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*Spyware and Popups are
one of the biggest threats to your privacy and the security of your
data. Here's a series of helpful questions and answers that can help
you remove and minimize future spyware from your computer. Please
scroll down to the bottom to see all the Q&As.
Q.
What is spyware?
A.
Spyware comes in various forms, but basically it is a program or
piece of information on your computer that either sends data about
you or your computer habits to someone else on the Internet. This
can be a company that is collecting data, or a thief seeking to
steal access to your computer or data like bank information on it.
Spyware can also be a program that places unwanted ads on your
computer. Cookies can be considered spyware. They are little piece
of information placed in your web browser to track your web habits.
This is useful sometimes as a web site can see you have visited it
before and let you on without a registration process. Cookies are
also used to keep track of your progress through a web store. They
are also used to customize website ads to your likes and dislikes.
Q.
Why is spyware bad?
A.
For one it can hog precious system resources like memory and hard
disk space. It can also compromise your privacy, providing outsiders
with information about your computer habits. If a spyware program
installs a keylogger it can capture your keystrokes and send it to a
third party. This can potentially expose your user IDs and passwords
to thieves Some spyware are trojans which allows someone to log into
your computer remotely and use it for their own purposes like
sending spam or launching malicious attacks on other computers on
the Internet, making it look like you are at fault.
Q.
WHAT DOES SPYWARE DO?
Spyware On Your System Can:
Steal your passwords
Monitor your emails
Watch the sites you visit
Download your private files
Clues That You Are Infected:
Bombarded with Pop-ups
Slow Net Connection
Computer Freezing or Hanging
System Crashes
Spyware can come from virtually anywhere
on the Internet, including:
Free programs that you
install
Adult-related web sites or
any web site
Email attachments sent to
your email address
Chat rooms where you can
exchange files
File-sharing programs like
KaZaa, eDonkey, astalavista, torrents and others.
Q.
Can spyware and popups be stopped?
Yes and NO
A lot of spyware and popups
can be destroyed with popup blockers and spyware killers, however,
not all of them and certainly not forever.
Popups are
being fueled by large companies who want your business, but have no
idea they are ruining the internet experience, nor do they care.
Email them and tell them
either they pull there popups and spyware support or you will never
buy their products.
Some cookies you need, Like:
Name and passwords, others just follow you around.
Q.
how can I stop the popups and spyware?
These are
just suggestions:
At the top of your
internet explorer browser
click tools->internet
options->security. Highlight
internet
then go down to
security level for this zone and move the
slider to high.
This will stop sights that
may have harmful code on them and some of the sites that you want.
Get spybot
search & destroy. Turn on the tea timer and donate if you can.
Reformat you hard drives
every 6 months (I do this) and reload everything. Make sure you
backup your data.
Programs that are free
usually have spyware and popups attached to them. If they have an
adware free version---BUY IT.
Do not use the Internet
*There
is no known way to stop all the popups and spyware. Spyware
blockers and antivirus programs keeps them to tolerable levels.
Nothing is 100%. |
