Avoiding Spyware - Keep Your Computer Free of Infections
Avoiding spyware is getting to be harder and harder when you're on the internet. There are just so many ways that spyware can infect your computer. And the people who create these programs are getting trickier all the time.
Most people are aware of the threat of viruses on the internet, but many people don't really realize how many computer problems are due to spyware. In reality, virus and spyware protection are both a necessity if your computer is online. A good internet security package, along with a good anti-spyware program, will keep you computer in good shape.
3 Step to Avoiding Spyware
First, if you're downloading some cool free program, think about how they can give it away for free. Many of these "free" downloads make their money by installing spyware on your computer along with their software. They normally don't make it obvious, either.
Often, if you read the long winded legalese of the license agreement, there will be a line or two buried deep in the middle of it all that says they install spyware, but it won't be in terms that are that easy to understand. In some cases, they won't even mention it at all. And most people aren't concerned enough about avoiding spyware to dig through pages of legal jargon anyway.
If you want to download something that sounds interesting, spend a little time researching it first. Run a search on Google or Yahoo for the name of the software and the word "spyware". Or just run a search for "spyware list" - you'll find sites with huge lists of known spyware, and you can check the name of the software against these lists. This isn't 100% foolproof, but if the program is known to be a problem, you'll find that out.
Another thing to watch out for is pop-up windows that look like they are error messages from Windows. If you click the "OK" button - like you normally would in Windows - they can install things into your computer, because you unintentionally authorized it.
If you are surfing the web and a window pops up that looks like an error, click the X in the top right corner to close it, not the OK button. This closes the pop-up window without clicking on the contents of it, avoiding spyware that might be installed.
In my experience, the biggest cause of spyware infections is from file sharing programs like Kazaa and Morpheus. Many people use these programs for downloading music, movies and other files. Completely aside from the legal issues involved, these programs can cause huge problems with your computer.
Many of these file sharing programs install spyware along with the software itself - this is how they can afford to give the program away in the first place. The other reason these programs are so problematic is you never know where you're downloading files from. That file that sounds like it is that song you've been searching for could actually be spyware or something worse. It's like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're going to get :-)
Avoiding spyware isn't that difficult - it just takes a little common sense. And remember - if something sounds too good to be true (that great free program) it probably is.