How to Avoid Getting Spyware on Your Computer

Spyware is software that is downloaded to your computer without your permission. When you have spyware on your computer this software gets information from your computer and then transmits that information to another source. Spyware can also slow your computer down making working on it frustrating.

The best thing to do when it comes to spyware is avoid getting any on your computer to begin with. This way you don't have to be concerned about personal information being sent to a source that is unknown to you.

Here are seven tips for avoiding getting spyware on your computer:

1. Regularly update these programs: Microsoft Internet Explorer, e-mail, internet messaging, anti-virus and internet browsers. If you don't have these programs on auto-update then check for updates once a week. Once a hacker finds a hole in a program, if you don't update, you could wind up with spyware.

2. Avoid risky websites such as gaming websites, adult websites, websites that offer free music downloads, or websites that offer hacked software. All of these are known to be websites that you can get spyware from.

3. Don't install programs when prompted to unless you trust the website. Software from websites such as Microsoft, or Apple are probably safe, but it's best to avoid most others.

4. Set your browser security settings to protect your computer. You can do this in Internet Explorer by clicking on the Tools drop down menu, then Options, then Security. You should then see a section titled "Security Level for This Zone," and you want to put the little bar on medium. If you put it any higher some websites won't work properly. In Mozilla Firefox, you click on the Tools drop down menu, then Options, then Security also. In the security window you should have checked, "Warn Me When Sites Try to Install Add-Ons," "Block Reported Attack Sites," and "Block Reported Web Forgeries."

5. Research free software before downloading it. Free software is one of the prime ways to wind up with spyware on your computer, so researching free software first to see if it has any complaints of having spyware attached is a good idea before downloading.

6. Make sure you have a good anti-virus program installed before connecting to the internet. An anti-virus program's job is to keep spyware and other nasties from being downloaded to your computer. If you don't have one, and you are using the internet, you are leaving yourself wide open to get spyware. Some examples of good anti-virus programs are McAfee, Symantec, and Comodo.

7. Don't open e-mail attachments if you don't know who the e-mail is from. This is another way people get spyware on their computers. If you don't know the sender, it is best to delete the e-mail right away.

Keeping these seven tips in mind will not only help to keep spyware off your computer, but malware as well which can be even more insidious when it comes to harming your computer.