The largest target of spyware is without a doubt is Microsoft’s Internet Explorer because it is the most widely used web browser. Internet Explorer is deeply integrated into the Windows operating system and its scriptability make it very susceptible to intrusion by malicious software. Browser helper objects can easily attach to Internet Explorer. These helper objects redirect traffic and add toolbars.
The most common cause for users of the Microsoft Windows operating system to seek technical support is the infestation of spyware. In most cases the user thinks that the system’s stability, performance, and/or connectivity issues relate to Microsoft Windows, hardware, or to a virus. Extremely infected systems sometimes require a clean re-install of all their software to allow the system to function properly. This is a highly time-consuming chore, even for accomplished users.
Normally, a single piece of spyware does not make a computer unusable. However, an infected computer almost always has more than one piece of spyware installed. A study in 2008 concluded that if a computer has any spyware at all, it will be infected by dozens of different pieces. Its the cumulative effect of the different spyware components that cause the problems reported by users. The computer slows down to a crawl, overpowered by the many power-draining processes running on it. Some spyware disarms anti-virus software and firewalls, and/or lowers browser security settings, which subjects the system to additional infections.
There are some forms of spyware that modify system files to make themselves very difficult to remove. A Windows user generally has administrative-level system privileges. Because of this, any program which the user runs, intentionally or not, will have full access to the entire system.
Computing News