Discovering Spies Within: How Spyware Detection and Removal Software Works
If you are a regular internet user,
then you have probably come across the term “spyware”.
This is the name for programs that exist within your computer
to carry out tasks,
which include displaying unwanted ads,
recording keystrokes and monitoring your computer usage.
Spyware enters your computer system without you knowing it.
Spyware may slip past you when you download music,
or it may be disguised as a useful program.
That is how tricky these programs’ creators are.
What exactly does it mean for you?
The results can range from the minor annoyance of pop up ads to the serious fraudulent use of your credit card,
your bank account or your identity.
On one hand, some spyware will simply show you pop-up ads while you are browsing
or change your browser’s homepage.
More disturbing, some spyware is created to log your computer usage;
what sites you visit and even (and this is the most disturbing) record user names, passwords and credit card information.
This information is then sent back to the person who unleashed the spyware.
After that, there’s really no telling what he / she will do with that information.
Fortunately, there are anti-spyware programs that address the spyware issue.
Anti-spyware programs are designed to recognize spyware on your computer.
Think of dogs, trained to sniff out the spies, and warn you of their existence.
How does anti-spyware work? How does it detect programs that would rather not be detected?
Spyware is a program. It can be detected by comparing it's code to a database of known spyware code.
If the code matches, the anti spyware program knows you have spyware on your computer.
When you run the anti-spyware program it will scan all the files on your computer.
It searches each file to see if there are bits of code that match it's spyware signature database.
If a match is found an alert is raised.
You are then given the option to remove that file or quarantine it for reporting.
Why would you want to quarantine spyware and report it?
Wouldn’t it be better to just delete it?”
Not exactly.
Spyware programmers know that anti-spyware programs will search for and destroy their creations.
So in order to continue doing what they do (which is either advertising on your computer or stealing information),
they will create NEWER spyware whose signatures haven’t been recorded in anti-spyware signature databases yet.
This is why you have the option of putting a file suspected of being spyware in quarantine and reporting
its existence to the anti-spyware creators.
The programmers can be alerted of this suspicious file and they will examine it if it really is spyware.
If they determine it to be so, they will update the anti-spyware signature database to allow the program to recognize the newer spyware.
So if you’re a regular Internet user, it is advisable to install an anti-spyware programs.
It is best to have at least two anti-spyware installed because
one single program may not have a database as extensive compared to two working in tandem.
That way, you have a much finer net to catch more spyware that may enter your system.
Getting more than one anti-spyware program will not cost a lot.
In fact, it may not cost you anything at all!
This is because several reputable anti-spyware programs are available for free.
(Ad-Aware and Spybot: Search and Destroy are the most popular).
Their creators do so for varied reasons ranging from simply building a reputation to allowing you to sample the product.
Installing anti-spyware should be just the beginning.
You must regularly check your anti-spyware program’s website
to look for database updates so that newer spyware can be detected.
Fortunately most anti-spyware programs do t his automatically for you.
Securing your computer is as important as securing your home.
Install some good anti-spyware software for additional safety the next time you go online.
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