Copyright (c) 2009 Michael A Jones
Just how necessary is anti-spyware remover software to protect your computer? How much of a threat does spyware pose to you anyway?
The bad news is spyware is everywhere and your computer can easily be infected by simply browsing the internet or making downloads of various items. Some spyware simply records your internet browsing activity generally with the purpose of understanding your likes and dislikes so advertising relative to your habits can be sent your way.
The more threatening type of spyware logs your keystrokes so even your credit card numbers, and ID particulars can be shared with others and misused. This evidently is the major threat most fear.
If you notice a sudden deterioration in the speed of your computer, coupled with popup windows appearing all over the place, even when you are not even browsing the internet, take note! Or if your browser starts giving strange results and doesn’t automatically go to google or yahoo or whichever search engine you normally use, it could be spyware has infected your computer and is deluging you with adverts or providing search results that have been tampered with.
The good news is that you can obtain for free anti-spyware remover programs that do a reasonable job of keeping your computer clean. Microsoft have their own called Windows Defender. Another is Ad-Aware, and the free virus scanner from AVG also contains an anti-spyware remover. So before you reach for your wallet and shell out for one of the many anti-spyware programs you see advertised, try the freebies first. Just pop those names into your favorite search engine and you will get to the download page for each one.
The bad news is, there are gaps in whatever anti-spyware remover you use. As most are checking for pieces of code on your computer that match with a database of known rogue programs, the software is only as good as the database. And of course, as new spyware gets written all the time, there is bound to be a window of opportunity for the spyware to work, from the time new spyware gets circulated to it being identified and added to the database of the anti-spyware remover.
The good news is you can reduce the threat considerably by just keeping in mind certain basic principles and tactics:
1. You can use two or three different anti-spyware remover programs regularly. As their respective databases will be different, what one misses another may catch.
2. Make sure you enable the firewall on your computer or buy a third party firewall for extra protection.
3. Your anti-spyware remover programs should be updated regularly (enable the automatic update feature) and also be sure to keep your Windows operating system updated with the security fixes provided by Microsoft.
4. An obvious protection but still worth re-stating: Never open emails you don’t recognize, or at least, never, never, never, download or open attachments from senders you don’t know.
When it comes to anti-spyware remover programs, the bad news is spyware can be very difficult to shut out completely as the landscape is changing all the time. The good news is, you can protect yourself reasonably well with free anti-spyware remover programs, common sense, and an awareness of your computer’s performance so you immediately notice when things are ‘not quite right’. Don’t ignore it. Investigate and save yourself potential grief!
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