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Definition of spyware
: software that is installed in a computer without the user's knowledge and transmits information about the user's computer activities over the Internet
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Recent Examples of spyware from the Web
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Spokesman Neumann, who has testified before Germany’s Parliament a half-dozen times, made his most recent appearance before the legislature on June 1, during a hearing on a proposed law that would govern police use of the spyware.
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Police said Cid Torrez installed spyware on his wife’s cell phone to track her movements.
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MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican journalists, lawyers and activists were targeted by spyware produced by Israel’s NSO Group that is sold exclusively to governments, according to an internet watchdog group’s investigation published Monday.
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NSO’s Pegasus spyware allows hackers access to phone calls, messages, cameras and personal data.
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A hacker group calling itself the Shadow Brokers dumped the spyware on the web earlier this year.
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Persistent pop-up windows shilling products can also indicate your computer has a spyware or adware infection and needs anti-malware software.
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Three years later, the FBI unleashed a malware attack on targets, tricking them into downloading spyware without their knowledge.
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Many law enforcement agencies purchased the software in batches of 5,000 copies—and in one case a department bought 43,000 copies of the spyware—and used asset-forfeiture money to make the purchases.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'spyware'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of spyware
1994
SPYWARE Defined for English Language Learners
spyware
playDefinition of spyware for English Language Learners
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: computer software that secretly records information about the way you use your computer
Learn More about spyware
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Nglish: Translation of spyware for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about spyware
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