Spyware is a program that may either monitor your online activities or possibly install programs without your consent. Information about online activities may be subsequently sent to a third party for malicious purposes without your knowledge. Spyware may arrive bundled with freeware or shareware, through e-mail or instant messenger, may propagate itself using dialog boxes, various social engineering methods, scripting errors, or by someone with access to your computer. Spyware is difficult to detect, and difficult (if not impossible) for the average user to remove without the use of a top-quality antispyware program.