(ISC)2 Certified in Cybersecurity Practice Exam

Which term refers to software designed to gather information about a user without their knowledge?

1. Worm

2. Virus

3. Spyware

4. Trojan horse

The correct answer is: Spyware

The correct term for software designed to gather information about a user without their knowledge is spyware. This type of malicious software is specifically engineered to collect personal data, such as browsing habits, keystrokes, and sensitive information like login credentials, without the user's consent. Spyware can operate by tracking user behavior and communicating the data back to a third party, often leading to serious privacy and security concerns. In contrast, worms are self-replicating malware that spread across networks by exploiting vulnerabilities, often without direct user interaction. Viruses attach themselves to clean files and spread to other files when the infected file is executed, requiring user action to propagate. Trojan horses, on the other hand, disguise themselves as legitimate software to trick users into installing them, but they do not inherently function to quietly monitor user activities. Instead, they may open backdoors for other types of malware or steal data, but the core characteristic of spyware is its stealthy data collection capability.