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| Spyware is software or hardware installed on a computer without a user's knowledge. It gathers information and reports it back to its source. It ties up bandwidth, slows down CPU speed and generally is a nuisance. In its more malicious forms, it can disrupt the PC so much that it is unusable; it can run up modem bills, it can spam or send copies of itself to everyone in your address book and it can download pornographic material to your PC. The last is probably the one most likely to make everyone stand up and take notice. Downloading porn at the office can get you fired, downloading child porn anywhere can get you arrested. The only way to keep these and all the other problems associated with spyware from infecting your life and disrupting your activities is prevention. As the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. There are numerous programs available (both for free and for pay) that offer protection from spyware and its related cohorts. Most free programs remove spyware that's already been downloaded and installed to your machine, such as Ad- Aware, one of the first original anti-spyware programs. The free version requires that you scan to capture and remove spyware. The pay for version includes a real-time scanner that actually prevents spyware from downloading or installing itself. There are numerous other products on the market, but don't be taken in by their pronouncements of being anti-spyware. Be wary, a few of the free programs are just spyware themselves. Security for your PC at the home includes using up-to-date virus software, installing an effective firewall, employing reputable anti-spyware tools, making sure all patches and being sure to install all updates for the operating system. The best thing to do is to avoid risky online behavior or the downloading of every free offer that literally "pops up". Never download anything from an unknown source. A lot of home PC users can find their machines besieged by problems because they downloaded something they weren't sure about or just assumed was safe. Don't assume, be sure. You can even check security settings for different websites you visit. Be sure what you're downloading is from a reputable source. You wouldn't invite just anyone who knocked on your door into your house; you shouldn't let any file or program into your computer. Spyware at its best is a nuisance, and a potentially dangerous and damaging element that can cost you real time, and worse of all, money. =========================================================== Discover all you ever wanted to know about spyware. Latest discovery methods, latest incoculation treatments, latest removal techniques. Click for useful info and daily updated blog of spyware news and articles. http://www.spyware-revealed.com/anti-spyware.html Tom Jenson has worked in software development for 20 years. He's seen spyware develop from an occasional problem, to a daily, hourly threat to all pc's. He made it a mission to research these threats, and work out how best to combat them. Now this series of article helps others protect their computers too.
security - Google News Related Articles How to Fight Spyware If you are wondering how to fight spyware for safe web surfing, this Internet privacy article will answer some of your questions. By now you have probably heard about the dangers of spyware. Ransom Trojan Uses Cryptography for Malicious Purpose Every day millions of people go online to find information, to do business, to have a good time. Alas, some people go there to commit crimes as well. Though crimes have been committed via the Internet almost from its very launch, now cybercriminals have become dangerous as never before. What Can Be Done About Spyware And Adware Having a good Spyware eliminator on your computer is vital now a days with all of the different Spyware, Adware, and other malicious computer parasites that are out there. Most of them are reasonably priced and very easy to use. How To Cover Your Tracks On The Internet Every single time you access a website, you leave tracks. Tracks that others can access. If you don't like the idea, find out what software can help you cover them. Sarbanes-Oxley: A Cross-Industry Email Compliance Challenge Is your enterprise following the rules? 5 Tips For An Unbreakable Password Despite the current wave of identity theft and corporate security breaches it's amazing how very few people treat their passwords with any level of seriousness. Most computers users, both at home and in the office, see passwords as a nuisance and therefore make them as easy to remember as possible. This can be a catastrophic mistake. Why you Must Secure your Digital Product and Thank You Web Page A couple of years back, I paid my dues the 'hard way'. Why Corporations Need to Worry About Phishing Phishing is a relatively new form of online fraud that focuses on fooling the victim into providing sensitive financial or personal information to a bogus website that bears a significant resemblance to a tried and true online brand. Typically, the victim provides information into a form on the imposter site, which then relays the information to the fraudster. Preventing Online Identity Theft Identity theft is one of the most common criminal acts in society today. Criminals will use your personal information such as banking accounts and passwords, to pretend that they are you. They may take out credit cards in