{"id":3651,"date":"2011-09-19T10:36:01","date_gmt":"2011-09-19T10:36:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/spyware\/"},"modified":"2024-11-14T13:54:31","modified_gmt":"2024-11-14T13:54:31","slug":"spyware","status":"publish","type":"definition","link":"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/spyware","title":{"rendered":"Spyware"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is Spyware?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Spyware in cyber security is an umbrella term for a broad category of malware<\/a> that observes and records your use of your computer<\/a> and sends that information back to the threat actors<\/a>. They can capture keystrokes<\/a>, browsing habits, payment card details, usernames<\/a>, passwords<\/a>, files<\/a> that you’ve created or opened, and emails<\/a> that you’ve sent.<\/p>\n

Sometimes this information is sold to marketing companies. More often, it is exploited to illegally access your credit cards, cryptocurrency wallets<\/a>, PayPal<\/a> accounts, and online banking<\/a> details.<\/p>\n

Extracted personal information can also be used for identity theft and other types of fraud.<\/p>\n

So, what does spyware do? The simple spyware explanation is something that collects sensitive data like passwords, credit card numbers, or browsing habits. Spyware can track keystrokes, capture screenshots, and even record audio or video. This information is then sent to attackers for identity theft, financial fraud, or other malicious uses.<\/p>\n

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Key Takeaways<\/span><\/h2>\n