Spyware/Adware: 

Spyware?  What is it?  Where does it come from?  How do I get it?  How do I keep from getting it? 

Well believe it or not these questions are asked to us just about every single day.  Here on our website, for those of you who have come here for knowledge and answers, we will gladly try to help you understand more about these types of programs.  In my opinion there is a fine line between viruses and spyware/adware programs.  I say this because some of the dynamic things that some spyware programs can do and some of the newer types are harder to uninstall and completely get rid of.  In fact, now a days, some virus scanners will pick up spyware and classify them as "viruses".  WE feel that spyware is the next greatest concern for security and privacy on the Internet. 

So my advice is to continue reading and try to educate yourself about spyware/adware and hopefully you can avoid this dreaded nuisance. 

WHAT IS SPYWARE? 

First off, "What is spyware"?  Well to put it bluntly, spy ware is simply a program or programs that usually are picked up surfing web sites, and/or installing free games or programs such as Kaaza, lime wire and a few other choice programs. 

Ever heard the ole saying, "Nothing is free"?  Remember that the next time you download a "free" game from the Internet, or a "free" toolbar or something classified as "free".  Chances are if it is labeled "Free", it probably means that it has spy ware programs attached to it. 

WHAT DOES SPYWARE DO EXACTLY?

Well this depends on the spy ware program itself.  MOST SPYWARE programs, are marketing tools used to promote business and or services on the Internet usually in the form of something we have all experienced on the Internet:  POP UPS!..... POP UPS!.... POP UPS! 

Companies actually pay these spy ware programs to advertise for them, in the hopes that you will click on that particular popup to buy something.  After all, the Internet is probably the most money spending and making opportunities in the world.  Advertisers know this.  The problem is, they are all greedy and all want to try to beat out the other, hence more POP UPS, and more POP UPS, and more and more, until you are ready to throw your computer out of the window. 

Spyware programs are simply marketing ploys on the Internet to get a user to click and hopefully purchase something from the bothersome pop up window or ad.   If you look below we have a sample of a spyware program. 

As you can see spyware programs can and will try to sneak into your system, by posting an install window trying to make the user believe that he/she has to install this component for this website to be displayed.  This is a very easy and slick way companies use to infect your computer with spy ware.  See demo below: 

Click to Enlarge!

Ah ha!  Have you ever seen a screen similar to this one?  This is your "TYPICAL SPYWARE PROGRAM trying to come into your system.  If I were to click yes here, this spy ware would then install on my system and I will be in trouble and be flooded with pop ups and all sorts of marketing items. 

Wanna here something even more intriguing?  If I were to click "NO" on this same window, guess what would happen?  THIS SPY WARE WILL STILL INSTALL ONTO MY SYSTEM.  Yes that is right, IT WOULD INSTALL ONTO MY SYSTEM EVEN IF I CHOOSE "NO".  The best way to prevent this spy ware from installing onto your system is to simply click the "X" at the top of the window ensuring that it does not install the spy ware program on your computer. 

And still yet another way of spy ware trying to get into your system: 

Click to enlarge! 

Another popular way to get you to click on this clock synchronizer, which yes, contains spyware.  If I were to click here, it would install spy ware onto my computer, and I would be in a world of hurt flooded with pop ups and pop ups. 

Again by clicking the "X" Button at the top right hand corner will keep this program from installing onto your system, and causing all kinds of problems. 

HOW DO I PREVENT MYSELF FROM GETTING INFECTED WITH ADWARE AND SPYWARE? 

Well this is a tough question to answer.  There are a few good anti spyware programs out there, that are free, yes, I said free.  However, most programs that we see, there are some that are better/worse than others.  IWe ourselves use several anti spyware programs all at once to try and catch the majority of spyware that attempt to infect computers.  We will share the links to these great anti spyware tools that we use .  But before we do, there are a few precautions you can take to prevent your computer from becoming infected by spyware and adware.  Here are some steps to remember: 

1.  Never click on a pop up window except to close it. 

2.  Pay very close attention if you get a pop up window.  Some windows will have a "close" button listed.  However this does not close the window but it installs the spyware program directly to your computer. 

3.  Keep your computer up to date by installing the latest Microsoft Patches from the Microsoft web site:  www.windowsupdate.com

4.  Keep your virus scanners up to date.  (This may not be a very effective way to keep spyware off your system but it gives you a better chance if you happen to install a spyware program that your virus scanner identifies. 

5.  Download and keep up to date a good (or several good anti spyware programs).  Ones we recommend are:  Adware, Spybot, CWShreader, and Spyblaster.  We will explain a bit about all of these later with links to follow to. 

6.  DO NOT DOWNLOAD "SEARCH BARS".  This is the worst thing you can do.  These search bars are loaded with not only spyware but also what are called "HIJACKER" programs which redirect your Internet Explorer startup page to something you can not easily change back.  Examples of search bars are:  Lycos Side Search Bar, Hotbar, Cool Search Bar, etc. 

7.  Set the security settings in your Internet Explorer to "prompt for Active X" programs.  This is usually done by default if your Internet explorer security settings are set to "Medium".  Here's how: 

Click on the pics below to enlarge!  

Double click Internet options in control panel. 

Click on "Security level for this zone" down at the bottom.  Here I have choosen "Custom Level".  Yours may say Medium or low or custom.  If you click Default level here it will automatically set your security settings to "Medium" which is what you want.  I choose custom because I like to disable all Active X controls and allow only the ones I want in as you will see on the next screen shot. 

8.  If you do have an Anti Spyare program or programs installed, UPDATE THEM.  And I usually recommend running them once or twice a month to ensure your system is free from spyware. 

And now those links I promised: 

SPYBOT:  A great program for disinfecting spyware.  This link has some other great software you can check out.  Be sure and look for spybot on this page and download it.  Don't forget to update it before your run it. 

ADWARE:  Another great program.  What I like about Adware is that it will usually find things that spybot doesn't.  For example, Adware specifically looks for "tracking cookies" and spyware cookies used in marketing as well.  Don't forget to check for updates every time you run it.  

SPYBLASTER:  A program only used to block spyware.  This program only blocks spyware from infecting your computer.  I usually download this and enable "all protection" AFTER I HAVE RAN ADWARE AND SPYBOT.   Again as usual don't forget to update every so often. 

CWSHREADER:  This program is specifically used for search bars such as the ones I mentioned earlier.  Search bars like, Hotbar, Cool bar and a few others.  Yes these search bars are hard if not impossible to uninstall.  This utility helps with the uninstall of these search bars. Again update this baby before you run it!

And one more that can be dangerous if not used properly.  However this one is used for "hijacking" programs that take over your IE settings and search pages. 

HIJACKTHIS:   This link you will have to scroll down the page to find.  They also have some other great software downloads on this page. Use this one with caution.  You can foul up your computer with this one.  You can read about how to use this program if you search some forums on the Internet.  I would only recommend this one when all else fails to remove spyware off of your system.  But beware, use this one with caution. 

If any of these links are not found when you click on them, they may have been moved.  It is very difficult for us to keep up with sites moving download sites.  If you find one of the links above that does not allow you to download the products listed.  Simply go to a search engine and type in the name of the anti spyware program as listed here, and look around for another download site.  Good luck! 

Disclaimer:  PC Handy Inc.  is not affiliated with any anti spyware companies or programs listed on this page nor are we responsible for any problems that these programs can cause do to improper use.  The sole purpose of this website and information thereof is for educational purposes, and any portion of the information provided here taken out of context from our website is prohibited.