Spyware: The Free "Utility" That Makes You Pay
Years ago, the only prying eyes you had to worry about were your neighbors. And it was easy enough to stop their intrusion on your privacy – you shut the front door, closed your blinds or pulled your curtains tight. Times have changed and now there’s an even bigger threat to your personal privacy and security than a nosy neighbor and it’s sitting in your house right this second – your personal computer. The menace that’s invading your privacy is called spyware.Spyware is a software utility capable of transmitting information from your computer (such as email addresses, web sites visited, and credit card account numbers) to a third party for their use. Spyware is often installed on your computer without your consent or knowledge. Experts say that 9 out of every 10 computers are infected with some form of spyware – click here to find out if your PC is one of them.
So how did that spyware program get on your computer? Often it comes into your computer along with a free program you’ve downloaded from the internet. You can get spyware from any program or utility such as buddy icons, smileys, cartoon cursors, screen savers or holiday themed backgrounds. Sometimes buried deep in the legalese of User’s Agreements will be a statement that by downloading the desired program you also consent to have free software programs loaded on your computer for customer quality purposes. Let’s face it – how many internet users out there take the time to read every word in a User’s Agreement?
What are the consequences of having spyware programs on your computer? Poor computer performance, slow internet connections, never ending pop-up ads and banners are some of the obvious signs of a computer infected with spyware. You might never realize you have a sinister keystroke logger on your computer – a program that records everything you type (whether you are on the internet or not) and transmits the personal, private information to a third party.
When all is said and done, free doesn’t always mean free when it comes to downloading free programs and utilities from the internet. Very often you’ll pay a price, and that price is spyware, adware or malware infections on your computer.
What Can You Do to Remove Spyware and Adware?
Knowledge is key when it comes to protection from spyware. Keep current on the topics and issues surrounding spyware (like Phishing). Commit to no longer download free programs from the internet. Never open an email attachment if you don’t know the sender. Keep your anti-virus software up to date. Make sure you have all the Windows updates and security patches loaded on your PC. Finally, use a good spyware removal software program like Webroot’s Spy Sweeper. Click here
Copyright @2007 THR Computer Solutions: Spyware: The Free "Utility" That Makes You Pay