Spyware

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Spyware (a portmanteau for spying software) is any malware that aims to gather information about a person or organization and send it to another entity in a way that harms the user by violating their privacy, endangering their device's security, or other means. This behavior may be present in other malware and in legitimate software. Websites may engage in spyware behaviors like web tracking. Hardware devices may also be affected.[1]

Spyware is frequently associated with advertising and involves many of the same issues. Because these behaviors are so common, and can have non-harmful uses, providing a precise definition of spyware is a difficult task.[2]

  1. ^ "Amazon Workers Are Listening to What You Tell Alexa". Bloomberg.com. April 10, 2019. Archived from the original on August 29, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  2. ^ Monitoring Software on Your PC: Spyware, Adware, and Other Software (PDF) (Report). March 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 26, 2010.