What Does spyware Mean
Spyware is an English term that is not included in the dictionary produced by the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ). The concept refers to a type of malicious software that accesses data on a computer (computer) and sends it to other devices without the user noticing.
It should be remembered that software is a computer program that allows the execution of different tasks. In the case of spyware, these are programs that install automatically or that pretend to be something different from what they really are.
When spyware manages to install itself on a computer , it begins to act without the user noticing. In this way, every time you turn on your computer, the spyware starts working and collecting information. You can also control the use of the computer and perform tasks that the person does not intend to do.
Spyware is often compared to a parasite in its operation : it lodges on your computer and consumes your resources. Spyware actually uses your computer's RAM .
Spyware, for example, can display advertising windows in an Internet browser or even modify the content of the websites that the user visits, with the intention of displaying certain advertisements. Spyware can also change your browser's home page , search engine, and other preferences.
To prevent spyware from reaching a computer or to remove it, there are security programs known as antispyware that specialize in detecting and removing this kind of software that affects computer performance. One of the most useful functions is the real-time monitoring of the navigation, to warn the user of a potential attack before it occurs and avoid the arduous task of searching and uninstalling it later, although this has an impact on the performance of the computer. that not everyone can or wants to face.
Los programas desarrollados para detectar spyware suelen venir en dos versiones: una gratuita, muy popular para el uso personal, especialmente para aquellos que no tienen documentos de gran importancia en sus equipos o que no suelen navegar en sitios peligrosos; una paga, ideal para las grandes compañías, ya que la inversión económica es necesaria dado el volumen de información que deben administrar y proteger.
Retomando la función de protección en tiempo real, ésta suele incluirse solamente en la versión paga de los programas, como un incentivo para atreverse a hacer la compra en lugar de conformarse con la gratuita. Antes de tomar la decisión, es importante evaluar los beneficios de este tipo de productos, e intentar comprender si realmente resultan necesarios para nosotros, dados nuestros hábitos de navegación en Internet.
The piracy is one of the most despicable although common practice and is an inexhaustible source of spyware; Stealing seems free, but it comes at a high price when it floods our devices with programs of this type, since they can cause great upheavals that do not justify the "savings" behind which we were going to decide not to pay for a product. While it is not normal for spyware to permanently damage a computer, it can make it difficult to use until resorting to powerful antispyware.
Just as in areas where large amounts of waste are concentrated, viruses and bacteria proliferate, piracy sites are where we can find the most spyware; but also, outside of them, and that is why it is important to carefully choose the sites we visit. In the same way, if we only download free or open source products, and we do it through official or reliable means, the risk decreases considerably, as well as the need to constantly monitor our device.