How To Kill Spyware
By Andre Bell

Almost everyone who uses the internet has seen popup ads and has
been embarrassed when your browser is redirected without your
permission to web pages you had no desire to see. Aunt Mabel would
get sent to an early grave if she were sitting there. The shame of
it!

Worse perhaps is finding your bank accounts or credit cards or
online accounts like PayPal and eBay have been charged for things
you've never purchased, from companies you've never heard of, and
shipped to places you've never been to.

All this can result from privacy intrusions and malicious spyware.

The internet is a great place to schedule vacations and shop for
everything from low-cost specialty toothpastes to high-end luxury
homes all from the comfort of your favorite easy chair. So how do
you continue to do this without risking your privacy?

You make certain the computer you use is free from all identity
threats and spyware.

How do you know if your computer has been infected?

Most spyware leaves traces and clues that your computer has been
infected. You get popup ads even after being disconnected from the
internet, your computer starts slowing down for no apparent reason,
it takes longer to connect to the internet, your home page has
changed without your permission, and sites you've never visited have
been added to your favorites.

Those are just some of the more obvious clues.

Some spyware `hides' in your computer and watches everything and you
do online and offline. Then it reports back to its owner all the
information (YOUR INFORMATION) that it has gathered. It is just as
dangerous but harder to notice.

So how do you remove spyware and protect your identity?

The hard (and crazy) way is to manually edit your registry and
hidden startup files. I do not recommend this for most people unless
it's a last resort attempt to gain back control of your computer.

The easy way to get rid spyware is to install anti-spyware software
such as Spybot Search & Destroy, Webroot SpySweeper, or AdAware.
Spybot S&D is the preferred single choice.

What makes Spybot such a good value? Spybot is very thorough at
removing the majority of spyware threats you are likely to see and
it is free. However, by itself no single anti-spyware program is
sufficient if your privacy is important to you.

I also recommend you run Webroot Spysweeper. It has a free demo
version that works very well and last that I checked it was in no
way `crippled', as some demos are.

Webroot and Spybot make a powerful one two punch that will get rid
of most, if not all spyware that is running on your computer.
However, neither will get rid of Trojans or viruses that might be
serving up spyware or other exploits. You'll need a strong antivirus
program for that.

Once your computer is clean from spyware how do you prevent
reinfection?

The best defense is not to get infected in the first place.

* Get a MAC. Supporters of Apple's MAC computers claim there has
never been a successful virus written for Mac OS X and there is very
little spyware that targets the Mac computer. Nearly all existing
spyware and viruses target vulnerabilities in Windows machines
because most computers are running some version of Microsoft
Windows. This makes the MAC an attractive option for anyone who is
mega-concerned with online privacy.

However, the learning curve, the cost of implementing all new
software and an unfamiliar operating system, and the lack of
compatibility with Windows pc owners (not to mention the high cost
of purchasing a MAC) discourages most people from seriously
considering buying a MAC. If that doesn't turn you off then maybe a
MAC is right for you.

* Keep your version of Windows security up-to-date by frequently
visiting http://update.microsoft.com

* Stay off of questionable web sites. This includes `adult' sites
and piracy sites

* Run real-time protection shields that come with programs like
AdAware, Spybot, Webroot SpySweeper, and `The Cleaner'

Once you've cleaned your machine of threats and taken these steps to
protect yourself you can return to doing your online banking and
making online purchases with confidence your privacy is safe and
without the fear of giving Aunt Mabel a coronary.

---------------

Andre Bell is an author and Microsoft Certified Professional who has
worked as a system administrator, an independent computer
technician, and as a technical support specialist for UPS. He has
authored The Internet Identity Theft Protection DVD. To request a
free copy of this DVD go to www.noidtheft.net/free