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Virus', Malware, Spyware, and Adware Probably the biggest problem faced by the average computer user today is the damage caused by virus', adware, spyware and malware. Before we get into what can be done to prevent these pests from ruining your day, lets understand what these things are and are not.
Virus' According to Symantec Corporation (makers of Norton Anti-Virus) a virus is: "A parasitic program written intentionally to enter a computer without the user's permission or knowledge. The word parasitic is used because a virus attaches to files or boot sectors and replicates itself, thus continuing to spread. Though some viruses do little but replicate, others can cause serious damage or affect program and system performance. A virus should never be assumed harmless and left on a system."
Malware Malicious software, including viruses, worms, Trojans, Denial of Service and other such attacks. Sometimes referred to as rogue programs. Keystroke loggers and remote control programs fall into this category as do some spyware/adware removal utilities.
Spyware 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 ie; hackers." As such, spyware is cause for public concern about privacy on the Internet and may be used as a method to steal your identity, credit card information and other nefarious activities. Spyware is never something that should be left on the computer.
Adware while not necessarily malware, adware is considered to go beyond the reasonable advertising that one might expect from freeware or shareware. Typically a separate program that is installed at the same time as a free or free version of a program downloaded from the internet, adware will usually continue to generate advertising even when the user is not running the originally desired program. Massive amounts of pop-up advertising is normally noticed on a computer infested with Adware programs.
Ok, now that we know what these pests are, how do we get rid of them and avoid getting infested with them again in the future.
What can be done. . .
Virus'
With virus infections the answer is pretty easy; get a good anti-virus program such as Computer Associates EZ Anti-Virus, Norton Anti-Virus, McAfee Virus Scan, Trend Micro's PC-cillin, or other reputable (not free) anti-virus product. This type of product needs to be installed on your system and updated regularly to do the most good. Free on-line scanners can only tell you if have a virus after your computer has already become infected (and some so-called free anti-virus programs can and often do actually infest your system with adware and malware), while a properly installed and updated anti-virus program can intercept and remove a virus before it has infected your system. It is very important to maintain up-to-date virus definition updates so the program can identify new virus' as well as old ones. It is estimated that several thousand new virus are created every year. Protect thyself. Get a good anti-virus program installed today.
Adware & Spyware
Adware, and Spyware can normally be avoided by simply remembering the admonishment we've all been told before; "There ain't no free lunch". I guarantee you that that "free" program you just downloaded from the internet is being paid for by somebody. In a lot of cases it is being paid for by a company or companies that want to bombard you with advertising for their products. In a normal advertisement world (ie; TV) this would not be much of a problem because there are rules about what audience can be targeted, how often the advertisement can be run and so forth. Unfortunately there is no such regulation on the internet.
Having one of these free programs on your computer is probably not going to ruin your day, but if your system looks like most of the ones we see in our shop, you probably have ten or more of these running all the time. When you get this many companies trying to push their advertising at you all at once, pandemonium is the result. In fact you may not even be able to even keep your computer running at all. Lock ups, internet connection problems, "Illegal Exception errors" and system slow downs are the by-products of this type of internet pest.
In this case, an once of prevention is definitely worth $100 of cure. The rule of thumb we always use is; if it's worth having it's worth paying for. Stay away from so-called "free" programs if you don't know exactly what your getting.
Spyware & Malware
Spyware is a form of Malware that has it's own special enmity toward you and your computer system. This form of pest is called spyware because it attempts to learn information from your computer that you probably would not voluntarily give up to the person trying to get it. Information such as your bank account numbers, credit card number, social security numbers, address, names and other personal information can and often is transmitted to others without your conscious consent. Examples of spyware programs are Trojans, keystroke loggers and other programs that are often installed to your computer without your consent or knowledge.
Unfortunately, spyware programs are often not found by anti-virus scanners. There are special programs on the market that can find these pests, but even once found they can be very difficult to remove or disable. In our experience there is no single program that a consumer can purchase that will remove all forms of spyware, advertisement claims notwithstanding. If you suspect that your computer has spyware, it is best to let an expert examine and remove them for you.
And In Conclusion . . .
You can safely cruise the internet without fear of the bogey-man. However, this requires you (and all who use your computer) to follow a few simple words of advise:
Avoid downloading "free" programs even when they seem to offer great features and usability. Remember the old adage; "If it seems to good to be true, it probably is." Following is a list of known rouge (Rouges are products that claim to remove spyware, but actually install it and sometimes charge you for their product!) spyware removal programs. You should NOT purchase or download any of these products. You are guaranteed a bad user experience. Buyer beware!
Spy Wiper
AdWare Remover Gold
BPS Spyware Remover
Online PC-Fix SpyFerret
SpyBan
SpyBlast
SpyFerret
SpyGone
SpyHunter
SpyKiller
SpyKiller Pro
SpywareNuker
TZ Spyware-Adware Remover
SpyAssault
InternetAntiSpy
Virtual Bouncer
AdProtector
SpyFerret
SpyGone
SpyAssault
Pal Spyware Remover
Never give your "real" email address to a web site unless you know for a fact what it is going to be used for. If you don't already have one, get a yahoo or hotmail address for use on the internet and keep your real email box clean.
NEVER USE A DEBIT CARD for on-line purchases. If it is compromised you could be wiped out financially. Always USE A TRUE CREDIT CARD. Credit card companies normally protect the buyer from on-line fraud, and federal law protects you from liability over $50. Only credit card purchases have this protection, debit card purchases do not.
READ the web sites privacy policy. If the web site doesn't have a privacy policy... Run.
Look for a contact page on the website. If you can't find one or it only has a contact email address and no street address or company information... Run.
We're not trying to pass moral judgment here, but stay away from porn sites, especially the so-called "free" access ones. Porn sites are the #3 best way to ensure your computer gets infected.
NEVER install a peer-to-peer file sharing program on your computer. We are talking about programs like KaZZa, LimeWire, Bit-torrent and other music and file sharing programs here. We are NOT talking about reputable music download services like Apple's iTunes Music Store, the new Napster, and others that charge for their music services. Peer-to-peer files sharing programs are the #2 best way to ensure your computer gets infected.
Make your teenagers and college students follow this advise. Teenagers and college students are the #1 best way to ensure your computer gets infected.
And last but not least . . .
When all of this advise fails to help. Bring your system in to us. We will clean you up and get you back on-line quickly and economically.
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