Spyware is the name that was given to wicked programs that install themselves without your permission. If that doesn't sound bad. what is worse is that they will bug you more than most viruses can. How you ask? Spyware can produce hundreds of pop-ups, it can monitor your internet browsing and/or spam your email with junk. It can even be used to commit identity fraud by gathering your information. If you say that you don't have Spyware and that you won't get it, you are kidding yourself.
How does an average user go about preventing Spyware from taking control of their personal computer (and life)? There are a variety of methods that you can use. For instance you can manually remove it yourself once you are invaded. But that's not recommended unless you are an expert at computers and by expert, I mean you have received your certifications. With that being said, we common folk will be using spyware removal software since its less time consuming to use. The software will identify the threat and eliminate the Spyware.
What software should I use to remove the spyware? There is a variety of programs to choose from. But the most used programs are Spybot's "Search and Destroy" and Lavasoft's "Ad-Aware". These two programs are free for personal use and Lavasoft provides other professional solutions. There are also quite a few other programs that you can purchase that will have some of the same features.
Spybot's "Search and Destroy" will block bad programs from being installed with its immunity feature and even block programs from being installed that are harmful to your computer (if you are using Internet Explorer or Opera). It will also identify the programs that are collecting your information or displaying adds and removes them!
Lavasoft's Ad-Aware does a variety of services for you. Here is a list of what this program will do for you. It scans your memory, registry, hard drives for known Data-mining (logs what sites you have visited). It looks for aggressive advertising (evil never ending pop-ups), Parasites, Keyloggers (logs your passwords), Trojans, Dialers and Malware (Spyware). The program even identifies Browser hijackers (programs that change your homepage) and other tracking components that might be missed by anti-virus software. The program will prompt you to remove all that is listed. Ad-Aware even provides a threat assessment of each nasty program that it has located.
If you don't decide to download any spyware protection software or purchase some, at least consider these few ways to avoid Spyware. Avoid downloading from websites that you don't trust (that means websites you have never visited before). You should also read all the license agreements when you install software and other statements associated with that software. Don't bother with ads that say "free" music or movies "all you have to do is download this program here", since this should be a give away that it may contain some if not a lot of spyware. Disabling cookies can sometimes help as well. Also checking for updates for your internet browser periodically will help since the makers will periodically fix any bugs that are found.
Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Spyware