Spyware - Emerging as major threat in years to come - Mitar Miric

Introduction

It is sometimes sad to realize that almost all major human innovations and discoveries are related to war and confrontation. Everywhere we look, in past, present or future, under ground and sea, on ground and water, in air and even in space, we can see that the largest human effort is made to improve weaponry, to increase it’s efficiency, to gather as much as possible valuable information about enemy... Radar, gas and oil pipelines, injection engines, rockets, explosives, navigation systems… – these are only few of the discoveries first developed for military.

It is no different with computers and computer science. First computer ever made was designed by Alan Turing, mathematician from UK. During WWII Germans were using device named Enigma to send and receive coded messages. What was even more important is that all generals had been widely using it and that no one in Germany believed that messages coded by Enigma could be decoded other than another such device – but only if operator knew correct code keys. For that reason over 10,000 men and woman in UK worked around a clock to try to decode messages coded by these devices. Thanks to Alan Turing and his genius mind, that task was fulfilled. He created mechanical machine that could decode messages coded by Enigma. That machine, called Turing’s Machine, was a first device of such kind and it had all parts that modern computers have – it was truly first computer (even though mechanical).

From that time, computers evolved and today they are irreplaceable part of almost everyone’s life. We use them everywhere. Who can imagine a modern world we know without computers? But unfortunately, today, computers are returning more and more to their first historical purpose – spying. More and more programs we commonly use, freeware programs, even advertisements we see online contain (or are themselves) a spyware.

A recent study found that the average computer houses 28 items of monitoring software, unbeknownst to the user. By taking interest in your privacy and safety, you have proven yourself to be above the rest. You can never have enough information. The more knowledge you gather the better protection you will have.