Unwelcome visitors: spyware threatens privacy and wastes district technology resources. (The Online Edge).When Roxie Shaw from MOREnet--the state network that services every school district in Missouri--first warned colleagues about "spyware" that gets installed on computers as users travel the Internet, she appended a list of confirmed sources including sites used commonly in schools. Countless privacy-invading programs are downloaded without user knowledge or approval, and most educators have no idea that their own computers are watching them. Spyware, also dubbed dub 1 tr.v. dubbed, dub·bing, dubs 1. To tap lightly on the shoulder by way of conferring knighthood. 2. To honor with a new title or description. 3. adware and stealthware, tracks user surfing habits, scours scour, scours 1. the chemical and physical cleaning of fleece wool. 2. diarrhea. dietetic scour see dietary diarrhea. peat scour see secondary nutritional copper deficiency. systems to grab information--that can include names, addresses and passwords--and secretly relays the content back to the originating sites. The technology usually compiles usage data for advertisers, and delivers targeted pop-up ads that may be offensive and even pornographic. It can also insert unwanted bookmarks and hijack users to other sites. In addition, the data may be sold to third-party groups with a stake in matching users to their content interests. Spyware wastes bandwidth, slows computers, conflicts with other software and leads to system instability, especially those that report back continuously. The proliferation of spyware is a significant and growing problem for schools. Shaw says preventive education is crucial for every district, and she has developed a program to inform educators about spyware and help them avoid being victimized. "Cute animations and ads for products that save time and money are usually fraught with spyware, and are the first things First Things is a monthly ecumenical journal concerned with the creation of a "religiously informed public philosophy for the ordering of society" (First Things website). that attract people's attention," she says. In addition to suspicious ads that trigger downloads, she also cited spyware that can be contracted through malicious Web sites and chat rooms, reading infected Web-based e-mail See Internet e-mail service and HTML e-mail. , downloading certain freeware Software that is distributed without charge and which may be redistributed without charge by its users. However, ownership is retained by the developer who may change future releases from freeware to a paid product (feeware). See shareware, free software and public domain software. or shareware, installing particular online plug-ins and toolbars, and from selected viruses. However, since most spyware is not virus-borne, conventional antivirus software See antivirus program. (tool) antivirus software - Programs to detect and remove computer viruses. The simplest kind scans executable files and boot blocks for a list of known viruses. offers little protection. GOODBYE TO SPYWARE Spyware already infects millions of computers, so it is likely that examples have surreptitiously sur·rep·ti·tious adj. 1. Obtained, done, or made by clandestine or stealthy means. 2. Acting with or marked by stealth. See Synonyms at secret. been installed on your school networks. This can be confirmed by searching for files containing product and company names on spyware lists from directories including Spyware-Guide.com. While a few sites reveal their information-gathering practices in user agreements, these are seldom read and easy to miss, such as the policy for the Alexa search tool that stretches across 12 pages. When I checked my machine for identified words including bonzi, gator The former name of the Claria Corporation (www.claria.com), which provides contextual ads to users. The Gator digital wallet, along with other client programs, are vehicles for analyzing a user's habits in order to target ads. See adware. , kazaa and webshots, I found scores of suspect files. While it shouldn't be done capriciously ca·pri·cious adj. Characterized by or subject to whim; impulsive and unpredictable. See Synonyms at arbitrary. ca·pri  cious·ly adv. , spyware can sometimes be deleted through ordinary file management procedures, but others require the use of special cleaning software. An online search will identify numerous products that detect and remove spyware applications, including the free tools Ad-Aware from Lavasoft, and Spybot Search and Destroy from PepiMK Software. Some products can also function as guard dogs to prevent additional spyware from being installed. But since spyware is relatively new and unregulated, and developers continue to experiment, keeping staff up-to-date is essential. See, for example, the troubleshooting site at California's Buckingham School For the school in Florida, USA, see . Buckingham School is a co-educational secondary school in Buckingham, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom. It is a community school, which takes children from the age of 11 through to the age of 18. . Some defend the use of spyware, saying that it typically collects valuable usage statistics rather than sensitive information, offers additional content that enhances user interests, and helps pay bills that enable free Web sites to continue. Nevertheless, the violations of trust, privacy and informed consent are major concerns. Districts are advised to check spyware lists before installing freeware or shareware, run anti-spyware programs weekly, read the fine print in user agreements, and limit system installation access to selected staff members. DA Web Resources Spyware-Guide.com www.spywareguide.com Spychecker www.spychecker.com SpywareInfo www.spywareinfo.com WebAttack.com www.webattack.com Lavasoft www.lavasoftusa.com PepiMK Software security.kolla.de Buckingham School internal.vusd.solanocoe.k12.ca.us Odvard Egil Dyrli, dyrli@uconn.edu, is senior editor and emeritus professor of education at the University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut is the State of Connecticut's land-grant university. It was founded in 1881 and serves more than 27,000 students on its six campuses, including more than 9,000 graduate students in multiple programs. UConn's main campus is in Storrs, Connecticut. . |
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