What is the difference between a computer virus and spyware?

July 6, 2008

This entry is part 4 of 6 in the series Removing Antivirus 2009
Removing Antivirus 2009

During this whole ordeal with my Dad’s Antivirus 2009 issues, a question that came up a couple of times that I didn’t have an answer to was "How come I need an anti-virus application and an anti-spyware application?" I’m vaguely aware of the history of each and how they evolved separately but I though that a quick refresher on each was in order.

Here are some definitions culled from Wikipedia:

Computer Virus:

A computer virus is a computer program that can copy itself and infect a computer without permission or knowledge of the user. The term "virus" is also commonly used, albeit erroneously, to refer to many different types of malware and adware programs. The original virus may modify the copies, or the copies may modify themselves, as occurs in a metamorphic virus. A virus can only spread from one computer to another when its host is taken to the uninfected computer, for instance by a user sending it over a network or the Internet, or by carrying it on a removable medium such as a floppy disk, CD, or USB drive. Meanwhile viruses can spread to other computers by infecting files on a network file system or a file system that is accessed by another computer. Viruses are sometimes confused with computer worms and Trojan horses. A worm can spread itself to other computers without needing to be transferred as part of a host, and a Trojan horse is a file that appears harmless. Worms and Trojans may cause harm to either a computer system’s hosted data, functional performance, or networking throughput, when executed. In general, a worm does not actually harm either the system’s hardware or software, while at least in theory, a Trojan’s payload may be capable of almost any type of harm if executed. Some can’t be seen when the program is not running, but as soon as the infected code is run, the Trojan horse kicks in. That is why it is so hard for people to find viruses and other malware themselves and why they have to use spyware programs and registry processors.

Spyware:

Spyware is computer software that is installed surreptitiously on a personal computer to intercept or take partial control over the user’s interaction with the computer, without the user’s informed consent.

While the term spyware suggests software that secretly monitors the user’s behavior, the functions of spyware extend well beyond simple monitoring. Spyware programs can collect various types of personal information, such as Internet surfing habit, sites that have been visited, but can also interfere with user control of the computer in other ways, such as installing additional software, redirecting Web browser activity, accessing websites blindly that will cause more harmful viruses, or diverting advertising revenue to a third party. Spyware can even change computer settings, resulting in slow connection speeds, different home pages, and loss of Internet or other programs. In an attempt to increase the understanding of spyware, a more formal classification of its included software types is captured under the term privacy-invasive software.

Interestingly enough, there is a brief blurb on the spyware page that addresses the basic question of why anti-virus and anti-spyware are often separate applications:

In response to the emergence of spyware, a small industry has sprung up dealing in anti-spyware software. Running anti-spyware software has become a widely recognized element of computer security best practices for Microsoft Windows desktop computers. A number of jurisdictions have passed anti-spyware laws, which usually target any software that is surreptitiously installed to control a user’s computer.

However, there does seem to be a trend where each industry is now bleeding over in to the other. For instance:

  • The paid version of AVG, which was originally an anti-virus application, now has anti-spyware capabilities.
  • Ad-Aware 2008 Pro now has ‘Anti-Spyware + Anti-Virus in One Seamless Application‘.

So now you know the difference between a computer virus and spyware.

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Posted by Matt Smith | Filed Under General 

Comments

One Response to “What is the difference between a computer virus and spyware?”

  1. Doug Woodall on July 7th, 2008 6:27 am

    It was funny to see that statement on Wikipedia.
    A small Industry has sprung up!

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