Reviewize

Almost fifty percents of computer crashes are caused by virus, trojan and spyware. Spyware is software used by hackers to gain information without your knowledge. This information can be used by hackers for many purposes. Last year, Microsoft announced that one in every 300 Windows PC was infected by malware and spyware. How do you get infected by spyware?

1. Security Settings

People got infected by spyware usually have low security settings and most of them only have an antivirus as their main protection. Having an antivirus is not enough and it takes more than antivirus to protect you from spyware.

2. Files Download

Downloading files from the Internet makes everything in our life easier. We don’t need to go to our local bookstore to find information that we need, we only need to find it on the Internet. However, downloading files and software has a bad effect. It’s because not all the freeware out there are spyware-free and some of them are actually spyware. Therefore, there might be some time when you’ve downloaded software or files that are spyware.

3. ActiveX

Running activex while browsing is the same as running .exe file extension in Windows and if we enable activex while browsing, it will make us vulnerable to spyware threat.

4. Malicious Websites

Malicious websites is one of the reasons why you get infected. Maybe while searching for information on the search engines, you stumbled upon a website and unknown to you, it’s a website that will install spyware in your system. Because the website is not what you’re looking for, you close it immediately. But by leaving the website does not make you’re safe from threats because the spyware is already installed in your system.

5. Pop-Ups

Pop-ups are so annoying and some pop-ups are threats to our computer. There might be a time when you were surfing the Internet when a pop-up came up and asked you to update your security settings and you unknowingly clicked it. By clicking the pop-up, the spyware will install itself in your system. One way to prevent this is by clicking ‘x’ on the pop-up. Clicking anywhere on the pop-up other than the ‘x’ might makes the spyware to install itself.

6. Legal Agreement

Did you know that spyware can install itself in your system legally? If you’re installing software, make sure you read its legal agreement. Maybe somewhere in the legal agreement, they said something about installing a software that will give them your browsing habit for their research purpose or something like that. This is another form of spyware attack. By clicking ‘I agree’, you’re bound to the agreement and the spyware can install itself legally. Therefore, next time when you’re installing suspicious software, make sure you read its legal agreement.

By: Azwan Asmat

About the Author:

Spyware - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Everyone should eliminate spyware and adware from your hard drive for your computer privacy protection. Spyware and adware programs also slow down the speed of your computer by cluttering your hard drive with annoying programs. Once you eliminate adware and spyware, your computer speed will improve immediately.

Spyware compromises the security of your personal information because the creators of these hidden programs can get access to your desktop even while you are offline.

Adware creates annoying pop ups while you use the Internet. It can change your home page and even hijack certain pages to display their own messages, which are sometimes obscene.

One of the most effective ways to stop spyware and adware is the use of computer firewall protection. These programs eliminate incoming spyware and adware that is attached to the legitimate data that you download when surfing the web.

Some computer firewall protection programs display the number of attempted ‘hacks’, which includes any illegitimate programs or data: spyware, adware, or other potentially harmful files such as viruses.

It is not unusual for computer firewall protection software to block hundreds of ‘hacks’ per day. Some users are more exposed than others to the negative effects of spyware, adware, and viruses.

One important factor is the type of connection that your computer has to the Internet. For example, DSL ‘cable’ connections are replacing the old ‘dial-up’ connections that run over a household’s normal phone lines.

With a DSL connection, your computer can be connected to the Internet all day, every day. This increases the likelihood of your computer becoming infected with spyware and adware.

With today’s Internet, there’s no such thing as too much computer privacy protection. It’s important to find and eliminate spyware and adware from your hard drive because computer security is as important as the lock on your front door.

Copyright © 2005 Spyware Information.com All Rights Reserved.

By: Gary Gresham

About the Author:

Spy Sweeper Review

Super Anti Spyware is a software product that claims to remove unwanted spyware from your computer. But in a field that is already overcrowded, and has more than its far share of crooks, is Super Anti Spyware to be trusted?

Spyware is an increasing threat to any computer that is using the Internet. These malicious programs have the ability to steal personal information from your computer such as credit card details and bank account details. They could be instrumental in conmen committing identity theft.

With the increase in production of spyware programs there has been a parallel increase in the writing of anti-spyware programs. Indeed there is now a thriving industry in this area. Unfortunately this market has attracted unscrupulous people who have obviously sensed the great demand (and also the chance to make a bit of cash).

This means that some anti spyware software is not always what it seems. Here is a typical scenario used by scamsters. You are quietly surfing the Net and a screen pops up that ‘looks like’ it is from your computer. It gives you a message saying that your computer is infected with spyware and that you need to press a button to run a system scan or obtain a free product to remove it. This is all bogus. If you hit that button you maybe enticed into buying a product that is essentially worthless as a protection product. Or worse still, you may actually be downloading a spyware product onto your PC.

So when a company like Super Anti Spyware comes along saying they have a free product that can be downloaded, some people are understandably suspicious. So the questions are: Is this product safe and does it do what as it claims?

The product has been available for a time now and has been used by a number of people. User feedback has been that it is safe to use and isn’t a scam. It is available in a free version to individuals for non-commercial use. This gives you the ability to scan your system for spyware and remove them. It is recommended that you perform a scan at least once every week.

There is also an option to have real-time scanning. This is where the program is left running in the background, and as soon as a threat is detected it is flagged up for you to remove. In theory this should prevent your system from ever being infected with spyware. This feature is only available in the professional version for which there is a charge.

