Have you ever suffered slower-than-usual computer performance? Is your web browsing frequently interrupted by annoying pop-up ads and banners? Have you found strange software installed in your unit without you knowing it? Is your home page changed, as well as your favourites list and search results. If yes is your answer to these questions then your computer is most probably infected with one of the biggest threats to security and privacy in the internet today – Spyware.

What are Spyware and What does it do?

Most computers are infected with spyware without its owner or user realizing it. In fact 90% of computers in the world are infected with some sort of spyware or are especially vulnerable to spyware attacks. The first step to combating spyware is by being aware of its existence. This is because, it has been known that most people are not aware that their computers are infected with spyware and thus fail to equip their units with the right anti-spyware.

The term spyware actually refers to a wide range of malicious software that can undermine a computer’s operation or intercept and take partial control of it without the informed consent of the machine’s owner or user. Spyware is considered a big threat to security and privacy for a lot of reasons. Chief among these is the danger it can pose to the privacy of a computer’s user. One of the typical behaviour of spyware is to record any information entered into a computer for the purpose of commercial gain. Thus, financial information such as credit card numbers can be acquired by spyware to the detriment of the user.

Other tactics used by spyware are the delivery of unsolicited pop-up advertisements, monitoring of web-browsing activities and routing of HTTP requests to advertising sites. Experts say that spyware is one of the foremost security threats to Microsoft Windows operating systems. Currently, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer is susceptible to spyware attacks whose effects can range from simple pop-up ads to serious hacking.

Anti Spyware – the solution

Thus, counteracting spyware is a necessary action for every computer owner or user. As the threat of spyware grows, programmers and forms have introduced techniques to combat spyware. Free anti spyware are available for use and can be effective tools to maintain a spyware-free system. Most of the best anti spyware are available as free downloads. Ad-Aware SE, an effective free anti spyware is available from Lavasoft. These free anti spyware software offer real time protection as well as scanning and removal of known spyware components.

Spybot – Search and Destroy is also a free anti spyware that can be installed on a computer to protect it from spyware attacks. This free anti spyware scans and inspects the entire windows system and destroys any file or entry that matches its specific list of known spyware components. Microsoft has also released its own free anti spyware known as AntiSpyware Beta. This is available as a free download for computers running on Windows XP, Windows 2000 and Windows 2003.

Free anti spyware is a great tool to prevent any spyware from attacking and exploiting a computer. These are necessary software that today’s computer should not do without. As the threat of spyware grows, every computer, whether at home or business, must be prepared from the harmful effects of spyware, adware, and other malware.

In layman’s term, computer "spyware" can simply be defined as a legitimate but annoying programs that has been installed on the user’s computers with or without their consent. Since the idea of spyware is simply to fetch information, computer spyware exists because of the idea that information has value. Usually computer spyware runs secretly in the background of the users’ computers and covertly gathers users information and spreads it without the users knowledge. 

In practice however, there is nothing wrong with computer spyware operating in the background as long as the user knows that it is happening. Unfortunately, most users are unaware of the fact that they have software on their computers that tracks and reports on their Internet usage. Once installed the computer spyware monitors the activities of the user on the Internet and transmits that information in the background to the third parties like advertising companies.

All in all the data collected by computer spyware is often sent back to the marketing company, resulting in display of specific advertisements, pop-up ads and installing toolbars showed when users visit specific web sites. In this sense, computer spyware programs emerged as technologies used to obtain valuable customer information. 

Computer spyware may occupies resources of the computer that affects or alters the functions of existing application, in that sense it poses several risks. Commonly, the presence of spyware drains your computer's properties, slow your Internet connection, spy on your surfing, and even forcibly redirect your Web browser. Its programs range from annoying to the dangerous, including keyboard loggers and screen capture applications that can steal passwords and other sensitive information.

The programs are sometimes bundled in with shareware or freeware programs that can be downloaded from the Internet. Another setback of computer spyware is compromising the user’s privacy by transmitting information about the user’s behaviors. Furthermore, computer spyware detracts the usability and stability of the computing environment of the user. It also has the ability to introduce new security vulnerabilities to the infected host by downloading software updates. When the occurrence of computer spyware is widespread possible vulnerabilities put numerous amounts of computer risks.

 Although the research community has spent limited time and effort on understanding the nature and extent of the spy ware program, computer experts and network practitioners agree that computer spyware is a real problem with increasingly negative effects. One particular proof of this conclusion comes from the Emerging Internet Research states that one among three companies has detected spyware on their system. Likewise, Earthlink research found out the occurrence of computer spyware in more than 2 million computers connected in their network with a total of 12.1 million various types of computer spy. Subsequent development of computer spyware technologies in combination will affect system and network capacity.

As an outmost consequence, a disastrous situation may occur if a network is seriously overloaded with different types of spyware distributed by computerized systems that are controlled by malicious people, in effect computer spyware may render further installations of viruses resulting to network breakdown.

As noted, since computer spyware gathers user information through the user's Internet connection usually for advertising purposes and considering the practices of some companies in order to ensure that their spyware cannot be easily removed, the best option to avoid computer spyware is prevention. You have to ensure that your system cannot and will not install programs automatically over the Internet or launch them automatically from email.

Moreover make sure that your operating system is fully patched against any known security vulnerabilities. And of course the best protection is enough knowledge of the risks of spyware and it works.

Imagine yourself sitting in front of your computer busy with your thing when suddenly, your computer started to behave erratically; showing pop-ups even if you are not browsing on the web, your settings have been changed without your consent, and seem to just dally in completing certain programs you never had problems with before. And the worst part, your computer frequently crashes since then.

