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Spyware and Anti-Spyware Software - What You Need To Know

Anti-Spyware Product Capabilities Spyware and adware often go hand in hand. Adware is software that displays advertisements onto a person's computer, but when that adware sends information back to a web server of some sort, it becomes spyware. Bear in mind that not all adware is spyware and not all spyware is adware. By itself, spyware is simply software that collects data without its user's consent, and then sends that data to a malicious source.

Fortunately it's rather easy to recognize when our computers are affected by spyware because it interferes with our use. Spyware will install other programs that we didn't ask for, it may take us to webpage that we didn't intend to view, and it generally it takes control away from what we're doing. If you find that your computer is doing things that you didn't command it to do, like display pop up ads for instance, chances are that it's infected with some form of spyware.

Is Spyware a Virus?

We use the term "infected" because in a sense, spyware can be compared to a virus in some respects. A major difference between the two is that spyware doesn't usually replicate itself the way that viruses do. A major similarity however points to how spyware acts without consent and can render a computer useless after using up critical resources. For the most part, spyware attempts to steal credit card numbers and identities while it's most mildest forms may want to monitor and record consumer behavior.

How it gets onto your computer is through deceit, and most users don't even know that they're installing it when they're running software that they've just downloaded. Only in rare cases have some software companies acknowledged their programs as spyware. AOL's AIM is one example. As part of its user agreement, AOL contends that users who use AIM (the AOL Instant Messenger) consent to AOL's monitoring and background requests for user data. The Google Toolbar is another example even though both of these companies (and other companies as well) promise that this information will not be shared with anyone else.

To believe that your information won't be shared is rather naive since most of us know that companies share (well, actually they sell) consumer demographics all the time. And just who do you think is accessing your data after it reaches Google's or AOL's servers? A single person sworn to secrecy? A one-manned marketing team? Of course not! Chances are that your data is shared within a department that's as large as 100 people or more!

How To Get Rid Of Spyware

Removing spyware responds best to anti-spyware. Some anti-virus programs will detect spyware, but since they look for different things, they may not offer the best removal. Like adware, spyware can be extremely difficult to do without a utility because many of them operate from a computer's registry. That's why we strongly recommend that you download and install one of the following popular anti-spyware software programs:

Some of these programs will not only remove spyware from your system, they'll also act as a firewall and prevent spyware from being installed in the first place. Remember that firewalls prompt each data request for a security clearance code before responding. If it detects outgoing data that you didn't initiate, it will block that request altogether. (You may need to download additional programs to access both removal and protective functions.)

To fully protect yourself from the damage of spyware software, you must install an anti-spyware program (SpyWare Remover, SpyZooka, XoftSpySE Scan, or NoAdware) and keep it updated with the latest database of known threats.