Just What The Heck Is Spyware?

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TROJAN HORSES:

Sometimes simply known as "Trojans", these, in my humble opinion, are the worst offenders. If you know the story of the Trojan War, then the name given to these vicious baddies will make perfect sense to you. Here's the way it works: You are happily surfing along the internet, minding your own business, when all of the sudden a banner pops up and cheerfully announces that you have won a FREE IPHONE (or a free laptop computer, or a free vacation, etc.). All you have to do to claim this generous prize, it seems, is to "CLICK HERE!” Trust me on this one, DO NOT, ever, "CLICK HERE!" BIG MISTAKE! What you're doing with that click, is allowing malware to be downloaded to your computer that will make your life miserable and, as an added bonus, you'll never get your free prize.

Another popular Trojan pops up a warning dialog helpfully pointing out that your computer "may be infected with spyware". The mysterious dialog offers to remove the threat for you if you will just (you guessed it) "CLICK HERE". The premise is a little different, but the scam is the same. Some anonymous total stranger randomly offers to do something really nice for you if you'll just take the bait, umm; I mean accept the generous offer. Once you make that click and download their "antispyware" product, you will be inundated with warnings about the vicious viruses on your PC and you will be informed that the "free" version of their software can't remove the threats, but if you'll just upgrade to the "Gold" version for $49.95... Well, you get the picture.

Well, there you have it. Some of the more common ways that spyware and adware can infect your PC. This is by no means a complete list. The people who come up with these schemes seem to have no limits to their imagination or their audacity, so be wary.

There are many different ways that PC users can protect themselves. First and foremost, make sure that your computer has a good antivirus/antispyware program installed and that your virus definitions are up to date. I'm always surprised when I get a call from a customer that has a severe infestation of malware on their PC and they tell me that they have antivirus on their computer only to find out that they never actually purchased the trial version of AV software that came bundled with the PC. It's not uncommon for me to work on a PC whose owner thinks that they have virus protection even though their subscription for definition updates expired long ago. I really can't stress this enough. Virus protection is absolutely essential.

Maybe even more important than protective software though, is common sense. The old adage that "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is" rings true. Don't get me wrong, there really are some great free things available to you on the web. The main thing you should be wary of is that offer that tries to invoke a "knee-jerk" reaction. These guys want you to click first and think later. So before you "CLICK HERE", stop and ask yourself "does it sound too good?"

For free antivirus programs go to: www.harlemonline.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=20

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By: Scott Drinkard - Scott Drinkard is a freelance computer repair and networking technician living and working in Odessa, Texas. As owner of Odessa based "The Computer Guy", he has been serving the great people of West Texas for ten years. For more on this and other PC related subjects please visit www.odessacomputerguy.com.

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