 |
What is Spyware? |
A recent study by Earthlink has reported that 90% of internet connected PC's contain some form of spyware. Spyware, often called malware or adware, can come in many forms. Recently spyware has eclipsed viruses as the No.1 online threat to the security of both private users and large corporations. If you are not protecting yourself from this scourge you are more than likely contributing to its success.
What exactly is spyware?
An affilical definition would go something like this: "A technology that assists in gathering information about a person or organization without their knowledge. On the Internet, "spyware is programming that is put in someone's computer to secretly gather information about the user and relay it to advertisers or other interested parties." As such, spyware is cause for public concern about privacy on the Internet."
If I don't know I'm infected then what is the harm?
Spyware will cause problems on your PC without you knowing. The end result is your PC runs slower, is less responsive, and new error messages with no solutions creep into your system. Every program installed on your PC consumes resources. Ever notice how fast your system performs when you have just installed a fresh copy of Windows? Spyware is one of the main culprits for causing your PC to operate at less than its optimal levels.
Why should I care?
The latest generation of Spyware:
- Consumes resources on your PC slowing it down.
- Causes crashes.
- Interferes with your work.
- Attacks your web browser forcing you to view advertising or content you do not wish to see - much of which is pornographic material.
- May force your PC to download more spyware or open itself up to further attack.
- Costs you money.
- May lead to identity theft or other internet frauds.
And most importantly, invades your privacy. More and more each day we see reports of identity theft and internet crimes where end users and companies are losing billions each year. The phenomenon is clearly not going away. Knowledge of this threat and a detection and removal strategy is really a must.
How did I get infected to begin with?
Spyware gets onto your system in many different ways and the methods are constantly evolving as new tools come out to combat the problem. You may have infected your system by visiting or clicking a link on web page (see: Homepage Hijackers), by opening an email, or though a program you downloaded. One of the most common ways to contract spyware is to use a program that appears to be freeware. Examples of this are P2P programs like Kazaa. Take a look at this list. ALL of these very popular file swapping programs are confirmed to have spyware or other unwanted
parasites bundled into them:
- KaZaa (offers a paid version without spyware)
- Limewire
- Audiogalaxy
- Bearshare (offers a paid version without spyware)
- Imesh
- Morpheus
- Grokster
- Xolox
- Blubster 2.x aka Piolet (Blubster 2.0 and higher and Piolet are adware and bundle other adware)
- OneMX
- FreeWire
- BitTorrent (Only the Unify Media version. Other versions are clean to my knowledge. See warning below)
Again P2P applications are just one method spyware gets on your PC. Listing all of the possible methods would be pointless as the techniques continually evolve.
What can I do?
In 2004 the American Federal Trade Commission has recommended everyone buy and install a spyware remover. There are free solutions online but they are few and very quickly disappearing. Also simply using one of the free solutions is not adequate (or they would have made our list). In my testing simply using a free solution was only successful in removing just more than half of the current threats. Hardly acceptable.
Most people will agree with me that combining one or more commercial anti-spyware programs is the way to go. In my crusade to rid my networks of spyware I downloaded hundreds of solutions. I also saw very little that impressed me. This was very frustrating to say the least as more options seem to emerge daily. I hope that my reviews will shed some light on protecting yourself and raise some awareness so that some day spyware is no longer even an issue.
Visit our review page to discover reputable products that will completely protect you against this threat.
Be careful! There are programs out there that claim to stop spyware, but will actually install it on your PC and prevent anti-spyware programs from operating correctly in the future. Be sure to read: Beware: Rogue Products. Want to know more? Check out the top anti-spyware software in our top 5 Spyware Reviews.
|