your name, mortgages, or even worse. The internet has opened up a whole world of possibilities for these criminals, and the threat is very real. There are things that you can do to help prevent such a crime. It costs very little to protect your information, and it is money well spent. Criminals are Fishing For Your Identity What is Phishing? In a typical Phishing attack, a criminal will send you an email which appears to be from a well known company, bank or government agency. The email will direct you to click on a link which directs you to a Website or pop-up box that looks like the company's or organization's legitimate site. The site will instruct you to enter personal information, such as your account ID, your password, your credit or debit card number and PIN, or your social security number. The criminals are "phishing" for information. Dont Fall Victim to Internet Fraud-10 Tips for Safer Surfing The Internet offers a global marketplace for consumers and businesses. However, criminals also recognize the potential of cyberspace. The same scams that have reached us by telephone and in our mailbox can now be found on the World Wide Web and in email. Organizations such as the National Fraud Information Center have emerged to help people recognize shady schemes in order to prevent further victims. How to Protect Yourself from Viruses, Spyware, Adware, and Other Nuisances Spyware/adware is a new major concern for PC users everywhere. Infecting your computer silently (usually installed with programs that seem harmless), spyware and adware can collect personal information about you, as well as cause pop up ads to come up all of the time, changing your browsers home page, sometimes even completely disabling your computer's usability. Behavior to Stay Safer Online 1. Importance of a Virus Scanner: A Antivirus program can help to prevent you from becoming infected with a Virus or Trojan. It is extremely important to make sure this program is updated at least once a week, and all drives are scanned. Viruses usually are used to destroy your Data or Hardware. Where as Trojans are used to gain remote access into your system. Always scan any new files you receive as well, even if they are off a friend, you don't know where those files originated from. ALWAYS use a little common sense when on the Internet as well. Don't accept files from an entrusted source. Don't go to web sites you have received spam for, they can be infected with viruses or asking you to download files that are infected. Always go only to official sites (i.e... If you ask for a web address for Norton and someone says ww.nortfix.com, that is obviously not an official site). Keep in mind that an Antivirus will only detect known viruses. It is possible that someone can create a new virus or manipulate an existing Virus or Trojan to the point it will no longer be detected by an Antivirus. As each unknown virus is discovered it is then added into the Antivirus database. Always create rescue disks for your Antivirus program, these will enable you to access your computer through MS-DOS if you are unable to access it through windows. If you do not have an Antivirus program try the HouseCall free online virus scan the link if on the top right side of this page. Also never run 2 different Antivirus . By using two different Antivirus software, sometimes the rule sets can cause conflicts in each other.. or think the other is a virus.. which can also give false positives (meaning it detects a file as a Virus or Trojan, when it isn't one).. or not detect viruses as it should. Always delete files you do not remember downloading. Types Of Computer Infections Computer infections can be broken up into 4 main categories which are explained in detail below: Top Five Online Scams The top five online scams on the Internet hit nearly ten million people last year according to an FBI report in December 2004. That figure doubled from 2003 to 2004 and people are continuing to fall for these email and identity theft scams. How to Prevent Online Identity Theft Identity theft rates one of the fastest growing crimes in mAmerica today and the Internet can make it even easier for some criminals to take your good name and drag it through the mud. Social Engineering - The Real E-Terrorism? One evening, during the graveyard shift, an AOL technical support operator took a call from a hacker. During the hour long conversation the hacker mentioned he had a car for sale. The technical support operator expressed an interest so the hacker sent him an e-mail with a photo of the car attached. When the operator opened the attachment it created a back door that opened a connection out of AOL's network, through the firewall, allowing the hacker full access to the entire internal network of AOL with very little effort on the hacker's part. Spyware ? Your Web Browser is the Culprit! My first experience with a spyware BHO based infection was several months ago. I had gone through all of the usual steps with the client's machine to clean it. Ad-Aware was run, Spybot: Search and Destroy was as well. Nothing looked suspicious in the system's startup. All appeared well, but it wasn't. Adware and Spyware: The Problems and Their Solutions The Threat Pharming - Another New Scam Pharming is one of the latest online scams and rapidly growing threat that has been showing up on the Internet. It's a new way for criminals to try to get into your computer so they can steal your personal data.  |
