Articles on Computers | Topics: computers, computer
by Burton Foreman
What is spyware? It is software that allows other people to spy on your every move. With this software, any computer hacker can get into your most personal information. The best way to protect yourself is to update your computer's security regularly.
Spyware is a not just a pain in your neck, either. It can really slow you personal computer down. See, the software is always on. The computer has to give the juice necessary for both you and your spyware that you can't even see! If your computer has been taken over by spyware, it will really slow down your Internet capabilities!
How does your computer get taken over by a spyware program? Well, the biggest way that spyware attacks your computer is when you are surfing the net. If you don't have a good Internet Security Protection Program installed on your personal computer, it can latch onto your computer when you are Online. If you have this spyware and give out any of your personal information, the hackers will have access to it! Not just computer and credit card information, either. ANYTHING you type while a spyware program is on your machine is "fair game" to these slime balls!
How can you tell if your computer has a spyware program on it? Well, first, your computer will be very slow to boot up and to surf the Internet. Also, you will notice a lot more pop-up ads. These pop-up ads are usually not very nice in nature and they even stay on your screen when you turn the Internet off.
How can I get rid of the spyware? By installing software designed to do just that.
You can use a couple of really good programs. Just download them from the Internet, and most of them are FREE! There is a program called Ad-aware and it is made by the Lavasoft company. (Just go to lavasoft.com to download the program). Just follow the instructions to install the program onto your personal computer. Once the program is complete, just restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
| Historical Quote |
Query: Whether the difference between a mere computer and a man of science be not, that the one computes on principles clearly conceived, and by rules evidently demonstrated, whereas the other doth not?
| —George Berkeley (1685–1753) |
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Another free program is one called Spybot Search and Destroy. This program is a very aggressive one for the removal of spyware. A company out of Germany, named PepiMK Software, offers it. You can access the software visiting download.com.) When you use download.com, it may ask you for a donation. You don't have to make one, though it would be appreciated. The most popular program of the two is definitely Spybot.
Spybot is so effective in removing spyware because it searches through every inch of your hard drive to find any evidence of the spyware program. If there are even cookies around for it to detect, it will! If you follow the program, it will give you a report of what it found and whether it would be safe to have the problem removed. If it is, the program can take care of that for you, too! Just follow the instructions and restart your computer when it has finished.
Though you may not have encountered spyware problems yet, if you do not update your Internet Security Settings often, you probably will. Can you image how violated you will feel once an identity thief gets a hold of all of your important information? Even if the identity thief weren't the first one to get your information, you would still have to worry about Spammers. And then there are the hackers that just collect the information and sell it to the Spammers or the thieves. What a mess, you could find yourself in!
Do both yourself, your family and your computer a favor and don't let your computer get attacked by one of these programs. And if it should happen, take care of it right away! The programs are free and they are easy to install and follow. If you don't take care of the problem, it will only get worse.
If you don't rid your computer of the spyware, then you are putting yourself in some serious jeopardy. Your computer could crash and strangers will have access to all of your personal information. You don't want to be someone that is the victim of identity theft, so protect yourself to begin with! It is definitely worth the time and effort that you have to spend to protect you, rather than fix the problem when it arises.
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