Spyware is not something to be taken lightly. Every year millions of dollars are just washed down the drain by companies and individuals fighting this menace. Spyware, apart from being a nuisance, can also inflict damage on you by keeping track of browsing history and steal your credit card information. It is thus highly prudent to be aware of the enemy. Here are some of the most potent spywares and their traits courtesy FaceTime Security Labs.

Gator, one of the earliest spywares, memorizes the password of a site so that it can be popped up for gaining entry the next time you visit that website. Irritating popups keep opening up when you try to access your site due to Gator’s activity. The creator of this program, Claria, has attempted to smoothen out this retrieval software, but the popup nuisance persists.

2. CoolWebSearch ? This is a spyware which when it gets installed, will be highly notorious as it will simply hijack your browser. CoolWebSearch is the generic name given to the variants of the spyware which redirects the user to coolwebsearch.com or datanotary.com. Any attempt to uninstall the programme will prove to be a highly complex exercise. Hence you should not attempt to remove this programme manually from your disc.

180SearchAssistant reads your keyword and pops up website suggestions which resemble your search keyword. Emoticons and wallpapers are offered free by this spyware. But of late some versions allow uninstall features which allow for removal of the program.

Huntbar can be as frustrating as they get. Huntbar has a modus operandi by which it creates its own toolbar on the internet explorer. Using any other search engine proves futile too as it will keep directing the user to its own page. Furthermore, it ends up changing the home page as well as the search engine setting, which leads the users to their server every time they use the search engine. And to add insult to injury, it drains the memory by 15%.

Cydoor uses peer to peer (P2P) setup to spy on your browser history and harass you with nonstop advertisement popups. So if you exchange information between two computers often, this pesky spyware might just trip you up.

ISTbar sticks to your system through install ActiveX and javascript. It?s as easy as visiting a site and you have a brand new program called ISTbar. It?s extremely dangerous as it siphons off the information to my-internet.info and Blazefind.com.

WhenU-DesktopBar is capable of running codes from a distant server just by using update settings. Your searches will then popup all kinds of unwanted special offers and free coupons which paralyse your own computer work needs.

New.net must be exterminated without a blink of an eye. It specialises in selling non-standard top domain names.

IEplugin is harmful to your privacy to say the least. It installs a tool bar onto the browser and tracks all the activities on the internet.

10. BargainBuddy ? This software is distributed by BullzEye Network and you can find it everywhere. What it does it to set up a Browser Helper Object (BHO) with the help of which it will monitor the usage of your computer. Based on this information, it will push advertisements on your monitor, much to your annoyance.