In case you have been following the saga of my uphill efforts of trying to organize my 'home office'; you won't be surprised to hear that my current battle is with 'spyware'! Aptly so named, it is different from its close cousin 'virus' in so much that while it is no less virulent and tiresome, spyware can slow your system down whereas a virus can actually crash your system and even require you to change your system completely.
In my excitement to organize my self with all the possible software that I could require for my work, I downloaded several programs from the Internet. This, I was later told is the method that spyware uses to enter unsuspecting systems. Spyware attaches itself to your download and then becomes the conduit for other spyware to do the same, i.e piggybacks on shareware available on the Internet. Over time, accumulated spyware packages slow your system down, rendering it useless.
It was a flickering screen that made my husband realize that I had spyware on my screen. I am told that this often happens when spyware on the system is taking pictures of web pages visited by the user. This is done by the spyware to accumulate information on a user's usage patterns.
I quickly spoke to some computer savvy friends only to be admonished for allowing spyware to enter my system and also made to realize that spyware is only seemingly more benign than a virus. While a virus may collapse your hard disk, spyware can collapse your entire life. Your personal records, passwords, files, everything really, is at very real risk because of spyware.
Spyware can change the content of your home page; it can result in criminals being privy to what really is confidential information on your system. What is terrible is that all this is done by the Spyware without your even being aware of it! Aptly named - Spyware is!
Another way that Spyware enters our systems is through pop-up advertisements, which we sometimes click out of interest and sometimes just to get rid of them! Since Spyware works unknown to the user, you would not even be aware of the consequences of your actions. The lesson learn therefore is to ensure that firewalls and proxy servers are functional and updated. Even one breach can result in 'Spyware trouble'.
What can we do to try and stay out of the Spyware trouble? Get some Spyware detection as well as spyware removal software that will work even as you download from the Internet. However, having said that, my research on the same Internet tells me that there is no fool proof solution out there and at best the Spyware detection rates are in the 70 % range.
While the next task to look at is of course to tackle Spyware removal, I would like to address here a couple of things home users can do to avoid getting any Spyware on their system.
Don't be impatient and click 'I agree' to all terms and conditions that pop up on your screen. There may be Spyware waiting to get onto your system. Moreover, chose the sites carefully from where you download your software, i.e any freeware or shareware that you may require. Anytime you click on text boxes or adware without thinking, you may be inviting Spyware yet again.
The proactive steps that you can take to protect your system are to load it with anti-virus (some include anti Spyware features) or anti-Spyware software pre se. As I mentioned earlier, no software is a 100% effective, so make sure that your system is scanned regularly for Spyware.
If you follow the above suggestions and are vigilant while on the Internet, you should be safe. The point to remember is that Spyware is extremely annoying, intrusive and potentially damaging for not only your system but personal information and records. Since I learned my lesson the hard way, I couldn't resist sharing my experiences! Good Luck!
Daisy is a technical and security specialist associated with multiple tech firms including iYogi. iYogi is synergistic ally aligned to offer computer repair, spyware removal, computer support, tech support , Microsoft support, HP support, Dell Support to its clients in US, UK, Canada and Australia by Microsoft certified technician.
Spyware can change the content of your home page; it can result in criminals being privy to what really is confidential information on your system. What is terrible is that all this is done by the Spyware without your even being aware of it! Aptly named - Spyware is!
Another way that Spyware enters our systems is through pop-up advertisements, which we sometimes click out of interest and sometimes just to get rid of them! Since Spyware works unknown to the user, you would not even be aware of the consequences of your actions. The lesson learn therefore is to ensure that firewalls and proxy servers are functional and updated. Even one breach can result in 'Spyware trouble'.
What can we do to try and stay out of the Spyware trouble? Get some Spyware detection as well as spyware removal software that will work even as you download from the Internet. However, having said that, my research on the same Internet tells me that there is no fool proof solution out there and at best the Spyware detection rates are in the 70 % range.