Computer Spyware Help Tips
Read these 10 Computer Spyware Help Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Computer tips and hundreds of other topics.
Spyware Tips on The Changing Homepage
More computer spyware help: If you open Internet Explorer to find your home page has changed, you may be the victim of a nasty variety of spyware called a browser hijacker. A browser hijacker resets your home page (usually to a commercial site, sometimes to search engine sites) and may also add entries to your Favorites list. Some of the nastier browser hijackers disable your ability to reset your home page, or redirect searches from your browser to other search engines. Manually removing a browser hijacker can be extremely difficult, so it's best to let a good quality spyware remover handle them.
Unusual In-Text Links and Banners
An off-topic link in a website used to indicate a web design problem: Why else would a link for, say, a gambling casino appear at an online toy store? Nowadays there's a more sinister reason: some spyware programs are actually sophisticated enough to replace a page's web banner ad with their own, or even to add in-text links to a site (a real attack on a website owner's control of his or her property). So watch for off-topic web site links; they may just be a sign you have a spyware infection.
Types of Spyware - Diallers
A dialler is a particularly nasty form of spyware that redirects your modem to dial up a pay-per-minute Internet connection instead of your usual connection. If you're phone bill seems unusually large, you may be the victim of a dialler. Diallers are often associated with pornography sites, so the sudden appearance of pornography on your system or in pop-up windows may be a sign of a dialler. A good spyware remover is your best defence against these nasty little programs.
The Curse of Multiple Pop-up Windows
As far as pop-up windows go, most users understandably blame webpage makers. When six or seven pop-ups cover a webpage, it's easy to curse the website's owner. You could be angry at the innocent, however. Many adware and spyware programs produce pop-up windows. Some will even generate pop-ups in defiance of an installed pop-up blocker. If you are experiencing multiple pop-up windows on a regular basis, consider scanning your system with a good spyware remover.
Help With Spyware - Always Trust Content—No Way!
Sometimes Internet Explorer 6.0 will pop-up a dialog box when you're about to download a program or new plug-in that includes a little box with the words "Aalways trust content from [name of company providing program]." Clicking the box means you're saying "Sure! Download anything these guys send my way without bothering me again." If the company in question happens to produce spyware, clicking this box is asking for trouble.
Peer-to-Peer Programs
This tip is for newbies: The grizzled veterans of the Internet (you know who you are!) already know this. Peer-to-peer, or P2P, programs, are applications allowing users to swap files (mostly music and video files) quickly and easily. Great stuff, at least until that whole ugly piracy issue was raised. Turns out many of the P2P applications had their own ugly little issue too: Many of them also download multiple spyware programs during installation.
Read Before Downloading Programs
Before downloading programs online, read the program's terms and conditions, or licensing agreement, first. If you find references to targeted marketing, monitoring of your surfing habits, or gathering of personal information that may be "shared" with third-party agents, you may be looking at an adware or spyware program, and should reconsider downloading it.
Adware Programs and Spyware Programs
Computer spyware help: The terms adware and spyware are often used interchangeably, but technically there are differences between the two types of software. Adware describes programs offered for free in return for the user viewing advertising (usually in the form of pop-ups). Adware, in theory at least, is honest about this trade-off and doesn't hide what it does from the user. Spyware, while it often generates advertising products, does not inform the user of its function, or tries to "sneakload" onto a PC without the user's knowledge.
Remove Spyware Tips - Surfing at Work
Feeling paranoid? If you're reading this from your workstation, you may have a right to be a bit uneasy. Concerned with work hours wasted by employees surfing the Internet, many businesses now use 'snoopware,' commercial spyware products that monitor web surfing and email use. This is legal: the company owns the computer, so has the right to monitor its property. So watch your online activity at work, because the boss may be watching you.
Uninstall The Adware Programs, But Keep The Adware?
Adware programs are a trade-off; free use of the program in return for an increase in online advertising, usually in the form of pop-up windows. Sometimes the adware program is worth the pop-ups windows. Sometimes it isn't, and the user uninstalls the program. Be aware that many adware uninstallation programs will remove the program, but oddly enough don't move the adware application, which keeps running in the background of your computer. Regular use of an adware / spyware remover can correct this little (ahem) oversight on the part of the adware makers' uninstallation programs.
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| Joe Wallace |