My friend, your computer has been infected with a spyware!

A spyware is used to define a broad category of malicious software intended to intercept or partially take control of a computer’s operation (in this case, your computer) without the user’s informed consent. It is software that surreptitiously monitors the user and subverts the computer’s operation for the benefit of a third party

Some of you might have encountered other types of destructive contents on the web like:
• viruses
- A self-replicating program that spreads by inserting copies of itself into other executable code or documents.
• worms
- A self-replicating program that is self-contained and does not need another program to propagate themselves.
• Trojans
- Malicious programs disguised as legitimate software but designed to damage your system and obtain vital information about the user.

The spyware is different because it is designed to exploit infected computers for commercial gain. Typical tactics for this include delivery of unsolicited pop-up advertisements, obtaining information of the user, monitoring of web activity and more.

Now that you know what a spyware is, let us proceed with prevention. And if ever worse comes to worst – the removal and recovery phase.

FOREWARNED IS FOREARMED
Knowledge with the latest releases regarding spyware and other harmful programs on the internet is your best defense against possible infection from them. There are unlimited resources featuring anti spyware software programs on the internet that you can download for free or obtain upgrades for your pc. Some sources even come complete with definitions, descriptions, and installing procedures for your computer; once you obtained an anti-spyware program from them, make sure that you follow the guidelines on how to install the program on your computer to ensure that they will work properly. 

PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE
Preventing possible spyware infection is better than resorting to cleaning and scanning of infected files. There are possible ways how you can do this:

1) By downloading the latest or upgraded anti-virus or anti-spyware technology available on the internet. Keeping up-to-date with your security programs is important to ensure that you are safe even from the latest discovered threats on the web.
2) Accept and download data files or programs only from trusted sources; if you are not sure of the files or program, scan them first before actually downloading or saving in your pc.

AND LAST BUT NOT THE LEAST, SAVING YOUR INFECTED FILES
Anti-spyware software programs come equipped with different methods how you can clean infected files without damaging them.

Take for example the Ad Ware Personal provided by lavasoft.com which features scanning and fixing of infected files and drives, detection of known and unknown but potentially damaging software with its Code Sequence Identification (CSI) technology, and features removal of spyware and other damaging programs in your system.

Another one is the Microsoft anti spyware (microsoft.com) removal tool that you can use to scan your computer. This function mainly by reviewing and checking your files for unwanted software contents, and once found can be selected and removed depending on the procedures indicated on the program. Just follow the tools and guides on how you can remove the infected files.

Then there is the McAfee (mcafee.com) virus remover that also features up-to-date protection from the latest viruses and web activity threats for the user. They have three main anti-virus and anti-spyware software that you can choose perfect for home and business uses.

There are more anti spyware and anti-virus programs that you can use for your computer that can be found on the web. You can do research on them and download directly from the internet; just make sure that your sources are credible and reliable enough, and are really the ones that develop software programs designed for the job.

It’s a scene straight out of a movie, but this is not Hollywood---its real life. It is now a known fact that 95% of all computers connected to the Internet are infected by adware spyware programs. This is an astounding & horrifying news considering the staggering amount the percentage equates to. Millions & millions of computers all over the world are now adware spyware infested. This means that huge amounts of information have now been pirated by adware spyware programs & are being used unscrupulously!

For the newbies, adware spyware is a fused technical term of “spying” & “software”. It simply means that an adware spyware program is a kind of program that is specifically designed to stealthily lodge onto a user’s connection & gather as much information as it can & send it back to the host. An adware spyware program is an effective snoop and detects all your movements in your computer. Every keystroke is recorded by the adware spyware program. All your Internet activities are monitored-- every website you visit, every email you send & receive & even banking records you thought were once secure have now been stolen by adware spywares.

Your privacy is not an issue for adware spyware. Their entire existence is information-based. Where there is new information to find, the adware spyware will be there. And don’t think that there are just one or two kinds of adware spywares on cyberspace. There are in fact hundreds of adware spywares that have been unleashed by advertisers to gorge on any & all available information.

Adware spyware is the brainchild of the advertising world. By snooping on your Internet activities (i.e., the sites you frequent or keywords you search), they know exactly what kind of product you need or want therefore making you a specific target for their ads.

But the danger in the proliferation of adware spyware is not the discomfort that pop-up ads bring. The real danger lies in the potential misuse of the illegally gathered information by adware spyware. The public will never know just exactly how much information adware spyware have managed to get & the threat of identity theft is a chilling prospect.

And then, of course, there is the issue of invasion of privacy that spyware programs blatantly disregard! No secret is safe anymore. Passwords are no good anymore because adware spyware are also cryptic code-breakers.

The only solution to the endemic threat of adware spywares are spyware removers. Spyware removers are ingeniously designed to track the presence of adware spyware in your computers & destroy them. It’s a seek-and-destroy software that can be easily acquired & installed on any computer. Spyware removers also keep adware spyware from coming back & invading your computer system again.

We protect our homes by installing locks & high-tech security systems, spyware remover programs are exactly like that. They are efficient security systems intended to shield you from adware spywares & keep your sense of security intact. Adware spyware need not be a constant nuisance in your life. You don’t have to live in fear of conducting your regular online activities like shopping, paying bills, managing your banking account or simply surfing the net. Spyware remover programs will help you protect your privacy & the privacy of those you love from being pried & invaded. Fight adware spyware now!