: software that is installed in a computer or mobile device without the user's knowledge and that transmits information about the user's activities
Jan should scan her computer for viruses, worms, and spyware …—
Kenneth Baldauf and Ralph Stair
Kenneth Baldauf and Ralph StairSmartphones belonging to more than three dozen journalists, human rights activists, and business executives have been infected with powerful spyware that an Israeli firm sells, purportedly to catch terrorists and criminals, The Washington Post and other publications reported.—Dan Goodin
Dan GoodinExamples of spyware in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Disguised as account-hacking tools, the attackers were primarily distributing spyware.
—Alex Vakulov, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
While Poland launched an inquiry into the previous government’s spyware use earlier this year, a probe in Spain over the use of spyware against Spanish politicians has so far led to no accusations against those involved, and one in Greece has cleared government agencies of any wrongdoing.
—Vas Panagiotopoulos, WIRED, 21 Oct. 2024
Meanwhile, Indian lawyers and journalists looking into this case are among dozens or hundreds of people in India who've found Pegasus spyware on their devices.
—Lauren Frayer, NPR, 2 June 2024
There’s a spyware scandal in Italy, where 44-year-old IT consultant called Nunzio Samuele Calamucci is accused of abusing his access to Interior Ministry systems that his company had been tasked with maintaining.
—Thomas Brewster, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
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Alex Vakulov, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
While Poland launched an inquiry into the previous government’s spyware use earlier this year, a probe in Spain over the use of spyware against Spanish politicians has so far led to no accusations against those involved, and one in Greece has cleared government agencies of any wrongdoing.
—Vas Panagiotopoulos, WIRED, 21 Oct. 2024
Meanwhile, Indian lawyers and journalists looking into this case are among dozens or hundreds of people in India who've found Pegasus spyware on their devices.
—Lauren Frayer, NPR, 2 June 2024
There’s a spyware scandal in Italy, where 44-year-old IT consultant called Nunzio Samuele Calamucci is accused of abusing his access to Interior Ministry systems that his company had been tasked with maintaining.
—Thomas Brewster, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for spyware
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Cite this Entry
“Spyware.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spyware. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.
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