Spy-ware and Ad-ware

Spy-ware: Any program that unknowingly reports data back to its originator. This data could be surfing habits, product interest, personal information or a number of other statistics.

Ad-ware: Any program that forces unwanted and unsolicited advertising.

Do you have Spy-ware or Ad-ware on your PC. I bet you do! In the last year there has been an epidemic of hidden programs being passed right through your web browser. Without any warning at all you are freely sold out to information gatherers, and to beat it all, the problem isn’t going away.

Unlike a virus, Spy-ware and Ad-ware are not intended to harm your system. In fact, to harm your system would be a detriment to the entire process, since the ultimate goal is to collect data unseen. How do you protect yourself from these privacy robbers? Well basically you can’t, unless you raise your security levels so high you take all the pleasure out of surfing the web. So, here is the best alternative.

Many companies have developed removal programs that target Spy-ware and Ad-ware, much like the way an anti-virus program targets a virus. These programs remove unwanted and unseen software from your system without risking a walk through the Windows® registry and crashing your system. The two programs I have found to rely on are Spy-bot Search & Destroy and Lavasoft’s Ad-aware. I recommend using both of these programs in conjunction with each other to get a thorough cleaning. In my own little test I discovered that after running Spy-bot once, Ad-aware discovered 40 more hidden programs Spy-bot missed. I didn’t try this experiment with Ad-aware first, but I am almost positive the results would be the same, no program is perfect.

I have included links to Spy-bot and Ad-aware in this article so you can start downloading them today. The programs are free, but request a donation or registering. Both programs are a little complicated but there is little you can mess up so don’t be afraid to experiment.

Happy Computing …
Chad Hembree

Ad-aware: http://www.lavasoftusa.com
Spy-bot Search & Destroy: http://www.safer-networking.org

Written by Chad Hembree