Which of the following can search contents of a hard disk, address book of an e-mail, or any
information about the computer, and transmit the information to the advertisers or other interested
parties without user knowledge?
A.
Malware
B.
Firmware
C.
Spyware
D.
Adware
Explanation:
Spyware is software that gathers information about a user without his knowledge. Spyware can get
into a computer when the user downloads software from the Internet. Spyware can search the
contents of a hard disk, address book of an e-mail, or any information about the computer, and
transmits the information to the advertisers or other interested parties.Answer B is incorrect. Firmware is a term often used to denote the fixed, usually rather small,
programs and data structures that internally control various electronic devices. Firmware sits on the
reader and controls its function. It reads only one type of tag either active or passive.Answer A is incorrect. Malware or malicious software is a threat that attempts to break into a
computer or damage it without the consent of the owner of the system. There are a number of
types of malware depending upon their threat level and functions. Some malware
are conditionally executed while others are unconditional.Answer D is incorrect. Adware is software that automatically downloads and display advertisements
in the Web browser without user permission. When a user visits a site or downloads software,
sometimes a hidden adware software is also downloaded to display advertisement automatically.
This can be quite irritating to user. Some adware can also be spyware.