SPYWARE & ADWARE
It's a good possibility many of you have had your computers attacked or monitored without you knowing it. There are viruses and worms which compromise confidentiality and operating systems, programs which monitor your keystrokes to find passwords and account numbers, and other programs to monitor which sites you visit most frequently and send you pop-ups tailored to your viewing preferences on the internet. You've heard of viruses and worms. The other two types of programs I am talking about are spyware and adware. Sometimes, when you download a free program or whatever off of the internet, you unknowingly also download and install other programs that come along with it. For example, if you use Kazaa to download songs or software, it comes with GAIN Adserver which monitors your viewing preferences on the internet and sends you popups. If you are going to use Kazaa, I recommend uninstalling the full version and downloading Kazaa LITE, which doesn't come with the adware.