Spyware is nothing short of a menace on your computer system. It sneaks into your hard drive without your knowledge and makes itself right at home. Meanwhile, it watches your every move- and sends your personal information right back to the website that unleashed it.

You may think it's not a big deal, but spyware can cost you your privacy, your financial data and your entire network security.

The term spyware was first used in 1995 and actually referred to hardware made by Microsoft. The term was used in fun, suggesting that the technology giant was creating hardware to be used for espionage. In early 2000, the term was used as an advertising pitch for Zone Alarm Personal Firewall - and the rest, as they say, is history.

The statistics regarding spyware are astounding. According to a study done in 2005, by the national Cyber-Security Alliance and AOL, and reported by Wikipedia, 61 percent of all computers surveyed had some type of spyware installed and 92 percent of the owners of those computers had no idea it was there. While people are certainly more aware of spyware now, the techies who create it have gotten a whole lot smarter and a whole lot more experienced as well.

So what is spyware?

It is subversive software that sneaks onto your computer from an unscrupulous website or download. It usually hides right in your computer registry and changes the way your system operates. It keeps track of your browsing information and can change your settings. Spyware can cause your computer to slow down significantly and can even determine the page your browser goes to when it opens. Spyware can sabotage your Internet connection, causing it to fail and can cause programs to lose their functionality.

In order to keep your computer running properly and securely, you need to use an anti-spyware program on a regular basis. These programs scan your system, search out the code for spyware and determine its location. They usually come with the tools necessary to remove the spyware as well. There are dozens of anti-spyware programs available and many good ones are available as freeware. Many people choose to use more than one anti-spyware program to keep up with the many different types of troublemakers on the Internet. Some anti-virus programs include anti- spyware, but not all of them, so read the fine print to make sure your system is protected.