 How
to Prevent Spyware and AdWare
Is your computer running slower, do popups invade your screen,
are their odd
messages that keep
haunting you?
We hear it time and again, "I have no idea how it happened, but for some
reason my web browser
now goes to a strange search engine that I've never seen before. I
didn't change anything.
I can't seem to get rid of whatever is causing these problems or find
a way to
return to the
default search engine. As a matter of fact, I can't even get to some
sites
anymore. Do you have
any ideas why this might be happening and how I can go about restoring
everything to the way it
was before?
You probably have spyware or adware that was likely inadvertently downloaded
to your computer
via a piece of freeware or shareware. A word of advice - you should be
very
careful about what
software you install on your system. Be sure to carefully read the EULA
(end
user license
agreement) for any piece of shareware or file sharing package (such as
KaZaA, BearShare,
Morpheus and many more). These types of applications are often littered
with
adware and spyware
programs that insidiously install themselves on your machine
 Making matters worse, some sites will even automatically download components
onto your system
if you're not careful (like modem dialers, browser plug-ins, search bars,
etc.).
Diagnosing and Removing the Problem
First, ensure you have an Antivirus program on your system. Next,
ensure your antivirus
program is up to date. Many antivirus programs will also remove
trojans and
some spyware from
your system.
However, because viruses like these often make modifications to key system
files like the
windows HOSTS file, they often can't just be automatically removed. Instead,
the files will
need to be edited and/or restored manually.
Perform at least one scan in Safe Mode to be sure.
Installing Safeguards to Prevent Future Infestations
Once you get the system repaired I would recommend taking the time to
install some safeguards
to minimize the chances of this happening to you again.
We would also recommend installing a personal firewall on your system.
ZoneAlarm is a great
firewall and is offered in a free version. Windows XP contains a free
firewall that is built
in to the operating system itself.
A good adware and spyware scanner would be valuable in this situation as
well. ETC recommends
Ad-Aware which is a small download, is very simple to use, and best of all,
is completely free. We also recommend Spybot Search and Destroy, SpywareBlaster
and Microsoft's AntiSpyware - yes,
all of these, run separately, each may find different spyware objects, and
remove them.
If you're willing to pay for a program, you can purchase a software package
that can handle all
of these preventative measures for you, including setting up a personal
firewall, anti-virus
protection, popup elimination, and more. One of the best available suites is
Norton's Internet
Security 2005, which can be purchased for around $70.
While these tools (and others like them) are very effective at protecting
your PCs, there is
only so much they can do, and they work most effectively when used in
conjunction with a bit of
common sense. Remember, as helpful as they are, nothing will ever be 100%
effective. I hope
these tips and recommendations help, and best of luck to you!
Please check out our website and our resources at
http://www.etccomputerland.com/resources.
We'll be adding instructions for Microsoft's AntiSpyware product as well. If
you have trouble - ETC is a phone call away - (217) 222-1451!
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