What's The Difference Between Spyware And Viruses?

Is it a virus, or spyware?

The average Internet user has difficulty distinguishing viruses from spyware.

		Special Report: Putting Spyware In Front Of The Firing Squad Spyware is emerging as the biggest threat to privacy and productivity on the Internet. In a package of articles, we show you how to identify it, get it off your indivudal PC or enterprise network, and policies and technologies for keeping it off.

The differences are indeed subtle. Both are malicious software (malware): uninvited, intrusive, and potentially destructive.

Both have the capacity to capture and destroy information, ruin performance, and disrupt business.