لخّصلي

Spyware is loosely defined as malicious software designed to enter your computer device, gather data about you, and forward it to a third-party without your consent. Spyware can also refer to legitimate software that monitors your data for commercial purposes like advertising. However, malicious spyware is explicitly used to profit from stolen data.
Whether legitimate or based in fraud, spyware’s surveillance activity leaves you open to data breaches and misuse of your private data. Spyware also affects network and device performance, slowing down daily user activities.
By becoming aware of how spyware works, you can avoid issues in enterprise and personal use.
In this article, we’ll help you answer the question: “what is spyware and what does it do?” and help you understand how to block spyware like Pegasus software. Also, check out this video with a brief explanation.
What Does Spyware Do?
Before we dive deeper, you’ll want to understand “what does spyware do on your computer?”
All spyware peeks into your data and all your computer activity — whether authorized or not. However, many trusted computer services and applications use “spyware-like” tracking tools. As such, the spyware definition is reserved mostly for malicious applications nowadays.
Malicious spyware is a type of malware specifically installed without your informed consent. Step-by-step, spyware will take the following actions on your computer or mobile device:

1. Infiltrate — via an app install package, malicious website, or file attachment.


2. Monitor and capture data — via keystrokes, screen captures, and other tracking codes.


3. Send stolen data — to the spyware author, to be used directly or sold to other parties.
   In short, spyware communicates personal, confidential information about you to an attacker.
   The information gathered might be reported about your online browsing habits or purchases, but spyware code can also be modified to record more specific activities.
   Data compromised by spyware often includes collecting confidential info such as:

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    Login credentials — passwords and usernames
  
  

  
  


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    Account PINs
  
  

  
  


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    Credit card numbers
  
  

  
  


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    Monitored keyboard strokes
  
  

  
  


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    Tracked browsing habits
  
  

  
  


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    Harvested email addresses
  
  

  
  

The methods by which spyware gets onto your computer and mobile devices can vary.

Types of Spyware
Spyware is generally classified into four main categories:

1. Trojan spyware enters devices via Trojan malware, which delivers the spyware program.


2. Adware may monitor you to sell data to advertisers or serve deceptive malicious ads.


3. Tracking cookie files can be implanted by a website to follow you across the internet.


4. System monitors track any activity on a computer, capturing sensitive data such as keystrokes, sites visited, emails, and more. Keyloggers typically fall into this group.
   Each type gathers data for the author or a third-party, all to be used to the attacker’s benefit. The lesser of these harmful types will simply monitor and send your data off to the attacker — like tracking cookies. System monitors and adware are far worse, as they can gather data and may also make modifications to your system that expose you to other threats.
   In explaining why spyware is bad, we must unpack the explicit problems you can face when exposed to spyware.