Information about Adware and Spyware

[Harry]

Dear Harry,

Adware and spyware programs are currently a hot topic in the media and for good reason. The prevalence of these often deceptive programs on the Internet is increasing and the potential harm that they can cause to users is fairly severe.

Adware and spyware programs are applications that get installed on an Internet user's computer that in their most benign form will display unwanted pop-up advertisements, and in the most extreme form, can degrade computer performance, change browser settings, and record keystrokes with the intent of capturing and recording sensitive data. These programs are usually, and unintentionally, installed by Internet users who are installing a separate desired software program that has the deceptive program bundled with it. A common example of this is free file sharing software that users install so they can swap music or other types of media that has adware or spyware included with it.

Listed below are some signs that your computer may be running one or more of these deceptive adware or spyware software programs.
1.. Your homepage changes to an unknown site or continues to change back to a particular site even if you change the homepage settings in your browser. Many deceptive software programs try to force you to use specific sites so the site owners can earn advertising revenue.

2.. When you click on the Search button in Internet Explorer, you are taken to a page that you've never seen before.

3.. Your browser window starts displaying unwanted toolbars or search forms that are difficult to remove or keep coming back.

4.. You receive an increase in pop-up windows, even while browsing to pages that have not had pop-up windows before. Under normal conditions, pop-up windows come from the Web pages you visit. Adware is able to create its own pop-up advertisements independent of the page that you are viewing.

5.. Your computer seems much slower than it used to be. Deceptive software steals your computer's resources such as computing power and bandwidth in order to deliver advertisements or track activities.

Fortunately, there are a number of tools that you can use to detect and remove adware and spyware from your computer. Two free programs that we suggest are Lavasoft's Ad-aware (www.lavasoft.de/ms/index.htm) and Spybot Search and Destroy (www.safer-networking.org/microsoft.en.html). You can learn more about or download these programs by visiting the links provided above. Both of these programs will let you scan your computer for deceptive software and remove any software that is found. Both also have the ability to download updates so they are able to detect even the newest threats.

For additional details about adware and spyware, please visit www.microsoft.com/spyware. This site provides a handful of helpful links to information and tips that you can use to help protect your computer.

Sincerely,

Greg Watkins
President, SISNA Inc.
www@sisna.com