I Spy at your little computer...

PCSOL Tip of the Week

I Spy at your little computer...

Spyware – What is IT??

Spyware is computer software that is installed secretly on a personal computer to intercept or take partial control over the user's interaction with the computer, without the user's permission.

While the term spyware suggests software that secretly monitors the user's behaviour, the functions of spyware extend well beyond simple monitoring.

Spyware programs can collect various types of personal information, such as Internet surfing habit, sites that have been visited, but can also interfere with user control of the computer in other ways, such as installing additional software, redirecting Web browser activity, accessing websites blindly that will cause more harmful viruses, or diverting advertising revenue to a third party. Spyware can even change computer settings, resulting in slow connection speeds, different home pages, and loss of Internet or other programs.

There are a large number of free spyware removing tools; all have their pros and cons. I have listed the main 3 used by our technicians.

All of them can be downloaded for free for home use:

Super Anti Spyware - http://www.superantispyware.com/

Spybot - http://www.safer-networking.org

Ad Aware - http://lavasoft.com/

Malwarebytes - www.malwarebytes.org

It is important to remember that Spyware are not Viruses.
So, even though virus scans are getting better at it, they will not always find the spyware on your computer.

Thank you for your interest,
Steven Veltmeyer
Managing Director
PCSOL PTY LTD
Thanks to www.wikipedia.org for the definitions.
Disclaimer: PCSOL has no affiliation with the above websites and is providing this information as advice only.

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