Spyware 'can cause identity theft'

Monday, 31 Mar 2008. Categories: USA

Spyware is installed on a computer without the user's consent and can lead to identity theft, an industry commentator has warned.

Insurance firm E C Moran Company made its statement through the Village Soup news resource, urging US citizens to ensure their PCs are protected by a firewall and anti-virus programs.

Furthermore, they should install anti-spyware software on their computers to protect them from potentially harmful programs which monitor the user's web activity, the company continued.

"It may be used to send you pop-up ads, redirect your computer to websites, monitor your internet surfing or record your keystrokes, which, in turn, could lead to the theft of your personal information," the article stated.

Users can often spot spyware on their machines as they may be inconvenienced by changes in their selected homepage, a "barrage" of pop-up adverts and random error messages.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation urged those venturing onto the web for the first time to be wary of online threats such as spyware.

It warned that some such software collects information the user may not want to share.

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Spyware 'can cause identity theft'

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