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What is Spyware & Adware?
Adware is a program that runs on your computer, monitors
your surfing habits and delivers targeted
advertisements, typically in the form of pop-up or
pop-under windows. Spyware is a program that runs on
your computer, monitors your Web surfing habits and
reports the habits to a remote computer. Both Adware and
Spyware purloin precious system resources, resulting in
performance degradation. In addition to seriously
sapping system resources, Adware/Spyware programs can do
all of the following:
 Install a DLL (dynamic
link library) file or other executable on your computer.
Infect your computer with
a virus.
Communicate continuously
with a Web server while monitoring your computer
activities.
Invite other Adware/Spyware
programs to enter your computer.
Scan the files on your
hard drive.
Change your browser's Home
Page and prevent you from re-setting it to a site of
your choosing.
Insert unwanted sites into
your Favorites folder.
Remove items Internet
Explorer®, effectively causing you to lose control of
your browser.
Hinder removal by
providing no un-install option or, un-install and
re-boot.
Monitor your keystrokes.
Spawn pop-up
advertisements even you are not online.
Attempt to disable or
actually disable Adware/Spyware removal programs.
Prevent connecting to
sites that assist users in removing Adware/Spyware from
their computers.
Read, write to and delete
files on your hard drive.
Re-direct you to knockoff,
pornographic or shopping sites.
Cause your computer to
freeze or crash.
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Steps to Avoid
Spyware
Adware/Spyware avoidance must be approached
generally in the context of an overall strategy
to protect your PC against security threats.
Specifically, upgrade your Internet Explorer®
with Service Pack 2 for Windows XP, which will
allow you to disable automatic installations of
spyware and adware. To avoid spyware,
follow these steps:
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Be Careful Where You Download:
Unscrupulous programs often come
from unscrupulous sites. If you are
looking for a freeware or shareware
program for a specific purpose try
searching reputable sites like
tucows.com or download.com. |
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Read the EULA:
The End User License Agreement is
all the technical and legal wording
in that box above the radio buttons
that say "No, I do not accept" or
"Yes, I have read and accept these
terms". Most people consider this a
nuisance and click on "yes" without
having read a word. The EULA is a
legal agreement you are making with
the software vendor. Without reading
it you may be unwittingly agreeing
to install spyware or a variety of
other questionable actions that may
not be worth it to you. |
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Read Before You Click:
Sometimes when you visit a web site
a text box might pop up. Like the
EULA, many users simply consider
these a nuisance and will just click
away to make the box disappear.
Users will click "yes" or "ok"
without stopping to see that the box
said "would you like to install this
program?" |
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Protect
Your System:
Antivirus software is somewhat
misnamed these days. Viruses are but
a small part of the malicious code
these programs protect you from.
Antivirus has expanded to include
worms, trojans, vulnerability
exploits, jokes and hoaxes and even
spyware and adware. If your
antivirus product doesn't detect and
block spyware you can try a product
like AdAware Pro or SpySweeper which
will protect your system from
spyware or adware in real time. |
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Scan Your System:
Even with antivirus software,
firewalls and other protective
measures some spyware or adware may
eventually make it through to your
system. While a product like AdAware
Pro mentioned in step #4 will
monitor your system in real time to
protect it, AdAware Pro costs money.
The makers of AdAware Pro, Lavasoft,
also have a version available for
free for personal use. AdAware will
not monitor in real time, but you
can manually scan your system
periodically to detect and remove
any spyware. Another excellent
choice is Spybot Search & Destroy
which is also available for free. |
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