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Spyware_101_Understanding_and_Fighting_Spyware
| Spyware 101: Understanding and Fighting Spyware
Spyware 101: Understanding and Fighting Spyware Doug Partridge ©
2005
In a short amount of time, Spyware has gone from relative
obscurity to an almost daily mention. This article was prepared
to help you understand the basics and tell you where you can get
more information.
What is Spyware?
Quite simply Spyware is a type of rogue software program that
gets copied to your computer without warning or permission. The
goal of Spyware is to monitor and record information about you.
In some cases, Spyware gets loaded on your PC just by visiting
the wrong websites.
What is its purpose?
On the serious side, "Keyboard loggers" do just that - record
the keys from your keyboard as you type. This is an extremely
menacing form of Spyware. As you can imagine your accounts,
passwords, emails anything you type is susceptible to keyboard
loggers. In fact, this is the kind of Spyware that is largely
responsible for online identity theft.
In the case of Adware it's to "profile" your online activities
and interests. This information is used by advertisers to
promote ads and pop-ups targeted to your specific interests.
Is Adware Spyware?
There is some debate on this, but the consensus is that if
Adware records and submits information about you ... it falls
under the category of Spyware.
How does it get on your computer?
In the case of the less harmful varieties they are usually
bundled with some Shareware or "free" programs. The peer-to-peer
(P2P) music downloading programs are notorious for including
Adware with their programs.
A word of advice: be extremely cautions about the programs you
install on your computer.
It's often said that Spyware can be installed on your PC "just
by visiting the wrong website." This statement is absolutely
true, but have you wondered how that's possible? After all,
website operators do not usually have the ability to install
programs on people's computer without their knowledge.
It's because hackers are able to exploit security
vulnerabilities in web browsers (most commonly Internet
Explorer). Usually Microsoft releases fixes for security
vulnerabilities shortly after they are discovered - yet the
average Windows user 1.) doesn't know about the vulnerability
and 2.) doesn't know about the fix.
What this means is that most people go for long periods of time
with vulnerable versions of Internet Explorer.
Removing the Menace
Legislators are hurrying to create laws banning Spyware ...
wonderful, but how does this help you now? The bottom line, you
need a dedicated Spyware removal program. Anti-Virus programs
have proven ineffective in discovering and removing Spyware. In
fact, the Anti-Virus vendors are just beginning to look out how
they can incorporate this functionality into their programs.
Again, this is serious problem that requires action now.
The good news is that there are several high-quality Spyware
removal that will not only detect and remove Spyware, but will
also provide "always on" protection to block new infections.
We've only just scratched the surface - please visit
http://www.SpywareHelpCenter.com - this is a free website where
you can learn more about Spyware and find a removal program
that's right for you.
About the author:
------------------------------------------------- Doug Partridge
is the founder of Spyware Help Center, a free site dedicated to
Spyware education and removal.
Free Details => http://www.SpywareHelpCenter.com
-------------------------------------------------
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