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Tech Tips Articles » Spyware, Adware and Malware-- oh my! |
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Spyware, Adware and Malware-- oh my! (May 30, 2006)
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Do you ever get the feeling that you are being watched? When you sit down to surf the net do you somehow sense that the computer is taking note of the sites you visit, that it keeps track of what you are doing online? I don't want to alarm you, but it could very well be happening. Especially if you start seeing a lot of pop-up ads all of a sudden. There is a certain kind of software out there, made by 'certain' kinds of people, known as spyware.
Just by thinking about the name 'spyware' you can probably get an idea of what it does. Sometimes also known as adware (though not necessarily the same thing), these software programs keep an eye on what happens on a computer, most often what sites are visited on the web. Based on the results of their spying, they can then start showing numerous pop-up ads, change the browser homepage, and all kinds of nasty stuff. I remember my first encounter with spyware very clearly: I was looking at a website for a cell phone company and all kinds of pop-ups appeared all over the screen for various competitors to the site I was viewing. It was very frustrating.
Is spyware/adware a virus? Not really. I mean, it doesn't usually meet all the requirements to be called a virus. For example, this sort of software doesn't try to replicate itself and usually doesn't want to really harm your computer. Mostly, these programs want to sell you something or make you visit some advertiser's website. Further, very often spyware and adware programs are installed by users themselves. They sometimes 'piggyback' on other, free, software, meaning that when you install some free software that you downloaded you may see a screen that says something about it automatically installing other software that will 'help support the software to keep it free', or to 'more personalize your web experience', or something along those lines. Well, the other software that is being installed could very well be, and most likely is, spyware/adware.
Don't get panicked every time you see a pop-up ad. Many sites allow advertisers to show pop-ups when you visit. So seeing one or two ads occasionally isn't anything to be concerned about. However, if you can't even login to the internet without a bunch of ads popping up in your face then you may want to consider some removal software. Many anti-virus programs will also scan for spyware/adware. If you are concerned, just check the anti-virus program you are using (you are using anit-virus software, aren't you?). You can also check out the free program Ad-Aware at www.lavasoft.de.
Now, for the Cool Site of the Week. With Hurricane season just around the corner, it might be fun to check out the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's site at NOAA.gov. Aside from Hurricane updates, NOAA has some great weather information and other great features.
As always, if you have any questions or suggestions for future articles, please email me at mike@mikebryant.com.
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