How to Stop Spyware

Next to viruses and worms a largely misunderstood aspect of computer security is spyware. I get contacted by friends, family and others telling me that their computers are slower than they used to be or exhibit some other form of weird behaviour. Now while some of these problems I hear may be a result of any one of a number of issues it is fairly frequently the result of spyware that they have become infected with by any one of a number of mechanisms.

Let us first define what spyware actually is before we move on to how you can not be a victim. Spyware, also known as "adware", is a category of software that, when installed on a computer, can generate pop-up ads, redirect a browser to a given web sites, or monitor the web sites that the victim visits. In some extremely rare cases spyware can even track the keys that one types. The person who caused the infection may be doing so for any number of reasons which are generally considered to be malicious. Because of the extra processing, spyware may cause a computer to become slow or sluggish.

In addition to the performance concerns there also exists a number of security concerns, specifically privacy concerns such as:

-What information is being gathered?
-Who is gathering this information?
-How will the information be used and for what ultimate purpose?
-Is the spyware detectable and how will it be detected?
-How will it be removed?

So what are some common symptoms of a spyware infection? Well the symptoms are legion, but they can include any one or more of the following:
-The appearance of frequent pop-up windows or endless pop-up windows
-The browser or browsing experience is redirected to web sites other than the ones intended
-New buttons or toolbars in the browser
-New icons or items in the notification area (near the clock on Windows)
-Changing of the home page in the web browser
-Changing of the default search engine that is used by the browser
-Unexpected behaviour of certain keys on the keyboard
-Totally random or unexpected Windows error messages begin to appear
-Unexplained performance impacts on the system such as dramatic slowdowns

You can prevent yourself from getting spyware by exercising a little common sense mixed with the following tips

-Avoid clicking on links within pop-up windows as they are commonly used to spread spyware, clicking on the window may install spyware software on a host computer. Close popup windows using the "X" icon in the titlebar instead of a "close" link that usually appears within the window.
-Choose "no" when asked unexpected/unsolicited questions. Always select "no" or "cancel," or close the dialog box by clicking the "X" icon in the titlebar. Criminals commonly try to fool you with authentic looking, but bogus, dialogs to fool you.
-Avoid free software from unknown or questionable sources, if you don't know where it came from leave it alone.
-Do not click on links in email that originate from unknown or unexpected sources as spam is common way to distribute malicious code

Keep in mind an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so consider the following protective measures:

-Use a popup blocker or alter your browsers settings to suppress popups
-Install an antispyware program such as Spybot or Windows Defender
-Update your antispyware scanner regularly
-Apply the latest patches to your system

Keep in mind there are a myriad of antispyware products on the market from companies such as Lavasoft's Ad-Aware, Webroot's SpySweeper, PestPatrol, and Spybot Search and Destroy and Bazooka to name a few. Also note that quite a few are free so you should get one, no excuses.

Until next time, stay safe