Which malware is primarily designed to covertly gather information from a user's device without consent?

• A. Rogueware
• B. Adware
• C. Spyware
• D. Trojan

Answer: (C)

Spyware is built to quietly collect information from a device without the user knowing. It runs in the background and gathers data such as keystrokes, passwords, browsing history, personal details, and other sensitive information, then often sends it to an attacker or remote server. This covert data-collection purpose is what sets spyware apart from other malware.

Rogueware pretends to be something legitimate or scary to trick the user or payment; adware mainly displays ads and can be intrusive but isn’t inherently focused on stealthy data gathering; a Trojan hides its true intent behind a legitimate-looking program but is defined by deception about its function rather than by covert data collection.