The Spyware and Malware "Nightmare"

Is your PC feeling sluggish? Has your browser recently acquired a mysterious new toolbar? Are new programs showing up unexpectedly in your system tray? Do advertising windows pop up even when you're not browsing the Web? Have you discovered surprise 900-number charges on your phone bill?
All of these are telltale signs that your computer is beset with adware, spyware, or other malicious software you don't want and don't need. These programs often sneak onto your PC by piggybacking on a downloaded program, e-mail message, or Web site, Like viruses. Though not as dangerous as viruses, adware, spyware, and other unsolicited software can slow your PC, bog down your Internet connection, reduce your productivity, and jeopardize your personal privacy.
unwanted software can be avoided by being choosy about the free programs you download, and by understanding your browser's security settings. Removing adware and spyware can be tricky, but several free utilities detect and remove hundreds of known bugs.

How Did This Get Here?

Adware is any kind of software that, once installed on your PC, pops up browser windows containing advertisements. The software may also track your Web browsing (without attempting to identify you personally) and use the information to send targeted advertising related to your browsing habits. While this is fairly innocuous behavior, you are nevertheless paying for these ads to be displayed by donating your machine's processor time and your Internet connection's bandwidth.

Spyware is like addware, except that it has gone completely over to the dark side, scanning your hard drive for personal information or attempting to link your surfing habits to your name or e-mail address. Once spyware has discovered your e-mail address, an onslaught of spam can't be far behind. More insidious than either adware or spyware are dialers, which highjack your Internet connection and silently route you through toll numbers that can cost several dollars per minute. Dialers often piggyback on the porn spam that plagues most e-mail in-boxes. Simply previewing the e-mail message can, in some cases, install the dialer.

Most adware and spyware come bundled with popular free programs, notably the popular peer-to-peer file-sharing programs like Kazaa, IMesh, and BearShare. Installing one of these can dump dozens of additional programs on your PC. Unfortunately, the makers of the host programs try not to advertise their programs' hidden payloads. Reading the licensing agreement (carefully) during installation will often reveal embedded licenses for the piggybacking adware. Look for notorious adware and spyware names like CommonName, FavoriteMan, GAIN, New.net, and "nCase." For an extensive catalog of the many varieties of adware and spyware currently in circulation, see the section on parasites at Andrew Clover's Web site.

Don't Let Adware or Spyware get you.

Ron and Laura Perkins