As well as detecting spy-ware the software will also detect Trojans, adware and cookies. Some tracking cookies can be malicious but most are often benign and are used by some of your favorite websites to track your visits. Super Anti Spyware gives you the option of deleting these tracking cookies if you want to.

By: Paul Elms

About the Author:

STOPzilla Review

Spyware is an ever growing Internet threat. A test done by National Cyber Security Alliance showed that more than 90% of all PCs are infected with spyware. These dangerous programs are designed to bypass anti-virus & firewall software and the user knows nothing about it.

Once spyware is embedded on your PC, it can slow down your computers performance to a crawl and gather personal information about you. Spyware programs do not replicate like viruses and worms but can be just as harmful to your PC.

Spyware can get into your PC in several ways. One of the most common ways is when you install it without even knowing it. Spyware can come bundled in a shareware or freeware program without your knowledge, once you have downloaded the program to your computer it goes to work silently in the background collecting your personal data so that the author of the spyware program can use or sell your personal data to a third party. Always beware of P2P file sharing programs. They are known for downloads that contain spyware.

There are many types of spyware programs that can infect your PC through security holes in your web browser, when you click a link to a web page that is controlled by a spyware author, the page can contain malicious coding and can attack your browser and automatically install it’s self on your PC. That’s why it’s a must to have virus & spyware protection software installed on your computer, but you don’t want just any virus & spyware protection software, you want the best anti virus and spyware software out there, and i can help you with that, just read my author bio below.

Here Is a list of a few things that spyware programs can do:

Record your keystrokes when you type on your keyboard.
Scan files on your PCs hard drive.
Search through files stored on our desktop.
Install many other types of spyware programs into your PC.
Steal passwords, credit card numbers, and personal information about you.
Embed annoying pop up advertisements into your PC.

By: Terry Jackson

About the Author:

CA Anti Spyware

Spyware is becoming the worst threat on the internet, with offending programs becoming more and more widespread. Also known as malware, these programs are invasive and some have the ability to steal personal information such as passwords and credit card numbers. Here are three ways to protect yourself.

1.) Stay away from file sharing programs. Programs like Kazaa, Limewire, and Bearshare are notorious for installing multitudes of spyware programs on users computers. The top offender is Kazaa, which carries with it multiple malware programs that could potentially put the user at risk for serious security breaches.

2.) Download and use Firefox. Microsoft’s Internet Explorer is known to be full of security holes. Since Internet Explorer is the most widely used browser, cyber criminal programmers aim directly at IE’s security holes. Internet Explorer also shares an intimate connection with the Windows operating system, allowing renegade software to significantly disrupt the computer. Many savvy computer users are turning to alternative browsers such as Mozilla’s Firefox. Firefox is known to be much more secure than Internet Explorer. Also, since it is also less widely used, cyber-criminals do not tend to focus on trying to exploit it.

3.) Install a Spyware Removal & Sweeping Program. This is an extremely important step. Without a reputable anti-spyware program, malware can sit on your computer undetected. Computer Virus software like Norton and Symantec are not presently geared for these programs, and consistently miss them during system scans. After a while these insidious programs build up, and can create a sluggish system, and even steal personal information such as passwords and credit card information. Because of the explosion in spyware and malware over the past 12 months, it is important to purchase a reputable removal program that has continued support and updates. It is prudent to stay away from “free” programs as these can miss spyware and are often “rogue” programs that install their own malware in order to goad users into paying for a useless program.

Spy Sweeper Reviews On Sweeping Spyware

Your privacy is under serious threat by the constant growth of spyware and it needs your urgent attention to counter it. If you want to keep prying eyes out of your computer then you need to initiate some spyware prevention steps and here are four ways that can help you to do just that.

Now this battle must be waged on two levels. First, you need to find and eliminate the spyware that has already entered your computer system without your knowledge. Second, you need to take further steps to prevent any new spyware from entering your computer.

You can achieve both of these objectives by following these four steps:

1. You need to update your Windows software: The majority of spyware that is written is for systems that run a Windows operating system. Of course Microsoft, the makers of windows, is well aware of this fact and is constantly posting useful information as well as security patches to deal with this growing problem. You need to visit the Microsoft website regularly to download these patches, and learn of the new spyware that is floating around on the net. This will help you immensely to reduce the risk to your computer.

2. You need to set up firewalls: Spyware software can be blocked very effectively when using a Firewall. It provides protection to your computer and checks the authenticity of any and every file that you try to access on the net. The firewall can also be set to detect malicious programs and prevent them from entering your computer. Therefore, preventing spyware and adware files of ever getting the chance to be uploaded to your computer. Now for those using windows XP the firewall already exists in your operating system all you need to do is turn it on.

3. You need to install spyware protection software: At the very first possible opportunity you must download anti-spyware software. This software will make sure that the existing spyware in your computer is detected and erased. It will also make sure that no new spyware enters your system. This is an established solution and should be put into action as early as possible, also for best results you need to keep this software updated regularly.

4. Finally prevention: Remember nothing comes without a price and the simplest way to avoid spyware and adware is to avoid downloading freebies. Any Free stuff you might be thinking about downloading from online sites will most probably lead to spyware or adware unless it is an established and legitimate business that you are downloading from. Also avoid the temptation of clicking on pop-up ads that may appear on your screen, these are known to be hotbeds for malware infections.

Now before you make any anti-spyware software purchases I would visit spywarewarrior.com first, they provide good information on various malware prevention software and also information on the sites and software to stay away from.

By: Garry Allen

About the Author:

Spyware Doctor