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Spyware: What It Is and How to Combat It

by: Dean Phillips

Spyware is software or hardware installed on a computer
without the user's knowledge which gathers information about
that user for later retrieval by whomever controls the
spyware.

Spyware can be broken down into two different categories,
surveillance spyware and advertising spyware.

Surveillance software includes key loggers, screen capture
devices, and trojans. These would be used by corporations,
private detectives, law enforcement, intelligence agencies,
suspicious spouses, etc.

Advertising spyware is software that is installed alongside
other software or via activex controls on the internet,
often without the user's knowledge, or without full
disclosure that it will be used for gathering personal
information and/or showing the user ads. Advertising
spyware logs information about the user, possibly including
passwords, email addresses, web browsing history, online
buying habits, the computer's hardware and software
configuration, the name, age, sex, etc of the user.

As with spam, advertising spyware uses the CPU, RAM, and
resources of the user's computer, making the user pay for
the costs associated with operating it. It then makes use of
the user's bandwidth to connect to the internet and upload
whatever personal information it has gathered, and to
download advertisements which it will present to the user,
either by way of pop up windows, or with the ad banners of
ad-supported software. All of this can be considered theft
in the cases of advertising spyware that installs without
disclosure.

And while anti-virus software like Symantec's Norton Anti-
Virus or McAfee's ViruScan can offer some protection, one of
the best ways to combat spyware is with anti-spy software.
Two of the best are Lavasoft's Ad-aware and Spybot's Search
& Destroy, which are available as free downloads.

http://www.lavasoft.de/

http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html

The free version of Ad-aware does not proactively protect
against spyware infestation. You have to start the Ad-aware
application and initiate a scan to detect spyware. But the
paid version, Ad-aware Plus does remain alert in the
background, like Spybot, to deflect any attempts at
infestation. In recent tests, Ad-aware Plus and Spybot both
protected systems extremely well.

If you haven't already done so, I highly recommend
installing Microsoft's Service Pack 2. SP2 tightens your
PC's security with a new Windows Firewall, an improved
Automatic Updates feature, and a pop-up ad blocker for
Internet Explorer. Plus, the newly minted Security Center
gives you one easy-to-use interface for keeping tabs on your
PC's security apps.

There are also other steps you can take to protect against
spyware. One simple step is to switch from Microsoft's
browsers, which have security holes for spyware programs to
exploit. A good alternative is Mozilla Firefox. Another not-
so-simple step is switching to the Mac or Linux operating
systems, which don't have spyware problems.

About the author:
Dean Phillips is an Internet marketing expert, writer,
publisher and entrepreneur. Questions? Comments? Dean can be
reached at mailto: dean@lets-make-money.net

Visit his website at:

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Top 10 Ways To Protect Yourself From Computer Viruses
by: Jim Faller

As more and more people are becoming comfortable using their computers at school, home or in the office it�s only a matter of time before they encounter a computer virus. Here are our top 10 steps to protect you from computer viruses.

Use a high quality anti-virus program. There are many different anti-virus computers programs on the market some of them are better than others. Look to reputable computer magazines or websites for ratings to help you find the one that matches your needs.

Always use your anti-virus software. Make sure your anti-virus software is always turned on and scanning, incoming and outgoing email messages, and any software programs you run.

Keep your antivirus programs up to date. Most programs come with a yearly subscription make sure you take advantage of the updates. More advanced programs allow you to schedule updates or full system scans for �off hours� like 2AM when you aren�t likely to be using your computer.

Keep your computer up to date. From time to time operating systems fall victim to security holes or issue updates. Make sure you check periodically to make sure you are running stable up to date versions of your software.

Backup your data regularly. Most windows computer users keep their documents in the �My documents� folder. This makes it easy to back up all of your important documents. Make weekly or monthly copies to CD or USB drives.

If you use floppy disks or USB drives on public computers like your school computer lab, Kinko�s, or even digital photo printing store make sure you scan them for viruses. Public computers are notorious for not being up to date and properly protected.

Be wary of email attachments. Treat any email attachment as potentially dangerous. Never open attachments from people you weren�t expecting. Also be careful of attachments from people you know but weren�t expecting. Many computer viruses replicate themselves by reading the contacts from an infected computer.

Use text email if possible. While HTML email is prettier and allows you more control over formatting it also can carry computer viruses. If you use text based email the only way to get a virus is by opening an attachment.

Use downloaded freeware and shareware files or software with caution. Try to download them from popular reputable sources that scan the programs before they are uploaded. To make sure you are safe scan the program before you install it on your computer.

Be wary of links in IM or instant messaging software. Don�t accept invitations from people you don�t know and never click a link from someone you don�t trust, they can easily redirect you to another website that will try to install a virus on your computer system.

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