How To Protect Your Computer Against Spyware And Adware

Cookies are harmless compared to spam, viruses, worms, spyware and Adaware. Most of us spend a lot of time trying to fight the battle, which is easy to fight if you know how to fight and have the right tools. Fighter ever goes into battle without proper training or tools and weapons of war and the specific type of terrain orshe goes, so you should do the same and be prepared before you go online to fight to protect your sanity, your personal information on the enemy . Sometimes we find ourselves in the enemy just doing the thing you should do before, such as downloading and installing freeware, especially file-sharing software, making the search (Google or your favorite search, for example), anti-spyware to download and install to protect yourself and your computer.

Now, what is adware, you might ask? - Adware is a program that displays advertisements on your computer. These are ads that inexplicably pop up display, even when you are browsing the Internet. Some companies offer "free" software in exchange for display advertising. And 'the way they make their money.

What is spyware? - Spyware is software that sends your personal information to third parties without your permission or knowledge. This may include information about the sites you visit or something more sensitive like your user name and password. Unscrupulous companies often use this information to send you unsolicited targeted advertisements.

My computer (desktop or laptop) infected with spyware? - The biggest problem that most people either find a program like this is causing performance problems with their computers. For example, Internet Explorer may no longer work properly, the computer may crash more frequently, or the computer may slow down significantly (snail can seem much faster than a laptop or desktop), even if you have a lot of memory ( RAM - Memory Module) installed. Removing spyware successfully is difficult enough to avoid the first priority.

Adware and spyware are usually not allowed to install on your computer hidden in two ways:

1. Abuse by clicking on a link that installs it. Spyware can be misleading links. For example, a Web site that is trying to push spyware on your computer might open a window that looks like a Windows dialog box, then trick the user through the installation when you click the Cancel button to close the window box. Sometimes the spyware pushers to set up a fake title bar, an empty box, and then install spyware when you try to close the window.

2. Installing freeware that includes it. For example, you can install a free file-sharing program that install spyware on your computer. File sharing programs can be a great conveyor of adware.
Once installed, spyware can transmit your personal information and download advertisements 24 hours a day. It can also hijack your browser settings, such as your home page or search page.

Protection from spyware and adware

Without help, you have no way to prevent adware or spyware. Old antivirus programs do not even prevent adware, since they do not consider them viruses or worms. First, you usually give permission to install adware, although you do not know it, because the adware and spyware pushers are deceptive. Second, the adware does not behave like a typical virus or worm. They do not usually real harm to your computer, other than performance of demolition, and they spread using your address book. (Although some kinds of adware can break your anti-spyware tools.)

Things are changing for the better, though. Most popular products now include anti-virus Adware and Spyware Scan. For example, today the new versions of McAfee VirusScan, Norton AntiVirus 2004, and Trend Micro PC-Cillin 2004 adware and spyware scan.

In addition, some Internet Service Providers (ISP) to establish a protection against spyware and adware. For example, America Online (AOL) announced in January spyware as an improvement in AOL 9.0 Optimized. EarthLink also provides protection against spyware and adware with the latest version of its software. Of course, to enjoy the built-in protection that antivirus and Internet providers offer, you must upgrade to the latest versions, and keep the current firm Anti-Spyware/Adware.

Avoid installing unwanted

Companies are pushing adware and spyware depend on two things: his desire for free software and your gullibility. I had two friends bring me their computers after they have been seriously infected with adware. In one case, the culprit of my friend wants a free file sharing software. His office was a mess with the icons of programs that a number of download. I was appalled. What he does not know is that he gave implicit permission to install adware. He knows better.

My other friend is not a freeware glutton. Instead, she used to click Yes or OK buttons on every dialog box she sees. Even the dialog boxes that do not pass suspicious scrutiny. Of course, when a dialog box asking if it is OK to install a new program, she clicks the Yes button.

A lesson to be learned from my friend to help prevent the installation of most adware and spyware:

First make sure that the programs you install do not contain adware. Many freeware programs do include adware. This is how the publishers make their money. If you are not sure, read the license agreement (generally represented directly or via links through the installation process). Also visit the website of the publisher carefully. If you are still not sure, search Google Groups for the program name and adware or spyware keywords. If you can not find posts about it so you're probably OK.

2. Install a popup blocker to prevent adware and spyware pop-ups. Most spyware is installed after clicking a link in a popup window misleading. Install a pop-up, and not even the temptation of clicking on links. My two favorite pop-ups are completely free. The first is the new MSN Toolbar. The second is the Google toolbar. Pop-ups are annoying waste of time anyway, so it will be appreciated later. If you are a user of Windows XP, select a service pack this summer (Service Pack 2), including a series of high security features, and a pop-up Internet Ex

3. Do not unwittingly install adware or software. If you do not choose what seems innocuous link, and then you will see a dialog box similar to Figure 1, do not click the Yes button to install the program. In this example, I waited to install the program from Microsoft so I feel safe. If you are unsure, do not continue. This dialog is the last line of defense, and you should only install programs from the Internet that has been installed. This is like giving someone your credit card number, who calls you at home. It 'a different story when he was appointed. Installing Windows XP SP 2 (when it becomes available later this summer) will also help by suppressing unsolicited downloads the ActiveX controls (a popular vehicle spyware).

Some spyware scanners and antivirus spyware signatures can help combat spyware. However, the best strategy is to be choosy about what you choose to download and install.

Check your computer

If you do not even have to scan your computer for adware and spyware so you're probably familiar with some of the symptoms I described earlier in this article. These include instability, performance problems, or possibly a hijacked Web browser.

It 'a software designed to detect spyware and adware, and help you remove it. With whom I am most familiar is Ad-aware from Lavasoft. This is a program that I recommend most of my friends. The freeware version is available for people at home. The commercial version is also available for use in a corporate environment. Program such as Ad-aware finds adware and spyware on your computer and then delete them.

You can find more adware and spyware removal tool and spyware removal guide. This site contains links to popular programs spyware removal software and a number of useful articles. If you do not use a program as popular Ad-aware, however, groups Google search for the name of the program you choose. Some software spyware removal can cause as many problems as it fixes, and you want to know more about these issues before using the software to prove.

Tip: dairy products, a Microsoft MVP, offers this tip in Windows XP Newsgroups: "It is best to run antivirus software and tools for spyware removal in safe mode." This is because the removal tools sometimes can not remove spyware from your computer while it is running.