| |
| |
|
Security Information |
|
|
|
I Spy...Something Terribly Wrong (In Your Computer)
This really chapped my lips... I recently bought a new computer. Mine was getting old, had lost its whistle, and the few remaining bells didn't ding a nicely as they had in the past. Yep, it was time for a new state-of-the art dream machine with CD burner. DVD player, a bazillion gigabyte drive and more RAM than Rambo has. I whipped out my trusty credit card and told my local CompUSA to ring it up. Well, needless to say I was enthralled. Blazing speed, working whistles, and bells that were more like the Big Ben gong! I could tear through spreadsheets with one CD/ROM tied behind my back. One day, about three months later, my Son came home form college. having heard all about my new pride and joy, he sat down behind the keyboard and fired that puppy up. He put it through its paces for about 30 minutes and then turned and said "It's nice Dad, but I thought it would be faster". HE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE FASTER? What was he, crazy? This box was so hot that it came with it's own fire department. Then he started poking around the hard drive. "Dad", he said "You need an exterminator. Your PC is infested." "Infested with what, bugs?". "Nope", he said "Spyware". "Spy What?". "Spyware", he replied. And then he explained. Even thought I had a good virus prevention utility installed, it didn't protect me against Spyware. Spyware, it seeks, are nasty little programs that get downloaded in similar fashion to the way a virus does. It can be attached to an email, or even one of those new talking E-Cards. it can hide in one of those "Click Here to close this window" boxes, or in any of seemingly a hundred other secret ways. There are essentially two types of Spyware. The less dangerous type either causes lots of ads to pop up every time you go on the Internet, or records your shopping and surfing habits in order to report them back to Big Brother somewhere. Of course, these steal your PC's clock cycles, and cause your hard drive to get bloated, which ends up slowing your entire system down. The problem is, the loss of speed is gradual and you don't even know it's happening until Mr. Big Shot college kid comes along and tells you that your PC is slow. OK, that's bad enough. But then, there is the second kind of Spyware. used by real spies, or at least the kind that want to steal your credit card and personal information so they can clean out your bank accounts and assume your identity. You know, the scary stuff that you're starting to hear about more and more. So, what should I do? Did I need to reformat my hard drive? I hoped not because THAT was no walk in the park. Fortunately my college geek was up on the subject and took me to a site that specialized in safely removing Spyware. We downloaded and installed it in just a few minutes and then fired it up. Holey Schmolie, I was infested. After about 25 minutes of chunking and plunking, the software pronounced me fit and clean. Well, at least my PC was. We rebooted and Boom! All of the speed and performance that had gradually been lost slammed right back into life. Even my Son was impressed. Folks, this Spyware is serious stuff. You can't afford to be wiped out by some cyber terrorist half way across the world. protect your PC, and your identity. You probably already are infested. There's only one way to know for sure, you need to check it out for yourself. Steve Robichaud and Andrew Wroblewski have been involved in online sales and marketing since 1996. For more information on finding and removing Spyware from your PC, visit: http://spyware.pcwash.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Security - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Is Your Email Private? Part 1 of 3 In a word, no - an email message has always been nothing more than a simple text message sent unencrypted to a recipient we choose. So all the email that we so blithely send all over the Internet everyday is neither private nor secure. Detect Spyware Online You can detect spyware online using free spyware cleaners and by installing spyware protection software on your computer. Often it's best to start with free spyware cleaners because these free programs will remove any spyware programs currently running on your computer. Instant Messaging - Expressway for Identity Theft, Trojan Horses, Viruses, and Worms Never before with Instant Messaging (IM) has a more vital warning been needed for current and potential IM buddies who chat on line.John Sakoda of IMlogic CTO and Vice President of Products stated that,"IM viruses and worms are growing exponentially. Its Time to Sing the Encryption Song - Again! Yes, I'm wearing my encryption hat again. Why you may ask? Well I just finished reading about the newest security hole in Microsoft's latest server product. Clown Internet Scam - An Internet Scam is Currently Targeting Clowns and Other Entertainers I am the victim of an internet scam. It is very hard to write that sentence, but it's necessary in order to warn my fellow clowns, magicians and other entertainers, and to prevent them from being taken for $2,800. If You Sell Anything Online Your ePockets Are Being Picked You and I are a lot alike. We are both software publishers and eBook authors getting hosed on a regular basis. Virus Nightmare..Lessons Learned I got a virus the other day, Thursday I believe and since then I have been making FRANTIC efforts to save all my info.The most important thing for me to save are my Outlook Express emails and my Roboform passwords. 3 Things You Must Know About Spyware 1)Spyware is on your system. Like it or not, statistically speaking, you probably have spyware on your machine right now. Wells Fargo Report Phishing Scam First off I should explain what phishing is. Phishing is basically the act of tricking a victim into divulging information. A Personal Experience with Identity Theft Some months ago, before there was much publicity regarding phishing and identity theft, I became a victim.My first inkling that I'd been scammed came from a telephone call from my bank asking if I had been to Italy or Roumania. Internet Privacy Over the past few years as the internet has become more and more popular, privacy has become a major issue. Just as if you are walking down the street and can be watched, every click of your mouse every website you browse, or file you download, is traceable. Spyware Symptoms Spyware symptoms happen when your computer gets bogged down with spyware programs running in the background without your knowledge. Spyware, adware, malware and even spamware can cause your computer to behave very strange. The Never Ending Spyware Story It's been with us since 1993, it's gotten more intrusive, more complicated.It's created a whole ecosystem, so to speak. HackAttack P C. owners are constantly at risk from attacks by hackers. Spyware Attacks! Windows Safe Mode is No Longer Safe Many of us have run into an annoying and time-consuming error. With your machine running goofey you decide to run a scan for trojans and spyware. The Move to a New Anti-Virus Model This is the second in a series of articles highlighting reasons why we need a new model for anti-virus and security solutions.Reason #1: the Basic ModelAnti-virus software vendors still rely on yesterday's methods for solving today's problems: they wait for the next virus to wreak havoc and then produce a solution. 5 Simple Steps to Protect your Digital Downloads A couple of days ago, I was searching for a popular eBook online. Now I'm not going to tell you the name of this eBook for reasons you'll understand in the next few minutes. Phishing and Pharming: Dangerous Scams As soon as almost all computer users already got used to -- or at least heard about -- the word "phishing", another somewhat confusing word appeared not long ago. Pharming. Consumers: Shop Online and Get Information Safely Do you really have to know how feeds work? Not really. But you do need to understand how they can benefit you as a consumer or as an information seeker. Is Your Music Player Spying On You? In today's times spyware is a very serious issue and all computer users should be aware of the possible damage it can cause. It is estimated by well known industry insiders that nearly 90% of all computers are infected with some kind of spyware.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
