Grayware
Apart from malware, threats there are a whole other genre of disturbance waiting for the user to access the internet and make the wrong move. These are ideally termed as Grayware and these essentially comprise of items that do not fall into the category of either a virus or a malware program. These are less serious in terms of trouble caused to the user but are equally detrimental to the computer performance causing slow down in speeds and memory access errors. Therefore, it is necessary that Grayware be removed from the computer as early as possible.
Ad ware and Spy ware are popular forms of Grayware that affect the performance and effectiveness of computer applications. Spy ware for instance will record key strokes and take into account the browsing habits of the user so that information about what the user is onto can be sent to other parties that are interested in infecting the user’s computer.
The keystroke recognition allows the spy ware program to make note of the user’s passwords and login names so that it can hack into his account and send spam mails and advertisements using the user’s name. Such programs also cause the user to download related programs that he may be interested in thereby making the computer even more vulnerable to infection. Ad ware also does actions similar to a spy ware but this is mainly for advertising purposes and promotional and profit generation activities.
Grayware can cause degradation in computer performance and thereby solidifies the need for a good scanning program.
