Spyware

Spyware and other unwanted software is becoming big business today. Even Google with their squeaky clean image have hit a lot of flack with their magic toolbar re-directs - basically you are looking in Barnes & Nobles web site for a book, clicking the ISBN number of the book will take you to Amazon. Google can send you anywhere they like with this toy which is Classic Spyware

Spyware and other unwanted software gets into your computer and performs certain tasks without your consent. This may include gratuitous adverts, sending you to web sites you did not wish to visit or collecting personal information about you. To monitor and eradicate Spyware get yourself a program like AdAware to , but what are you monitoring anyway, what is Spyware?

So if you have got this stuff, how do you know. Well the sort of signs you look for are

• Your Home Page (that is the page your browser opens at when you turn it on has changed to something that you certainly never set yourself
• Pop-up adverts appear even when you're not connected to the Web.
• A new toolbar appears in your browser, you didn't put it there, and its very difficult to delete
• Your computer starts crashing (more than usual!) and takes longer than usual to do things
  

Running AdAware or Microsoft have a anti-spyware program to remove the stuff. But how did it get onto your computer in the first place? My its nature, its very sneaky and you probably do not realise that you are infecting your computer yourself. Typical ways get spyware onto your own computer are.

• You install the spyware software during the installation of other software you want such as a music or video file sharing program.
  
• Whenever you download any software, make sure you carefully read stuff like the license agreement and privacy statement. Sometimes the inclusion of spyware in a given software installation is disclosed, but it may appear in a license agreement or privacy statement
• The really bad ones, do not even hide it in the small print, they just install it with your download
  

And how do you stop yourself getting it in the first place

• Get all the security patches. Windows is legendry for its failings, and allowing hackers into your computer. Frequently Microsoft issue free "patches" to cover the hole in Windows. Use their auto system to notify you when patches are available
• Tweak your browsers security tabs to try to exclude such attacks
• Use a Firewall. Most spyware comes hidden with other programs you download, some spyware can actually be placed on your computer remotely by hackers.
• So as most spyware comes bundled when you download other programs, the best defence is not to download it in the first place.
• If you want to download something, a good tip is to input the name of the program and the word spyware into a search engine and see if anything has been reported
• New click on words like "OK" or "agree" if a site asks you if you want a window or popup closed
• Be very wary of "free" music and movie file-sharing programs. Basically there is no such thing as a free lunch
  

So back to where we came in, if Google is now running spyware, does this mean that its OK, and is out of the closet? NO WAY, its merely Google wanting to sell your details for commercial gain, just as much as other sleazy operators have done in the past