Spyware for Dummies
Spyware can be hard to spot and the effects are many and varied. Spyware sounds like all it does is spy on us, but it can do much more.
It doesn’t restrict itself to watching what we do, although that is a big part of why it gets installed. Spyware watches what is done and tracks website visits, but it goes further.
Spyware can install other software, can change where you go in internet browsing, go to websites that install more lethal viruses, and can even divert site revenue to others than those who are meant to get it.
Spyware can alter computer settings, hijack your connection, change home pages, and remove or change programs that are meant to protect you.
From Safer Networking If you see new toolbars in your Internet Explorer that you haven’t intentionally installed, if your browser crashes inexplicably, or if your home page has been “hijacked” (or changed without your knowledge), your computer is most probably infected with spyware.
Virus programs don’t really deal with Spyware very well. Antivirus programs look for specific types of invasion and use ‘signatures’ to look for them. Spyware doesn’t have those signatures and behaves differently.
We use Spybot – Search & Destroy. It’s free to download, is maintained so you can download regular updates to stay abreast of the new spyware adaptations. It comes with an installable ‘watcher’ program called TeaTimer which sits in the background watching your system and blocking anything that fits the spyware description.
Installing Spybot and TeaTimer still doesn’t allow you to just sit back and trust – every so often you need to run Spybot to scan for intrusions.
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