What is Spy Ware?

Spy Ware is very malicious software . It intercepts or takes control of a computer's operation, sometimes even without the user's consent. Mostly, this comes in the form of advertising. Have you ever booted your computer, and had pop-ups come on your desktop, even before you run a single program? If so, chances are you have been infected by Spy Ware. However, advertising isn't the only thing that Spy Ware does. Some forms can collect personal information about you, and then send it to a third party. Your information is worth quite a lot of money to certain companies. This information could include almost anything about you!

How is Spy Ware different from a Virus/Worm/Trojan?

Sometimes these things come hand in hand, but for the most part Spy Ware differs from these because it 'usually' does not self replicate. However, in some cases Spy Ware could easily be called a virus.

What does Spy Ware do to me?

Spy Ware is usually designed to exploit infected computers for commercial gain. They do this by unsolicited pop-up advertisements and sometimes stealing your homepage to always go to a homepage of their choosing, which is one of the most annoying problems with Spy Ware. It may also monitor what web-sites you go to, they do this for marketing purposes. A lot of times this doesn't have a large negative effect on your computer. However, why should someone be making money off of you, without your consent? My most hated form of Spy Ware is pop-up advertising, also called pop-ups. Pop-ups slow your computer down greatly. I have even worked on computers that were infected with so much Spy Ware, that the computer would freeze from non-stop pop-ups. It makes it much harder to view the World Wide Web, with pop-ups coming up every few seconds. Having one form of Spy Ware on your computer GREATLY increases your chances of getting more Spy Ware onto your computer. It does this because in some cases, Spy Ware may be used to verify compliance with a software license agreement (also called a EULA). Spy Ware can also steal who you are. Some forms of Spy Ware can steal just about anything you put into your computer. As scary as it sounds, this evil software can steal the following and much much much more:

• Your Name
• Home Address
• Telephone #s
• Credit Card #s
• E-Mail Address
• And any other form of information you might want to keep secret

How do I know if I have Spy Ware on my computer?

Most of the time, you don't know if you are infected. However, here is a quick list of signs that you ARE infected with Spy Ware. Even though you do not meet any of these requirements, you should still always run a Virus/Trojan/SpyWare detection software to make sure you are not infected.

Signs you are infected
• Your Home-Page on your Web Browser is always being changed without your permission
• You visit trusted sites (like yahoo.com) and get pop-ups from yahoo.com
Note: These are not pop-ups from yahoo, but from a third party program giving you the pop-ups
• Your computer slows down greatly or takes longer to boot into your operating system
• Your Web Browser has new buttons or toolbars on it, that you never installed yourself

How do I keep getting infected?

You could be getting infected by many ways. The three most common are:

1. Visit Web-Sites that you do not trust.
2. Download programs without reading all the disclosures, license agreement, and privacy statements.
3. Download movies, music, games, and applications from a unknown web site or computer.

I am ready to take action against Spy Ware!

Ok, so now you are ready to take action against Spy Ware. These malicious software has become a giant threat to modern computer systems. From reading above, I'm sure you understand why. Fortuneatly for us, we have a number of ways to counteract the Spy Ware threat. Mostly, this comes in the form of programs designed to delete and prevent Spy Ware. Sometimes it can be to late to try and save your operating system. This is rare, but every now and then a computer can be so infected with Spy Ware, that the only solution is to backup your software and do a full reinstall of your operating system. This can be very costly and time consuming. The best way to prevent this is anti-Spy Ware programs. My two favorite anti-Spy Ware applications Lavasoft's Ad-Aware and Patrick Kolla's Spybot - Search & Destroy.

Anti-Spy Ware programs fight spyware in two different ways. The first way is called real-time protection. This prevents Spy Ware from being installed at all times. It is always watching and waiting for Spy Ware to try and install itself. The other way these programs fight Spy Ware is simply scanning and removal of the Spy Ware itself. The program checks the contents of your Windows registry, your system files, and installed programs/applications. Then it removes files and entries that match a list of known Spy Ware. There is NO application that can detect and remove all forms of Spy Ware. This is because new Spy Ware is being written every day. Your best bet, is to keep your anti-Spy Ware software updated as often as you can.

One thing that really makes me mad is fake anti-Spy Ware software. Yes, some anti-virus or anti-Spy Ware software is actually Spy Ware itself! These programs usually cost money and don't even remove the Spy Ware, and sometimes they may even add more Spy Ware! Here is a few tips on how to find out of your Spy Ware removal programs are actually Spy Ware themselves.

• If you find out about the software from a Pop-Up.
• The program's homepage doesn't look very nice.
• Doesn't offer updates and upgrades of product.
• Above all, it doesn't help at all!