I know you've heard the terms Virus and Spyware. These terms are always on the internet and in the news. "But what are they", you ask? Not only is it very difficult to give you a definition in plain English but both act very similarly.
Here's what you should know about Viruses and Spyware.
1- It doesn't matter which you have, both are very bad! Both Viruses and Spyware can do great harm to your computer. Things like: destroy important data on your PC, create physical problems with your computer, steal bank account information (like passwords,credentials, etc...), steal other personal info (like credit card info). DOES THIS SOUND VERY SCARY AND BE A CAUSE FOR CONCERN? YOU BET!!!
2- How can you get a Virus or Spyware? Here's where there are some slight differences between the two. Most viruses are distributed thru email attachments or downloads. Most Spyware gets distributed from going onto websites. The "bad" websites automatically install spyware or trick you into downloading spyware. They trick you by creating popups on your computer. When you try to close the popup, spyware gets installed. I'm not saying all popups are bad. I use a popup on my website to give you the option to subscribe to my newsletter. I'm talking about those annoying advertisements that popup 50 times on your screen and you can never seem to close them.
3- What are some symptoms? I'll give you some of the most popular symptoms to look out for. Is your fairly new system a little or very slow? If so, you more than likely have been affected by Spyware. Do you keep getting unwanted popups on your computer even though you're not connected to the internet? This is usually a sign of Spyware. Do you notice any program or software that you know you didn't install? Could be Spyware! Viruses are a little more difficult to detect. If your PC is doing some unusual things like: the monitor colors changing or your PC constantly rebooting on it's own; you might have a virus.
4- What can I do? There are several things you can do to protect yourself against these dangerous programs. I'll give you some suggestions to help you but these suggestions aren't full proof. The more tools the "good guys" bring out, the more Viruses and Spyware the "bad guys" create. It's a vicious cycle. Here are some tips that will help:
A) Purchase and install AntiVirus software. Installing Antivirus software will help detect and possibly delete any viruses on your computer.
B) Purchase and install Anti Spyware software: Installing AntiSpyware software will help detect, clean and possibly block Spyware from being installed on your PC. Here is Anti Spyware software that I would recommend. I feel it is a great product. It's very effective! I not only use this product personally, I've recommended this very product for our IT department at work. You can purchase it here:
http://www.webroot.com/consumer/products/spysweeper/index.html?acode=af2&rc=4238
C) Learn how to and download Microsoft Critical Updates. I've provided some instructions on how to do this. Please read my "Tip" section in my newsletter.
D) If you receive an email that requests verification of personal info, verify that the email is legitimate (call the bank or credit card company to verify if necessary).
E) If downloading music or videos, make sure it's from a well respected website MTV, Yahoo, etc...) and not an unknown or unheard of (like Kazza or Porn Sites).
I hope this information was very helpful to you. It's very difficult to totally stop viruses and Spyware from being installed on your computer but if you follow some of these simple suggestions, you're way ahead of most people.
My name is Andrew Pena. I have been in the computer industry for over 15 years.I'm a Network Administrator with a Fortune 500 company.
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