Nowadays, it's a sad but true fact that spyware and adware
programs are a far greater threat to your internet security than the dreaded
computer viruses. Indeed, spyware, adware and other so-called malware (such as
key loggers and trojan horses) actually constitute the biggest single online
threat to your privacy and the security of your data.
It's also a major reason for system slowdowns on computers,
as these types of programs generally use up precious system resources including
RAM (memory) and hard drive space.
So, let’s look at some basic facts about spyware and adware,
where these programs come from, what they are, and what you can do about
protecting yourself.
Spyware comes in various guises and forms, but basically, it
is a program or piece of information that is secretly placed on your computer,
that sends data about you or your computer habits to someone else on the
Internet, without your knowledge. This can be a company that is collecting
data, or a thief seeking to steal access to your computer or the information
held in your database (passwords, credit card details and so on).
Spyware can also be a program that places unwanted ads on
your computer, often in the form of a malicious cookie. A cookie is a little
piece of information placed in your web browser to track your web habits,
which, in its more generally benign form, is useful as, for example, a web site
can see you have visited it before and let you on without a registration
process. Again, in its more benign guise, a cookie can help you by keeping
track of your progress through a web store. They are also used to customize
website ads to your likes and dislikes.
But, obviously, when they are used for spyware or adware
purposes, a cookie is not a welcome guest on your PC!
Spyware programs can get into your computer in several
different ways. Sometimes they arrive as an automatic download from a website
you are surfing. Porn and online gambling sites are notorious for this, for
example.
Sometimes, if you download a free or illegal piece of
software, they are embedded in the installation process, or spyware can get on
your computer via an email attachment that you shouldn't have opened. (Tip here
- if an e-mail comes from an unrecognized source with an attachment, DO NOT
open it - it's almost guaranteed to be some sort of program that you definitely
don't want!)
Spyware and adware are bad news for several reasons:
They hog precious system resources like memory and hard disk
space. If you computer runs much slower than it did previously, then it
probably is infected with spyware. If you have never done a spyware scan, then
it’s almost guaranteed that there is spyware on your system slowing things
down.
They can seriously compromise your privacy and security,
providing outsiders with information about your computer habits. For example,
by installing a keylogger, spyware can capture your keystrokes and send it to a
third party.
This can potentially expose your user IDs and passwords to
thieves.
Other programs such as trojans which allows someone to log
into your computer remotely and use it for their own purposes like sending spam
or launching malicious attacks on other computers on the Internet, making it look
like you are at fault.
So, it’s bad! Let’s look at how to get rid of it.
There are lots of both paid and free anti-spyware programs
out there, and, like all things in life, some are better than others. The
question often asked is, which is better, a free program or a paid one.
The simple answer is that the best approach is a combination
of the two, and, unlike anti-virus programs, you can run more than one
anti-spyware program on your system without any problems.
The first thing to do is to install the totally free Spybot
Search and Destroy program, which will eliminate 70-85 per cent of all known
spyware.
Then, invest a little money in a good, paid program like
Spyware Doctor, NoAdware or Spyware Nuker to complete the job for you. Yes, I
know that it means spending some money, but if it can prevent someone from stealing
your credit card details, for example, then it's a sure-fire thing that it's going
to be money well spent.
Another advantage of the paid programs is that they
generally have a more effective "pro-active" nature to them than the
free programs do. In other words, they are usually far better at stopping
spyware and adware actually getting into your PC in the first place, and,
clearly, preventing the problem is far easier and less time consuming than
having to deal with it once your PC becomes infected.
Lastly, don’t ignore the simple strength of your system’s
Firewall.
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