Tag Archives: computer
Just What The Heck Is Spyware, Anyway? (Page 1 of 2)
What Is Spyware? It goes by different names. Spyware, adware and malware are some of the more popular monikers. It really doesn’t matter what you call it, though. The bottom line is that you don’t want it on your computer. First of all, let me state for the record that I think the internet is a wonderful thing. I think a majority of people would agree that the World Wide Web has made life for all of us a little more convenient. Whether it’s reserving a hotel room, buying music online, checking the local weather or any number of thousands of useful sites (did I mention email?) we all have gotten a little bit spoiled with having all this information right at our fingertips. That being said though, sometimes we seem to get a little complacent and let our guard down. We forget that the internet has a seedy side full of ways for unscrupulous people to con honest (if not a little niaeve) people out of their money (or worse!). In this article, I’ll cover a few of the pitfalls that many people tend to have trouble with.
Adware: This type of malware is designed to do one thing and one thing only. Get you to buy something. Once this type of software has infected your computer, you will start getting a lot of pop-up ads. Sometimes these ads are the pop-under type. Pop-under’s get by any pop-up blockers by generating an ad without stealing the focus from the web page that your viewing. You usually won’t even know it’s there until you close your browser and see the ad (or ads) displayed on your desktop. Generally, this type of malware is little more than an annoyance, but sometimes multiple instances can cause major slowdowns in your PC or even cause system crashes. Adware is usually bundled with some other “free” software such as free desktop wallpaper, icons or screensavers. It may or may not be disclosed in the end-user license agreement (EULA) of the free software, but even when it is, most people never read those agreements anyway. If you want to protect your computer from this type of malware, you should ALWAYS be suspicious of free software.
Spyware: Spyware does exactly what it’s name implies. It spies on you. Well, actually it spies on your web surfing and purchasing habits. The information that is collected is usually then sold to unscrupulous vendors who target you with spam email. Again, this type of marketing is usually just an annoyance, but anytime your privacy is compromised (especially by some sleazy dirtbag who will do anything to make a buck) there is cause for concern.
Trojan Horses: Sometimes simply known as “Trojans”, these, in my humble opinion, are the worst offenders. If you know the story of the Trojan War, then the name given to these vicious baddies will make perfect sense to you. Here’s the way it works: You are happily surfing along the internet, minding your own business, when all of the sudden a banner pops up and cheerfully anounces that you have won a FREE IPHONE (or a free laptop computer, or a free vacation, etc.). All you have to do to claim this generous prize, it seems, is to “CLICK HERE!”. Trust me on this one, do not ever, EVER, “CLICK HERE!”. BIG MISTAKE! What you’re doing with that click, is allowing malware to be downloaded to your computer that will make your life miserable and, as an added bonus, you’ll never get your free prize.
Auslogics Duplicate File Finder: Delete Duplicate Files for Free
There comes a time when your hard drive becomes so full that there is hardly any space left – you can’t install new software and you even can’t defrag because there is not enough free space. When this happens, a lot of people panic and start uninstalling software and deleting files. As a result they end up deleting something they really need. Of course, you could always move your files to an external hard drive or even use Cloud storage, but that’s not always convenient. Luckily, there is a better way to free up disk space without having to move or delete any useful files or software – all you need to do is delete duplicate files with Auslogics Duplicate File Finder. With the help of this software you can free up a lot of valuable disk space without any hassle.
If you are an active computer user, then most likely you create a lot of files. You save documents in MS Word and Excel, download songs, videos, photos, and software. After all, that’s what using your computer is all about. However, this leads to a low disk space problem, especially if you accumulate duplicate files. These files get created in a few different ways. Sometimes we forget that we’ve downloaded something off the Internet, download it again, and save it to a different folder. So you end up with two copies of the same file. Other times you edit a document and save a second version without deleting the first one. Believe it or not, duplicate files can take up gigabytes of space and also make you less productive because you need to do more work when searching for the right versions.
There is another reason for you to delete duplicate files. When you accumulate too many duplicate files, your computer starts slowing down. That’s because the more files there are, the longer your hard drive needs to find the files you want to open. On top of that, your antivirus has to do more work if it has to scan duplicate files, and disk defrag takes a lot longer. Deleting duplicate files with the free Auslogics Duplicate File Finder will not only free up disk space, but also improve computer performance.
Auslogics Duplicate File Finder will quickly scan your computer for duplicate files and present you with a list. The great thing about this program is that it’s free and can match files by a number of parameters, including by content. This way you can be sure that only true duplicates are deleted. There is also a handy preview feature that allows you to preview the duplicates you are about to delete.
Remember to search for duplicate files every once in a while and you’ll find that you have more free disk space than you thought.
How to thwart the Barbarian Spyware!
Today,on most internet user’s computers, we have the ability to employ software, along with our intelligence, to prevent viruses and spyware. To put this article into proper perspective, we’ll use Medieval defense tactics.
This is accomplished by 3 methods. First, a firewall… ‘The Castle Moat’ so to speak. A firewall can’t see inside your computer beforehand though, so if any viruses or spyware were present before the firewall was installed then its of no use. Of course, its extremely good at preventing new attacks.
Second, a anti-virus program…. ‘The Castle Drawbridge! They will not provide much help with spyware, but good virus protection is as desirable as one of Avaris’s dreams! One drawback can be the updates, of course.If you’ve just updated Wednesday night and a virus hits the next day, then you may not be protected till next Wednesday night, and by then it may be too late. If you’re smart, you will have signed up for email alerts with the provider, or even better, you’ll have a anti-virus program that has a real time update feature. I get the tingles when I see that little pop-up saying a update is available and click here. Its downloaded ,installed, and updated in about 20 seconds! A new virus or Trojan or God forbid, a new keylogger can hit the internet and spread in a matter of days, and I’m sure this must make the definition writers lives a living hell. I have great admiration for them as they could have been wealthy doctors, but they have chosen to help us… the end users. (moment of silence here)
Last, we have anti-spyware programs,’The Flaming oil’! (my favorite). Their update features are like the anti-virus programs, so you have to be as vigilant with this method of defense too as you would be with the others. I’ve heard there are people out there that don’t even know when their updates run, or even if its configured to do so! I refuse to believe this sordid rumor!
So you’ve got your defenses set up, you’re looking good. But the best defense is a good offense, attack! That’s what some organizations do. They prowl the net looking for websites that harbor drive-by downloads, URL Re-Directing and such. When they find them, they shut them down, or report them so effective protection can be manufactured. These people have my sincere thanks for what they do. With identity theft on the rise and Websense reporting that the average computer has 28 items of Spyware on it, we need all the help we can get. Oh sure, you’re saying not my computer ! Well, lets discuss those little boxes that you click “I Agree” to when you download something. Do you read the entire statement? This is one way spyware has become so rampant, because so many downloads have extra software included in them. These can be harmful to your computers well being. KeyLoggers, popups, adware, malware… Need I go on? So my idea is that we need these shining knights from the castle to journey forth on a quest. They will be little robots or spiders like the search engines use. They will be given absolute power over harmful programs they find. They will be like Gort in the movie “The Day the Earth Stood Still”. Dell recently reported that 12% of their calls were for spyware damage, Microsoft says half of their reports of system crashes are caused by spyware. These calls cost these companies millions of dollars in revenue, which they then pass the costs of onto us, the consumers. Who knows, if viruses and spyware ever get controlled, the average computer may only cost a dollar!