Don't Click That! And Other Tips To Avoid Spyware
December 1st, 2008

Spyware is simply a program that is used by advertising industries to automatically direct you to their websites or fill your screen with pop-ups even though you have set your pop-up blocker on high. This software gets installed on your computer either without you knowing or when you think you are downloading something else. There are even types of spyware that can track what keys you are typing and translates them into what you have said. This is how hijackers get your personal information. Spyware can make your computer go slower because of the extra processing your computer is doing. Your most private information can be breeched in some cases. You have no idea who is getting your information, what they are actually getting, and how they intend to use it.

There are several ways to figure out whether there is spyware on your machine or not. If you are getting countless pop-ups even when you have your pop-up blocker activated, this could indicate you have spyware. When you type in a location in your browser or click a link to a specific site and get redirected to a different site, this is also a spyware indication. Also, spyware may be present if you have new and unexpected toolbars in your browser and/or icons in your task tray. These are all symptoms of installed spyware on your machine. If your homepage has changed on its own and no matter how many times you reset it, it changes back to the unknown one, you may have spyware. Other signs are that your search engine has been changed or certain keys in your browser don't work anymore. You get random Windows errors starting to pop-up. Or, if you are experience a lag when opening programs and processes are taking to long to load or save, that could be another sign. So how can you keep yourself and spyware free? Here are a few tips for avoiding installing spyware on your PC.

Do not click links that are inside a pop-up window. These pop-up windows are often spyware and will just install themselves right on your computer before you can stop them. To close the pop-up, click the X in the title bar and not the one in the window itself. You can also right click the window in your task bar and click on close to avoid touching the window all together. It is always safer to stay far away from the pop-up window if you can. When unexpected dialogue boxes pop up always choose "no" or click cancel. If you get a window asking you to run a program you did not select hit cancel or close the program with the X in the title bar. These types of programs are most likely spyware and not your computer trying to tell you something.

Be extremely cautious of free downloadable software. There are literally thousands of sites that offer cool toolbars, awesome cursers, and other appealing stuff to computer users. If you aren't sure if you can trust the site or have no idea that it is safe, don't download things from it. What you are really doing is exposing yourself to spyware and possibly more. You can wind up downloading a lot more than just the program you thought you were. If you get e-mails containing links to get rid of spyware, ignore and delete them. These links will most like be the actual spyware itself that it is claiming to get rid of. If you think you may have spyware on your machine, go to a reputable site to get removal tools. Make sure you have your browser preferences set to limit cookies and pop-ups. Usually the pop-up is activated by some active content or by scripting. Adjust your browser setting to reduce or prevent scripting or active content from happening. This can help curb and decrease the number of windows that pop-up unannounced. Most browsers and toolbars offer the option to block all pop-ups. This option is good but it will block even regular windows you have clicked on from coming up. All you would have to do is hold the control key while you click on the site you are trying to pull up. This will let the window come through. There are also some cookies that are considered spyware because they show what web sites you have been on. You can adjust your cookie setting to keep them to a minimum and can also go into your Internet options and delete them whenever you like. It is best to delete all your cookies once a day.

What do you do when you have spyware already on your computer? Well, you have to remove it from your PC. There are some anti-virus programs that have the anti-spyware program built in. Some of these programs will only spot the spyware after it has installed onto your computer. It will detect them when you run a scan. If this is the type of anti-virus you have then you should do scans regularly if you are the Internet a lot. Some ant-virus programs will detect and block spyware as it tries to enter your computer. This is the best to have because you know no matter where you are on the Internet; your software won't allow anything to get through. You should do a weekly virus scan just to be safe though. Then there are the ant-virus programs that don't have a spyware removal system. You will want to download a legitimate spyware removal program. There are several great programs out there including Ad-Aware, SpySweeper, PestPatrol, and Spybot Search and Destroy

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