What is Spyware and How Can It Threaten Your Passwords?

There are a surprisingly large number of different categories of malware and different types of malware. Watching too many movies and TV series about hackers, you can only associate malware with the word "computer virus", but surprisingly, viruses are one of the least common types of malware these days. Spyware is a category of malware designed to steal information stealthily.

What is Spyware?

Spyware can come in many forms and variations, but they are all designed, as the name suggests, to spy on your system and activities and gather information. This includes the ability to steal passwords and credentials, track keystrokes, or open a back door for other, more dangerous malware that can infiltrate the victim's system.

How Can Spyware Get Into Your System?

Spyware is distributed in several common ways. One of these is email spam, which includes malicious links that, when clicked, download spyware. Another common spyware distribution site is through free package installers, which may include legitimate software applications that have been associated with spyware elements. Spyware can also be spread through malicious fraudulent websites offering free iPhones or other high-value devices to visitors and encouraging victims to click on malicious links.

Why Can Spyware Be Dangerous?

Unlike most viruses, spyware does not indicate its presence through system crashes or displaying error messages. In fact, the goal of all spyware is to stay undetected for as long as possible by evading detection and stealthily collecting your information, then sending it to a remote server controlled by the attackers behind the malware. This ability to remain secret and subtly sabotage your work and your system is what makes some spyware dangerous.

How Can Spyware Threaten Even the Most Secure Passwords?

Don't overlook the dangers of certain spyware, such as password collectors that clear your browser's saved passwords, or keyloggers that track and record every keyboard button you press. Even if you practice the safest way to store your passwords - remember them only in your head - and enter them manually each time in each login form, a keylogger can still intercept your keystrokes, and attackers working with spyware can crack yours. accounts.

There is no way to tell if your computer has been infected with spyware unless you have installed and updated your computer security package to its latest definitions. Real-time detection on modern security software should be able to detect and stop spyware before it can deploy to your hard drive. This is why it is always recommended to antivirus software on all of your devices.