Spyware | Prevention, Detection, and Removal.

Spyware is a subcategory of Malware which is nothing but a spying software. Spyware is an entity that is almost certain to be a part of any major malware infection. Spyware often leads your computer to a venerability which can be further exploited by their owners. Malware is 2nd biggest threat over the internet where spyware is one of the subcategories of malware.

What is Spyware?

As per the above description, Spyware is malicious software that is designed to gain access to the PC to achieve potential information and creating a gateway for other types of malware to infect the PC. Spyware is designed in such a way that it is difficult to identify and trace, also the resource consumption of Spyware is less in its initial stages which in turn creates more complexity in identifying the Spyware.
Types of Spyware :

• Adware
• Trojan
• Tracking Cookies
• System Monitors
• Keyloggers
• Mobile Spywares

Learn more about Adware here, where an in-depth guide is available on adware which covers Identification, Recovery, and Precautions.

Spyware can often be found bundled with free wares on file-sharing sites, they can also be found under email attachments received from the unknown end.

Purpose of Spyware.

The main purpose of Spyware is to steal private information which includes Passwords, Banking details, Credit and Debit card details, etc. Spywares also study the user's behavior while browsing and their browsing history.
The Spyware owners can use the acquired data to scam people or misuse it, they can even sell the browsing pattern data to unethical business authorities. They can also make revenue by showing ads on the user's computer through adware.

Identification for Spyware.

• New or unknown icons may appear in the taskbar (the bar where the start menu is located).
• Weird search redirects.
• Performance degradation to some extent.
• Running out of space.
• The easiest and fruitful way is to get a free Spyware scanner (Anti-Spyware software) from a legit source. 

How to remove Spyware?

Spyware is very good at disguising so it is much harder to spot a program which is spyware.

But let's say you managed to spot a program which is suspected to be a Spyware, in this case, follow these steps to successfully uninstall that program.

Before uninstalling make sure to terminate the suspected software which helps in making things easier, to do so 

click start menu > type MSCONFIG then services or programs and disable the suspected software.

Now stop the process by going to the task manager (CTRL+ALT+DEL > choose task manager) locate and end the process.

Try uninstalling the software by going to the control panel.

You can also try booting up in safe mode by pressing F8 while booting and choosing safe mode. This is efficient as safe mode allows only basic Windows programs to run. Get a good Anti-malware while in safe mode and try scanning the computer to get rid of the Spyware. 

You should also dump the leftover junk by those programs by deleting the temp folder. To access temp folder click start > type %temp% and hit enter.  

Preventive measures.

• Avoid exploring any emails by unknown sources.
• Avoid clicking on any pop-ups or ads or any unknown messages. You can also use ad-blocking services.
• Try to avoid downloading stuff through third-party websites.
• Hover your mouse on the download button present on the websites to inspect if you are being sent to the right webpage.
• It is recommended to have real-time protection security solutions with features like malicious website protection which makes sure you don't end up to the place full of malware where you are venerable to catch one.
• Inspect the link before downloading via Virus Total or any other trusted sources. 

Learn more about spyware.