| A Browser Helper Object,
or BHO, is just a small program that runs automatically
every time you start your Internet browser. Usually,
a BHO is installed on your system by another software
program. For example, Go!Zilla, the downloading
utility, used to install a BHO created by Radiate
(formerly Aureate Media); this BHO tracks which
advertisements you see as you surf the Web.
The natural question is, what do BHOs do? The
technical answer is "anything", but
generally, it will have something to do with helping
you browse the Internet. Of course, some BHOs
are what is called "ad-ware" or "spyware":
they do things like monitor the websites you visit
and report this data back to their creators.
Many parasiteware applications fall into the
BHO category.
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