A key feature of spyware is that it:

Spyware is designed to gather information from a user's device without their knowledge or consent. This type of malicious software operates surreptitiously in the background, often monitoring user activity, tracking online behaviors, and collecting sensitive data such as login credentials, browsing habits, and personal information. The essence of spyware is its stealthy approach to infiltrating a system and collecting data, which is why the choice that states it collects data without user awareness is the most accurate description of spyware.

In contrast, the other options describe features or behaviors not associated with spyware. For example, spyware typically does not increase system speed; in fact, it often reduces performance due to its background operations. Similarly, while some software requires user permission to operate, spyware is defined by its ability to function without this permission. Lastly, delivering software updates is a practice generally associated with legitimate software maintenance and not a characteristic of spyware, which aims to exploit rather than support the user’s system.