10 Questions To Ask Yourself And Determine If You Are Spyware Savvy
What actually is spyware?
Spyware is software that's designed to secretly provide a service such as sending e-mail or collecting personal information without the knowing consent of the user. It's often downloaded from the internet, but it can also be installed manually. The term "spyware" is especially used to describe programs that are not necessarily harmful, but are designed to collect information without ever giving an option to stop them. Spyware may also refer to legitimate software if it has been modified in any way which changes its original intent and/or purpose.
There are many types of spyware, but the two most common are adware (software designed to promote the commercial activities of an advertiser), and keyloggers (software designed to secretly collect information such as passwords, credit card numbers, PINs). These two types of spyware are often installed together on your computer.
Adware is usually installed either by other software which you downloaded or by a web browser extension. Be warned that even if you didn't install any software from the internet, your system may have been compromised if it has some adware installed automatically without your knowledge. This means your system may be under attack and that you are not aware of the dangers.
Adware is typically bundled with free software, and the vendor doesn't show any of these undesirable programs to you before you download the software. The adware may also slip into your computer if you let your browser open pop-up ads or advertisements, even if you do not click on such spots. To stay as safe as possible, turn off popup/ad blocking features in your browser because an attacker could use this loophole to install adware on your computer.
Adware is often included in free software packages so that the vendors can make money by showing advertisements to people using their products. This is referred to as sponsored software. These free programs may be downloaded from the internet, and the program often claims that the adware is owned by the software publisher rather than included by them.
If you download a free program, you should really be certain that it does not include any unwanted software such as adware or spyware. Extensions for browsers such as Google Chrome and Firefox have been known to have hidden "helper" programs in them, even if they ask you to choose which extensions are allowed to run on your browser.
An easy way to determine if your download contains adware or spyware is if it claims that it will help you solve problems on your computer and will do this through some type of "fixer". If this program is not recommended by the vendor of the program, it's probably a virus and you should remove it without hesitation.
Australians who use Google Chrome have been reported by some sites as being victims of download-bundling. This means that when you download a program using Google Chrome, if it also has a website on the same page, Chrome will install this site on your computer without your knowledge. Although this is not necessarily spyware, avoid downloading anything using Google Chrome until they provide more information about issues like this.
When downloading software, always pay close attention to the installation prompts that are presented to you when you download an application or a file from a website. You should always make sure you know what is going to be installed on your computer.
Also, make sure that the software vendor has no hidden programs in their download package. A reputable software company will provide you with an installation program that does not have any "extras".
If there are any options during the install process, it is better to uncheck them before accepting the terms of use for the program. This will keep you from having unwanted programs installed on your machine without your explicit consent. Also, if an option asks you to install different languages for this application, it may include more than just a translator; it could also mean clicking through adware and spyware.
If you just can't avoid installing software from unknown sources or vendors, consider using a virtual machine. A virtual machine is a software you can use to run any computer system on your own computer as if it were running on its own. A virtual machine will allow you to run software that could be malicious and block any attempts of it attempting to attack your operating system.
Virtual machines also allow you to test new applications before installing them on your current computer so that you can scan the program for malware before deciding whether or not to install it on your main computer. I recommend having both VMware Player and Oracle VirtualBox installed because they are free and easy to use.
A virtual machine is also a great way to check if your computer has been compromised by adware or spyware. Rather than having this software on your main computer, you can run it inside of a virtual machine to see how well the software behaves and how much information it collects.
If you do not have a virtual machine, consider using a Live CD to test new programs without installing them on your own system. Live CDs are simply custom install disks that function like a normal computer but with no operating system installed at all. You can use programs on such CDs without any risk of them causing harm to your computer. They also allow you to test new software before installing the program on your normal computer.
You can download a Live CD here: http://www.mylivecd.com/
Here are some other good Live CDs:
Richard Skrenta is an emergency manager and a computer technician who has been involved in information technology for over 20 years. He has developed various ways to protect his systems from malware, viruses, and other security threats. He is the author of several computer books that you can find on Amazon.com including "CompTIA A+ 220-901" and "CompTIA A+ 220-902". He is currently working on "CompTIA A+ 220-903".
Helpful Links for Adware:
How to Remove Microsoft Windows Live Messenger from Your Computer
The Ultimate Guide to Completely Clean-up and Hijack Windows Search on your Operating System (July 2011)
Windows 8 Preview hit Microsoft.com and caused havoc on over 200,000 computers, not to mention the Skybox spyware. (January 2013)
How to Disable All Google Chrome Add-on or Extension in Just a Few Clicks? (February 2013)
Malwarebytes Pro enables you to detect and remove these unwanted software easily. Spybot offers built-in anti-spyware that protects you from malware attacks. It is an effective anti-spyware that can remove the most dangerous threats from your PC. Apart from being a security application, Malwarebytes Pro also works as an anti-adware to help you remove unwanted programs from your computer.
Spybot Search & Destroy is a free anti-spyware program for Microsoft Windows. It helps you detect and remove all types of spyware and adware in order to stop them from tracking your surfing habits or sending you advertisements that do not fit your interests.
Conclusion
As you can see from the above article, there are several steps that you can take to avoid unwanted software in your operating system. If any of these tips do not work or you still have problems with adware or spyware, consider using a virtual machine to test your programs before installing them on your own computer. It is also recommended that you scan all downloaded files for viruses before installing them. Having an anti-spyware application installed on your computer is also recommended because this way it will protect your operating system from malware attacks.
Remember, no one knows what kind of malicious code can be installed into a file unless they are the author of that software.