They boast many names such as spyware blockers, antispam blocker, adware spyware blocker, spyware removers, spyware popup blocker and internet explorer blocker to name but a few. Nevertheless they all perform the same purpose; to hinder unsolicited spyware software from installing itself on your computer and wreaking chaos.
Spyware has been about for a long time but nowadays it seems to be getting more and more notorious. Finding fresh ways of targeting clients has been the major driver behind it I assume. Most spyware is pretty harmless, mainly used for advertising purposes. There are whole companies who specialise in writing spyware that records your browsing habits. They then sell ‘you’ as a lead to advertisers who in turn pay them to install advert popups on your computer. Even though harmless it is very bothersome.
And in some cases spyware writers take it a step further whereby any url you type in is redirected to the sales website. I’m not sure who thinks that that is going to accomplish any sales. After all if you cannot use your computer any more since the spyware redirects all your web pages to a sales page, you are hardly going to buy what is on offer!
And some spyware writers are shrewdly writing spyware blockers themselves. These are normally obtainable for free download. The only problem is that they are actually spyware! Be vigilant when downloading anything free, you may get a horrible surprise coming along for the ride.
Some are more crafty and the free spyware you have downloaded will start telling you that you have an infection. It may get really unpleasant and you’ll start receiving genuine looking windows error messages. In due course you’ll get a windows popup telling you to click it to fix the problem. Predictably that will instruct you to buy a spyware blocker, which of course is their product.
One more medium through which you can certainly pickup spyware is torrent downloads. Particularly executable programs. Be very suspicious with torrents it is a prime environment for spyware development and distribution.
The whole spyware industry is colossal. Take spyware doctor, the top selling spyware blocker. There have been 125 million copies of this product downloaded. At $29.95 that’s a lot of money, I’ll leave you to do the math.
Every where you turn you’ll find anti this and anti that. Spyware, adware, malware and on and on it goes.
So, how do you know you have spyware? Popup adverts are the most obvious sign. But pay close attention to your homepage and tool bars, if these all of a sudden change you also have spyware.
And, if your computer starts to run slower and slower there is a good likelihood that you also have spyware. There will certainly be some spyware running in the background.
Popup ads although exasperating, are fairly harmless. But some spyware is recording your keystrokes and trying to get hold of your passwords and even bank details. This is far more serious and something every person should be aware of.
So, how do you reduce the chances of picking up spyware. First of all stop using internet explorer, it has been exposed to be very vulnerable. Instead use firefox from Mozilla, it is free. Secondly, be very alert when downloading free software. Make sure it comes from a respectable company. Thirdly, without hesitation, install a good spyware blocker on your computer. Buy one, don’t hold back on on this. Decent spyware blockers are not free.
