Spyware And Why It" s Your Biggest Internet Enemy
If your computer has ever started acting in strange ways by popping up advertising windows or taking you to places that you never intended to visit then there's a good chance that your computer has been infected by adware or spyware. If you are experiencing that now there's probably no way to immediately know whether you have a minor problem or a major problem. What we do know is that you have to deal with the problem quickly.
Referring to spyware means that we are talking about secret programs that are installed or your computer without you being aware of their existence. There are a lot of ways that they can slip them into your computer without you having any clue that they are present, that is, until they choose to make their presence known. Then they usually will make you very miserable.
Also, just because you are not having any problems at the moment does not mean that you can relax if you are not currently running a strong anti-spyware program on your computer. A recent report has disclosed that nine out of 10 computers in the repair shop for various ailments or upgrades actually have spyware already installed on them. In many cases it was more than just one spyware program and on average if there was one spyware program there were a dozen.
Having spyware in your computer may be a minor problem or a major problem but it will definitely be a problem for you. If your computer is running slower than it used to then you may consider it to be a minor problem. However, if spyware is trying to steal your identity then obviously that is a quite major problem. Be assured that some spyware is capable of stealing your identity.
Pop up ads are one of the very irritating manifestations of spyware in your computer. Frequently the spyware will monitor the keyword phrases that you type into a search engine and then when you click enter they will show ads related to the words that you had just entered in the search engine. Sometimes they are separate pop-up ads in separate windows while other times they will mix themselves in amongst the results that the search engine produces for your search terms. In any case they are extremely time wasting and irritating.
Another danger from spyware is that it may contain what are referred to as Trojans. Trojans are programs that load themselves onto your computer and are not only aware of everything that you are typing into your computer but also have the ability to change the operation of your computer itself. For instance, they are sometimes considered to be practical jokes and people install them on someone else's computer and then at various times the Trojan will open and close the CD drawer of the computer or pop funny pictures up on the screen at random. Unfortunately, they can also be used by strangers to spy on everything that you do.
Have no doubt that those people either instance are evil people. Their intent is to steal you blind. They will not stop until they have sucked every dollar out of your bank account. Having a Trojan on your computer is always a very serious situation for you.
It is important that you take steps now to protect yourself. At the very minimum you should consider Internet Defender from Microsoft and installing it on your computer. It is free from Microsoft and does an adequate job of protecting your computer. However, if you have a lot of sensitive information on your computer it would be a very wise move to spend $30-$40 and purchase commercial strength anti-spyware programs to run on your computer. Not only will these programs protect you from spyware but they will also examine your computer for existing spyware and if it finds any neutralize it for you. Most of them will even offer free initial scans for your computer. The most important thing for you though is to just do something to protect your computer from spyware. And, do it today.
Referring to spyware means that we are talking about secret programs that are installed or your computer without you being aware of their existence. There are a lot of ways that they can slip them into your computer without you having any clue that they are present, that is, until they choose to make their presence known. Then they usually will make you very miserable.
Also, just because you are not having any problems at the moment does not mean that you can relax if you are not currently running a strong anti-spyware program on your computer. A recent report has disclosed that nine out of 10 computers in the repair shop for various ailments or upgrades actually have spyware already installed on them. In many cases it was more than just one spyware program and on average if there was one spyware program there were a dozen.
Having spyware in your computer may be a minor problem or a major problem but it will definitely be a problem for you. If your computer is running slower than it used to then you may consider it to be a minor problem. However, if spyware is trying to steal your identity then obviously that is a quite major problem. Be assured that some spyware is capable of stealing your identity.
Pop up ads are one of the very irritating manifestations of spyware in your computer. Frequently the spyware will monitor the keyword phrases that you type into a search engine and then when you click enter they will show ads related to the words that you had just entered in the search engine. Sometimes they are separate pop-up ads in separate windows while other times they will mix themselves in amongst the results that the search engine produces for your search terms. In any case they are extremely time wasting and irritating.
Another danger from spyware is that it may contain what are referred to as Trojans. Trojans are programs that load themselves onto your computer and are not only aware of everything that you are typing into your computer but also have the ability to change the operation of your computer itself. For instance, they are sometimes considered to be practical jokes and people install them on someone else's computer and then at various times the Trojan will open and close the CD drawer of the computer or pop funny pictures up on the screen at random. Unfortunately, they can also be used by strangers to spy on everything that you do.
Have no doubt that those people either instance are evil people. Their intent is to steal you blind. They will not stop until they have sucked every dollar out of your bank account. Having a Trojan on your computer is always a very serious situation for you.
It is important that you take steps now to protect yourself. At the very minimum you should consider Internet Defender from Microsoft and installing it on your computer. It is free from Microsoft and does an adequate job of protecting your computer. However, if you have a lot of sensitive information on your computer it would be a very wise move to spend $30-$40 and purchase commercial strength anti-spyware programs to run on your computer. Not only will these programs protect you from spyware but they will also examine your computer for existing spyware and if it finds any neutralize it for you. Most of them will even offer free initial scans for your computer. The most important thing for you though is to just do something to protect your computer from spyware. And, do it today.
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