Spyware Detection

How to Protect Your Computer System!

Spyware detection software is designed to watch events on your computer and report this information back via the internet. The intent is to collect data, and usually will not disrupt your computer service. Spyware is used in marketing and targeted advertising and they are looking for what you watch, download, and topics you search. More harmful spy ware tries to capture private data like passwords, files, or PIN. Spyware is also called Adware, Malware, Scumware, Browser Hijackers, Keylogers, or Dialers.

There is “benign spyware” used by companies like Google and Yahoo to collect information about your usage and offer ads targeted to your searches. There are music programs which log the music you listen to and then offers new music based on the data it collects.

There is also spyware detection software that you add to your computer! Remote surveillance or monitoring software reports every keystroke, every website visited, all email, even IM. This technology and is often installed by parents to monitor their children, or supervisors watching employee activities.

Spyware/Adware grows daily. There are over 100,000 Adware definitions! How do you protect your computer System?

• We recommend that you use two different spyware sweeper programs.

  Use one to run at all times in the background and select another program to run manually when. Weekly would be optimal. The reason is that no two programs have the same spyware definition lists.

  There are a number of well rated spyware detection programs and there is free spyware removal software. We have purchased one to run at all times, with automatic updates and preset run schedules, and use a free version of another which means we have to download the definition files ourselves and cannot schedule the screening. It is important to NOT set up two programs to run in the background at the same time as the technology sometimes conflicts between the programs and will cause performance issues.

• The "free" programs that you download probably are not "free" from added spyware! Even if they do no harm, too many can slow your computer down. It is best to avoid most of them. This includes all the interesting toolbars out there. Choose one for best results.

• ActiveX Controls can be a problem. Do not download AtiveX Controls unless you are familiar with the company asking you to do this! ActiveX is really useful, but they can be a doorway for spyware.

We recommend these anti spyware and anti adware programs.

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