Spyware is software or hardware installed on a computer without the user's knowledge which gathers information about that user for later retrieval by whomever controls the spyware.
Spyware can be broken down into two different categories, surveillance spyware and advertising spyware.
Surveillance software includes key loggers, screen capture devices, and trojans. These would be used by corporations, private detectives, law enforcement, intelligence agencies, suspicious spouses, etc.
Advertising spyware is software that is installed alongside other software or via activex controls on the internet, often without the user's knowledge, or without full disclosure that it will be used for gathering personal information and/or showing the user ads. Advertising spyware logs information about the user, possibly including passwords, email addresses, web browsing history, online buying habits, the computer's hardware and software configuration, the name, age, sex, etc of the user.
As with spam, advertising spyware uses the CPU, RAM, and resources of the user's computer, making the user pay for the costs associated with operating it. It then makes use of the user's bandwidth to connect to the internet and upload whatever personal information it has gathered, and to download advertisements which it will present to the user, either by way of pop up windows, or with the ad banners of ad-supported software. All of this can be considered theft in the cases of advertising spyware that installs without disclosure.
And while anti-virus software like Symantec's Norton Anti- Virus or McAfee's ViruScan can offer some protection, one of the best ways to combat spyware is with anti-spy software. Two of the best are Lavasoft's Ad-aware and Spybot's Search & Destroy, which are available as free downloads.
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html
The free version of Ad-aware does not proactively protect against spyware infestation. You have to start the Ad-aware application and initiate a scan to detect spyware. But the paid version, Ad-aware Plus does remain alert in the background, like Spybot, to deflect any attempts at infestation. In recent tests, Ad-aware Plus and Spybot both protected systems extremely well.
If you haven't already done so, I highly recommend installing Microsoft's Service Pack 2. SP2 tightens your PC's security with a new Windows Firewall, an improved Automatic Updates feature, and a pop-up ad blocker for Internet Explorer. Plus, the newly minted Security Center gives you one easy-to-use interface for keeping tabs on your PC's security apps.
There are also other steps you can take to protect against spyware. One simple step is to switch from Microsoft's browsers, which have security holes for spyware programs to exploit. A good alternative is Mozilla Firefox. Another not- so-simple step is switching to the Mac or Linux operating systems, which don't have spyware problems.
Dean Phillips is an Internet marketing expert, writer, publisher and entrepreneur. Questions? Comments? Dean can be reached at mailto: dean@lets-make-money.net
Double your income! Internet marketing expert, Dean Phillips will teach you how to double your income, starting today...Guaranteed! For details just visit my website.
Website: http://www.lets-make-money.net
Dean Phillips is an Internet marketing expert, writer, publisher and entrepreneur. Questions? Comments? Dean can be reached at mailto: dean@lets-make-money.net
Double your income! Internet marketing expert, Dean Phillips will teach you how to double your income, starting today...Guaranteed! For details just visit my website.
Website: http://www.lets-make-money.net
Latest News:
Trojan Blocks Popular Torrent Sites (Overclockers Club)
A new trojan has been making its way around torrent sites called Troj/Qhost-AC , and it's unlike any virus you've probably ever encountered. There's no spyware or malware and it provides a simple message; "downloading is wrong." The trojan modifies the hosts file of your computer so that it redirects two of the most popular torrent sites, The Pirate Bay and Mininova, to yourself (127.0.0.1) ...
6 Rules To Follow For Data Recovery (PIZZAHEROS)
There are so many reasons due to which data can be lost, power outages or surges, computer crashes, spyware, viruses designed to wipe up entire disk systems, natural disasters like tsunamis and floods. What you need to do is always be prepared for the worst and think of data recovery systems.
Infected Computers May Show Offensive Web Advertising (KTHV Little Rock)
Many online users are hit with offensive ads when visiting well known web sites. The fault may not lie in the web site, but on the user's own computer. Â