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It seems that "spyware"
has almost surpassed
"viruses" as the
major threat to
personal computers,
these days. We'll
talk about "spyware"
here. You may have
noticed that your
computer just
doesn't run as
quickly as it used
to or that it seems
like the hard drive
is ALWAYS
"working". Your
computer may have
been infected with
spyware. Not only
is it annoying and
frustrating, but it
may also mean that
your computer is
sending out
information about
you and your surfing
habits that you
don't want sent!
The first thing I
check on a new
client's PC is
whether or not they
have an updated
spyware removal
program installed on
their computer. An
anti-spyware program
is of almost no use
if it hasn't been
updated since you
installed it a
year-and-a-half
ago. There are a
ton of programs out
there claiming to
have the power to
rid your computer of
"spyware" or
"bugs". Some are
legitimate and work
very well. Others
only infect your
computer further.
Here's a short
checklist of things
you can do that
should keep your
computer running
smoothly:
1. Check for and
install your
operating system's
updates regularly.
I prefer using
Windows XP to
anything else
because of the
Automatic Updates
feature. If you
have anything older
than Windows XP,
chances are that
your computer is
"old" and you need
to treat yourself to
a new one anyway!
(always make sure to
donate your old
computers to a
school or other
worthy charity)
3. Have an updated
firewall program
installed. You can
use the BETA above
or you can use
Zone Labs' ZoneAlarm Personal.
4. Have an updated
version of
Spybot Search &
Destroy
or
Computer Associates'
PestPatrol
installed on your
computer and run a
full scan about once
a week. They both
seem to work well
separately and even
better together.
One usually finds
something that the
other doesn't find.
5. BE CAREFUL OF
WHAT YOU DOWNLOAD
AND INSTALL! This
can't be stressed
enough. "Free"
programs are usually
the culprits. They
are often bundled
with other software
that can include
malicious code, even
when they're from
"reputable"
companies.
Peer2Peer file
sharing programs are
notorious for this.
And I can almost bet
that you have AOL's
Instant Messenger
installed on your
computer. Did you
know that AIM is
bundled with
WeatherBug, which is
known to include
spyware? You have
to be very careful
when you install
"free" programs.
They're almost never
"free" (all of the
programs linked to
from this article
are safe).
Following these
steps can greatly
reduce your risk of
infection
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