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SpyWare/AdWare
Spyware (or Ad-ware) is relatively new to the
Internet, but has become a major issue among users. If you haven't heard of it,
chances are you probably already have some from of Spyware already installed on
your computer... without your knowledge. Before I get into more of the
details, here's the definition according to
PcWebopedia.com .
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SpyWare: Also called adware,
spyware is any
software that covertly gathers user information through the user's
Internet
connection without his or her knowledge, usually for advertising purposes.
Spyware
applications are typically
bundled as
a hidden component of
freeware or
shareware programs that can be
downloaded from
the Internet. Once installed, the spyware monitors user activity on the Internet
and transmits that information in the background to someone else. Spyware can
also gather information about
e-mail addresses and
even passwords and credit card numbers.
Spyware is similar to a
Trojan horse
in that users unwittingly install the product when they install something else.
A common way to become a victim of spyware is to download certain
peer-to-peer file swapping products that are available today.
Aside from the questions of ethics and privacy, spyware steals from the
user by using the computer's memory resources and also by eating
bandwidth as it
sends information back to the spyware's home base via the user's Internet
connection. Because spyware is using memory and system resources, the
applications running in the background can lead to system
crashes or general
system instability.
Because spyware exists as independent
executable
programs, they have the ability to monitor
keystrokes, scan
files on the
hard drive, snoop other applications, such as
chat programs or word
processors, install other spyware programs, read
cookies, change the
default
home page on the
Web browser,
consistently relaying this information back to the spyware author who will
either use it for advertising/marketing purposes or sell the information to
another party.
Licensing agreements that accompany software downloads sometimes warn the
user that a spyware program will be installed along with the requested software,
but the licensing agreements may not always be read completely because the
notice of a spyware installation is often couched in obtuse, hard-to-read legal
disclaimers.
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If you've noticed an unusual number of Web browser
"Pop-up" Windows of advertisements while surfing the Internet, or a slowdown in
your computer's speed after you've installed free software off of the Internet ,
you probably have Spyware already on your PC. Sometimes it's easy to uninstall
the spyware program, and other times you may need special software or a
professional to remote it. Here's a list of procedures to help rid your system
of Spyware... at least for a little while.
surfing whereabouts to know what kind of advertising to send you via pop-up
windows. To clean them out in Microsoft Windows Internet Explorer, simply go to the "Control
Panel", Select "Internet Options", and click on "Delete Cookies". You may also
want to click on "Delete Files" (Temporary Internet Files) just in case.
Netscape has this it's cookie options under "Edit >> Preferences >> Privacy
and Security >> Cookies". In Netscape or Firefox, cookies can actually be
programmed to be deleted after the number of days you set... a very nice
feature.
there's a setting you can change that might help: Go to the
"Control Panel", Select "Internet Options", and click on "Advanced".
Look under the "Browsing" section and make sure both "Enable Install On
Demand (Internet Explorer)" AND "Enable Install on Demand (Other)"
are UN-CHECKED (i.e. if they're checked, uncheck them). This
should prevent programs from installing while surfing the web, without the
user's consent first.