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Securing Your PC
Remove and Prevent Spyware Infections

What is Spyware?

 

You have probably heard of spyware before reading this, but what exactly is spyware?

 

There are many “sub-categories” of spyware but overall “spyware” is a general description for software that has the ability to do at least one of the following things:

 

  • Show ads in the software you are using (Known as ad-ware)
  • Send information about your surfing habits to advertisers (Known as spyware)
  • Change settings in your system, such as modifying your homepage, placing icons on your desktop and even infecting you with other spyware (Known as mal-ware)

 How can I tell if I have been infected with Spyware?

 

One of the big problems with spyware is that it can be very hard to tell when you have been infected with it.   It can also be extremely difficult to remove.   Here are a few tell tale signs you may have been infected with spyware:

 

  • Your homepage has changed
  • You have MANY pop-ups, sometimes even when you aren’t doing anything
  • You have weird search bars in your web browser
  • Your system seems very sluggish
  • Your internet connection seems slow
  • You have weird icons on your desktop

How can I remove and prevent Spyware Infections?

Spyware can be hard for software to detect and remove because of the sheer magnitude of variants found online.  Spyware is constantly being created and released on the internet at what seems to be the speed of light, all because of money, which I will describe later.

 

The best thing to do is to choose a decent anti-spyware product and stick to a regular scanning schedule.   The key to having a spyware free system really lies in prevention.   By following the first 3 steps and educating yourself on how and why spyware infects your PC, you should be successful in avoiding spyware infections.

 

For a list of our favorite spyware software (other than the free stuff), visit www.PCsecuritySecrets.com/spyware

 

Also, make sure you read the monthly PCsecuritySecrets newsletters for up to date information on what's going on, and how to stay on top of the latest threats.

 

What anti-spyware program should I use?

 

This is by far one of the most frequently asked questions I receive.  The answer I give seems to vary from time to time as new companies sprout up offering better and better spyware prevention products.

 

The two FREE products I recommend are Adware and Spybot.  Click the links to read more about them.

 

Once again, I also recommend you visit our free anti virus and spyware page for an up to date list of spyware software comparisons and read the monthly PCsecuritySecrets newsletters.

 

Why do people create spyware?

 

One word: Money.

 

Computers are a wonderful thing until you have to deal with annoying popups, banner ads and email spam.  The one thing these all have in common is money.  Every time you click one of these it is generating money for the company you buy from, and probably for the advertiser that put that ad in front of you.

 

You see, the internet has become a massive multi-level marketing tool.  It is very simple to track who referred you to what site, and how much that company has to pay them for the referral.  It is called affiliate marketing.

 

Affiliate marketing is a great thing; as long as you are doing it honestly.  The problem is that many people see the ends that justify the means.  You will get what I am saying after I describe the following:

 

Spyware developers make money 2 ways:

  1. They gather information about your surfing habits and sell it to organizations who would only be able to get this type of information by literally spying on you
  2. They redirect your web browser and send you hundreds of popups stating you need to install a certain product to remove spyware.  The funny thing is that once you purchase this software to remove these popups, the spyware developer receives a commission cheque!

If you have programming knowledge and you want to make an easy buck on purely automated software, you may want to consider creating spyware for a living (joking).

 

So beware!  The next time you see a popup in your computer asking you to buy something, realize that it's not necessarily the company that is sending you the ad, it's probably some spyware programmer sipping on a cocktail in Hawaii making money off each ad you click!