MORE INFORMATION ON SPYWARE

DEFINITIONS OF SPYWARE

A general term for a program that surreptitiously monitors your actions. While they are sometimes sinister, like a remote control program used by a hacker, software companies have been known to use spyware to gather data about customers. The practice is generally frowned upon.

A technology that assists in gathering information about a person or organization without their knowledge. On the Internet, "spyware is programming that is put in someone's computer to secretly gather information about the user and relay it to advertisers or other interested parties." As such, spyware is cause for public concern about privacy on the Internet.

This is also known as "adware". It is a hidden software program that transmits user information via the Internet to advertisers in exchange for free downloaded software.

There are concerns that some Web sites and commercial organisations track users' online activity through the use of what is called ‘spyware'. Usually coming in the form of ‘cookies' - these enable the cookie writer to build-up information about what you do and where you go on the Web. Software is available that checks for and removes spyware.

Software that tracks usage and reports it to others, such as advertisers Usually the tracking is concealed from the user of the software.

DEFINITIONS OF ADWARE

while not necessarily malware, adware is considered to go beyond the reasonable advertising that one might expect from freeware or shareware.

Typically a separate program that is installed at the same time as a shareware or similar program, adware will usually continue to generate advertising even when the user is not running the origianlly desired program. See also cookies, spyware, and web bugs.

Software that is free to the user, but supported by advertisers.

Adware is software that may have been installed on your computer by a remote site. Many free utilities that you download from the Internet will install hidden software that sends details of the websites you visit and other information from your computer (which can include your email address) to advertisers so they can target you with popup ads and spam. See Spam, Spyware.

A program that displays banners while being run, or reports users habits or information to 3rd parties.

Where and how did I get infected?

You usually get infected because your security settings are too low.

Here are a number of recommendations that will help tighten them, and which will contribute to making you a less likely victim:

1. Watch what you download!
   Many freeware programs, and P2P programs like Grokster, Imesh, Kazaa, Precision Date Managers, Precision Time Managers, Calendar Reminders services and others are amongst the most notorious, come with an enormous amount of bundled spyware that will eat system resources, slow down your system, clash with other installed software, or just plain crash your browser or even Windows itself.

2. Go to IE > Tools > Windows Update > Product Updates, and install ALL Security Updates listed. It's important to always keep current with the latest security fixes from Microsoft.
   Install those patches for Internet Explorer, and make sure your installation of Java VM is up-to-date. There are some well known security bugs with Microsoft Java VM which are exploited regularly by browser hijackers.

3. Go to Internet Options/Security/Internet, press 'default level', then OK.

   Now press "Custom Level."

   In the ActiveX section, set the first two options ("Download signed and unsigned ActiveX controls) to 'prompt', and 'Initialize and Script ActiveX controls not marked as safe" to 'disable'.

   Now you will be asked whether you want ActiveX objects to be executed and whether you want software to be installed.
   Sites that you know for sure are above suspicion can be moved to the Trusted Zone in Internet Option/security.

   So why is activex so dangerous that you have to increase the security for it?
   When your browser runs an activex control, it is running an executable program. It's no different from doubleclicking an exe file on your hard drive.
   Would you run just any random file downloaded off a web site without knowing what it is and what it does?

   And some more advice:

4. Install SpyBot Search and Destroy or SpywareBlaster

   It will protect you from all spy/foistware in it's database by blocking installation of their ActiveX objects.

   Download and install, download the latest updates, and you'll see a list of all spyware programs covered by the program (NOTE: this is NOT spyware found on your computer)
   Press "select all", then "kill all checked", and you're done.
   The spyware that you told Spywareblaster to set the "kill bit" for won't be a hazard to you any longer.
   Although it won't protect you from every form of spyware known to man, it is a very potent extra layer of protection.
   Don't forget to check for updates every week or so.

5. Another brilliant program by Javacool we recommend is SpywareGuard.
   It provides a degree of real-time protection solution against spyware that is a great addition to SpywareBlaster's protection method.

   An anti-virus program scans files before you open them and prevents execution if a virus is detected - SpywareGuard does the same thing, but for spyware! And you can easily have an anti-virus program running alongside SpywareGuard.
   It now also features Download Protection and Browser Hijacking Protection!