Sometimes tracking cookies are referred to as a passive form of adware, strictly
speaking they are not.
Are adware and spyware synonymous ? ..... strictly speaking no,
the distinction ( as far as I can tell ) is that whilst both can monitor the web
pages you visit, adware doesn't broadcast this information.
Cookies
Cookies have an undeservedly poor stigma about them.
They are intrinsically benign, having these basic characteristics :-
- can contain personally unique info not just the computer on which they reside. * see note below *
- are themselves quite harmless
- are rarely used for illicit purposes.
- any real threat to your privacy comes from the way that any information obtained is used.
- associated with adware or spyware ( most tracking cookies )are easily detected and removed.
- have been ( and probably still are ) the subject of a lot of scare mongering.
- are an essential part of internet browsing so just simply blocking all of them isn't a practical solution.
- don't pose a threat in the way that viruses etc do
- can only be read by the website that placed them, which may not be the site you visit
Note :- can contain unencrypted email addresses and info that you have entered into a form, passwords however are usually encrypted.
Eg. If you use hotmail ( ie. Windows Live™ Mail beta )
and checked either
or
you will have a cookie - administratoratlogon.live
containing your ( unencrypted ) email address.
Cookies are set as either session expiry or persistent. Session cookies are not recognised once your browser is closed. Persistent cookies remain useful until a set date.
Recognition cookies
( What I call ) Recognition cookies are used almost universally as website visitor management tools. They are used by search engines such as Google™ to recognise your search preferences, ie: pages from Australia, only sites written in English.....etc.- MSN™ & Yahoo!™ use them to make signing in more convenient. Recognition cookies are set as persistent.
Tracking cookies
( What everyone calls )
Tracking cookies are commonly used as a means to gather marketing
information. Yes your web surfing habits can be tracked, so long
as the sites you visit are linked to the site that actually placed the cookie.
Cookies placed by websites via another ( ie. the one you are actually visiting ) are commonly referred to
as 3rd party cookies.
In other words a cookie can be placed and read by a website other than
the one you are actually visiting. This information can be used ( for example )
to tailor advertising, either popups or even spam emails, this largely accounts
for the their infamy.
Marketing companies eg. DoubleClick®, Avenue A | Razorfish®,
& MediaPlex®, use cookies to gather information, nearly all
sites that use cookies have opt out provisions. Tracking cookies
are set as persistent , that is to say they are set with an expiry date.
Is anything terrible going to happen to you because of cookies residing on your computer ?, put simply - no. The real issue is of concern is privacy invasion.
That said, I hasten to add that there at least two very devious ways of tracking your browsing habits and hence obtain valuable information for advertisers :-
-
Persistent Identification Element or PIE restores deleted cookies,
an effective counter measure can be found here. - Web Bugs ( which rely on cookies ), an effective counter measure can be found here
Conspiracy theorists would undoubtedly say that " Big Brother " uses
tracking cookies to spy on peoples internet
habits and that all the advice regarding cookies being benign and harmless is an attempt to disguise their true nature and purpose. Get over it, they
wouldn't bother. Anyone with sufficient authority AND legal justification can
find out what your browsing habits are from your I.S.P. So just to satisfy a
common need, did you know that everyone who has had any kind of surgery in the
last 7 or so years has been secretly implanted with a miniature transponder similar to the
"microchips" used for pets oops, sorry, companion animals ?
"Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you"
☺
If you have any real concerns about privacy invasion read the terms of use and privacy statements of any sites that you visit.
Basically it comes down to this, reputable internet oriented
individuals and organisations won't risk getting their collective hides nailed
to a legal fence by breaching existing ( and evolving ) privacy laws.
If you want to examine the contents and source of all the cookies you have collected
an excellent ( free ) cookie viewer is available at
Karen's Power Tools.
Spyware
The prevalence of spyware has just about reached biblical proportions.
As the name suggests spying software does in fact spy on you.
This can involve simply tracking the web sites you visit and sending this
information to the originator to facilitate market research and / or tailor
advertising based on your web surfing activities, whilst this is essentially
harmless, it is invasive and raises privacy issues.
This is the price you pay for some "free" downloads.
Fortunately there is some excellent free
spyware removal software available.
" So what " you might say, " I really don't care.... " - well here's the "
so what " -
Firstly, spyware can slow your computer and ( effectively ) your internet
connection speed quite significantly.
Secondly, more sinister varieties of spyware can monitor and broadcast
your keystrokes and thereby transcend into the realm of malware.
This has some obvious and potentially nasty ( read costly ) implications as it
makes EVERYTHING you key in ( even mouse clicks ) available to
someone else.
Another example - there are registered domain names ( url's ) created to
trap the unwary which mimic legitimate and authentic domain names with common misspellings.
What's the easiest way to research common typos ?.........
This can lead to a variant of pharming which would be easier to implement
than true pharming ( no need to mess with DNS Servers ). Fortunately
up to date
anti-virus / anti-spyware / firewalls will usually detect
and eliminate this type of malware.
