How To Kill Spyware
by Andre Bell
Almost everyone who uses the internet has seen popup ads
and has been embarrassed when your browser is redirected without your permission to web
pages you had no desire to see. Aunt Mabel would get sent to an early grave if she were
sitting there. The shame of it!
Worse perhaps is finding your bank accounts or credit cards
or online accounts like PayPal and eBay have been charged for things you've never
purchased, from companies you've never heard of, and shipped to places you've never been
to.
All this can result from privacy intrusions and malicious
spyware.
The internet is a great place to schedule vacations and
shop for everything from low-cost specialty toothpastes to high-end luxury homes all from
the comfort of your favorite easy chair. So how do you continue to do this without risking
your privacy?
You make certain the computer you use is free from all
identity threats and spyware.
How do you know if your computer has been infected?
Most spyware leaves traces and clues that your computer has
been infected. You get popup ads even after being disconnected from the internet, your
computer starts slowing down for no apparent reason, it takes longer to connect to the
internet, your home page has changed without your permission, and sites you've never
visited have been added to your favorites.
Those are just some of the more obvious clues.
Some spyware `hides' in your computer and watches
everything and you do online and offline. Then it reports back to its owner all the
information (YOUR INFORMATION) that it has gathered. It is just as dangerous but harder to
notice.
So how do you remove spyware and protect your identity?
The hard (and crazy) way is to manually edit your registry
and hidden startup files. I do not recommend this for most people unless it's a last
resort attempt to gain back control of your computer.
The easy way to get rid spyware is to install anti-spyware
software such as Spybot Search & Destroy, Webroot SpySweeper, or AdAware. Spybot
S&D is the preferred single choice.
What makes Spybot such a good value? Spybot is very
thorough at removing the majority of spyware threats you are likely to see and it is free.
However, by itself no single anti-spyware program is sufficient if your privacy is
important to you.
I also recommend you run Webroot Spysweeper. It has a free
demo version that works very well and last that I checked it was in no way `crippled', as
some demos are.
Webroot and Spybot make a powerful one two punch that will
get rid of most, if not all spyware that is running on your computer. However, neither
will get rid of Trojans or viruses that might be serving up spyware or other exploits.
You'll need a strong anti-virus program for that.
Once your computer is clean from spyware how do you
prevent re-infection?
The best defense is not to get infected in the
first place.
Get a MAC. Supporters of Apple's MAC computers claim there
has never been a successful virus written for Mac OS X and there is very little spyware
that targets the Mac computer. Nearly all existing spyware and viruses target
vulnerabilities in Windows machines because most computers are running some version of
Microsoft Windows. This makes the MAC an attractive option for anyone who is
mega-concerned with online privacy.
However, the learning curve, the cost of implementing all
new software and an unfamiliar operating system, and the lack of compatibility with
Windows PC owners (not to mention the high cost of purchasing a MAC) discourages most
people from seriously considering buying a MAC. If that doesn't turn you off then maybe a
MAC is right for you.
Keep your version of Windows security up-to-date by
frequently visiting http://update.microsoft.com
Stay off of questionable web sites. This includes `adult'
sites and piracy sites
Run real-time protection shields that come with programs
like AdAware, Spybot, Webroot SpySweeper, and `The Cleaner'
Once you've cleaned your machine of threats and taken these
steps to protect yourself you can return to doing your online banking and making online
purchases with confidence your privacy is safe and without the fear of giving Aunt Mabel a
coronary. |
