Creepware is any malware that is designed to secretly invade user privacy, extract sensitive data, and relay it back to the attacker. Creepware is of course illegal and can grant a hacker unauthorized and non-consensual access to user data.
Methods for detecting creepware
- Conduct frequent scans: It is very essential for your system, especially if you are online often, that you install a premium antivirus and scan your system frequently to pick out any wandering malware.
- Monitor any suspicious activity: If you notice any strange pop-ups, or icons you don’t recognize in your system, be sure to scan for malware.
- Review your applications list: Malware can manifest as installed apps with which the attacker can track and harm you. Make sure to check the apps installed to see if any are unauthorized.
- Query the task manager often: The task manager contains a list of all running apps. You can check for any unauthorized apps running in the background.
Ways creepware can infect a computer
For creepware to successfully infect a system, it requires that the attacker physically install it into the victim’s system themselves or deceive the victim into doing it on their own — probably through a phishing attack.
This is why the best protections from creepware are regular software updates, avoiding suspicious links, and downloading from trusted websites only.
