Which of the following terms best describes software that secretly collects information from users without their knowledge?

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

Answer: (C)

Covert data-collection software is spyware. It is designed to monitor user activity and harvest information such as keystrokes, passwords, browsing history, and system details without the user’s knowledge, often sending that data to an attacker. This sneaky collection directly targets privacy and security, which is why spyware is the specific term for this behavior.

Adware mainly displays advertisements and may track behavior for marketing, but it isn’t defined by stealthily stealing sensitive information. Rogueware is about pretending to be legitimate or warning users falsely, not primarily about data collection. A Trojan disguises itself as something benign to trick the user, but the Trojan’s defining feature is its disguise; it may deliver spyware, but the data-collection function belongs to spyware itself.