Don’t Think It Can’t Happen To You January 28, 2006
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When the network administrator of one U.S. company ran a routine Web activity report on the firm’s 250-plus users, he noticed that some computers were logging thousands of hits a day to the same IP address – a Web site with no connection to the company’s business.
Spyware was tracking employees’ computer usage habits and was sending the information back to a third party Web site automatically.
Spyware compromises computer security and slows down computer performance.
Why should you be concerned about spyware? It is very easy for your PC to become infected with it. Many casual intenet users never don’t know that simply by clicking on a Web site or downloading a free screensaver they could also be installing spyware on their PC, at work or otherwise.
There’s no such thing as safe web surfing anymore.. You need to proactive in protecting your PC against Spyware before something happens..installing an anti-spyware program or restricting access to high-risk sites such as those offering free screensavers and the like.
Protect yourself and your PC..learn how to Detect Spyware.
Spyware Examples January 26, 2006
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In general, any technology that gathers information about you without your explicit permission is considered spyware. A look at some types of programs that may be spying on you:
Adware:
Some software applications track where you go on the Web, report the information back to advertisers, and then allow advertisers to target you with relevant ads. This type of adware often comes bundled with a free program you’re downloading, such as clocks, weather forecasts or programs that offer to remember information — such as your address, passwords, phone numbers — and fill out forms for you. In exchange for the free program, you’re trading information about you and your browsing habits. Most of these programs tell you what they’re doing in the fine print on their user agreements. Surveys show, of course, that most people don’t read these agreements.
Cookies:
Many Web sites have “cookies” — a file that downloads to your computer when you visit a site. Most cookies are innocuous, or even helpful. Companies read cookies that they’ve placed on a user’s computer to help them learn what pages were visited and other information. For example, NPR uses cookies to remember a user’s member station or what audio player is preferred. But some cookies can be used to help gather more information than you’re comfortable sharing.
Drive-by Download:
A software program that is automatically saved to your computer when you visit certain Web sites. Most of these programs are spyware. Programs that actively change your homepage and other browser settings to take you to Web sites you had no intention of visiting often are delivered by drive-by downloads.
Avoid being a victim of identity theft. To learn the essential steps to protecting your personal information online and get a free trial spyware scan, visit our Spyware Removal Tool website.
What is Spyware and Adware? January 17, 2006
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Spyware and Adware viruses have rapidly become the number one threat to your computer with over 90% of computers already infected. These include “Trojans”, Web Bugs, Advertiser Software, Monitoring Software and more. Fortunately there are good spyware protection and adware spyware virus removal tools available. Sorting through them all to find the right one is a challenging task and an important decision to make.
Consequences From Spyware: hijacked browsers, reset home pages, changed search results, spam emails sent to you, slow browsers, toolbars added to your browser, and many more.
You Need To Understand What Spyware Is!
Spyware and Adware, also called “Malware”, are files made by publishers that allow them to snoop on your browsing activity, see what you purchase and send you “pop-up” ads. They can slow down your PC, cause it to crash, record your credit card numbers and worse. If you’re like most Internet users, chances are your PC is probably infected with these files. Simply surfing the Internet, reading email, downloading music or other files can infect your PC without you knowing it.
Some Spyware Q&A:
Q. So What is Spyware?
A. Spyware are individual programs that embed themselves within your computer and monitor your internet browsing activites. They can spy on your confidential information (passwords, credit card info, etc).
Q. What is Adware?
A. Adware are software applications that display advertising banners and popups. If you get inundated with popups chances are you have been infected by Adware.
Q. What is Malware?
A. It is the short term for malicious software. Malware are more commonly referred as viruses, trojans, and worms.
Q. What is a Trojan virus?
A. A Trojan virus is software that breaks through computer security and disguises itself as something benign (harmless).
Q. What are Computer Viruses?
A. Destructive programs that disrupt the normal functioning of computer systems.
Is Your Computer Infected?……..
On our website, www.alertcomputer.com, you can read more about how to detect spyware.
