[citw150] Re: Lesson 3 - Question 6
- From: "Dale Vaughn" <avagio@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <citw150@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 00:32:51 -0400
I really enjoy my privacy and hope my computer is never infected with
spyware and hope that our legislators make this type of software illegal
sooner than later
----- Original Message -----
From: "Robert Morris" <rdmorris@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "list citwlist" <citw150@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, June 26, 2004 12:08 PM
Subject: [citw150] Lesson 3 - Question 6
> Societal Issues
>
> The U.S. Constitution guarantees every American the right to privacy. As
many people have found out the hard way, the interney theatens this right.
Although the internet is the one most robust information channel for
everyone in the world and many companies and education institutions can no
longer function with out it, it is a serious threat to our privacy. The
problem is that even with all of the media and attention identity theft is
getting (much of it done through the internet), most users are unaware of
how REAL this threat actually is. Everyone in this course has most likely
heard of Ebay and maybe even bought something from it. According to the
Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC), online auctions are the number one
source of complaints about internet fraud which made up of 46.1% of internet
fraud complains in 2002 (you can obtain this information at:
http://www.ifccfbi.gov/strategy/2002_IFCCReport.pdf).
>
> Another threat to users' privacy is spyware. Spyware is a surveillance
tool that can gather user information and activity without the user's
knowledge. Spy software can record your keystrokes as you type them,
passwords, credit card numbers, sensitive information, where you surf, chat
logs, and can even take random screenshots of your activity. Basically
whatever you do on the computer is completely viewable by the spy. You do
not have to be connected to the Internet to be spied upon. The most common
way people can get spyware loaded on their PC is by downloading and
installing popular music sharing freeware that silently installs other
software without their knowledge used to monitor their PC activities,
however there are also many other ways for Spyware to infect your PC. Here
are a few things to look for that could mean you have spyware on your PC:
>
> 1. You enter a search term in Internet Explorer's address bar and press
Enter to start the search. Instead of your usual search site, an unfamiliar
site handles the search.
>
> 2. A new item appears in your Favorites list without your putting it
there. No matter how many times you delete it, the item always reappears
later.
>
> 3. Your system runs noticeably slower than it did before. If you're a
Windows 2000/XP user, launching the Task Manager and clicking the Processes
tab reveals that an unfamiliar process is using nearly 100 percent of
available CPU cycles.
>
> 4. A search toolbar or other browser toolbar appears even though you
didn't request or install it. Your attempts to remove it fail, or it comes
back after removal.
>
> 5. And the final sign is: Everything appears to be normal. The most
devious spyware doesn't leave traces you'd notice, so scan your system
anyway
>
> This information was obtained from pcmag.com. You can read about it at:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1524266,00.asp. There is also some
good information about how to aviod spyware. I hope this societal issue
relates to you and teaches you something that you didn't know. I'll look
forward to your replies.
>
>
>
>
> Robert Morris
> Contact Information:
> email: rdmorris@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
> "A thing is not necessarily true because a man dies for it."
>
>
>
>
>
>
Other related posts:
