Being aware of adware and spyware

One of my pet peeves while working on my computer, is having an unexpected website pop up all of the sudden. Now the website can range from the mundane to the pornographic, but it is almost always an advertisement trying to sell me something. These types of websites are called pop up ads or adware.
Pops up ads are to internet surfing, what spam is to email accounts, an annoyance. Some of the more aggressive adware software can inundate your system with what seems like an endless barrage of advertisements. When I warned you a few months ago about some possible concerns of file swapping websites like Kazaa, this is also one of those concerns. One way that many of these adware programs and other programs, set up shop on your system is through the user agreement. Since most people don’t read or fully understand most user agreements, it makes it a prime way to legally slip adware and spyware on your computer. Kazaa uses a spyware program called cydoor. If you have Kazaa, perform a search on your computer for this file.
Spyware is definitely the most troubling of the two programs. Spyware is software that sends information from your computer to a remote computer. If that is not enough to keep you up nights, factor in the fact that you do not know what information is being sent and what it will be used for. Ideally, many spyware programs were made to aid companies in consumer marketing and research. I tend to view spyware on my computer in much the same way that I would a trojan horse virus or a worm. Ultimately, you are forced to rely on the collectors of this information not to use it in a detrimental manner. Considering the manner in which the program is installed and information transmitted, I don’t think that is a chance that I would like to take.
Fear not, there are ways to protect yourself from such digital hazards. One assumption that many may be thinking is that I have an anti-virus software on my system, so why should I be concerned? Well, in much the same manner that one vaccination shot will probably not ensure you of a healthy winter, one software program may not span all of your needs. The first option actually does not require you to install any software and it is free. Read the user license agreement. You may not understand all of the contractual minutiae, but you should be able ascertain if additional programs are being installed.
The next step is where you hit your favorite local software vendor for some firewall software. Zone Alarm is a good software to start with because it can allow internet access on a program by program basis. The low cost alternative is to download Ad-Aware or Opt Out. Ad-Aware should resolve many of your adware and spyware issues. You can find Ad-Aware at lavasoftusa.com, Opt Out at grc.com/optout.htm, and Zone Alarm at zonelabs.com. As always, you can email more specific questions to me.