Spyware:

If you use any of the popular operating systems and are connected to the internet, chances are you will have spyware.

This spyware is just sitting there, quietly informing the advertisers on your music listening habits, your web browsing habits or perhaps what your favorite programs are.

If you are unlucky you will be infected with a nastier spyware application like a auto dialer. Auto dialers are programs that ring up undesirable lines usually overseas. The phone bills from auto dialers can be huge, often into the thousands of dollars.

Spyware not only invades your privacy, it also causes stability issues with most operating systems. Spyware coders don’t really care how sloppy their coding is, why would they?

They are only after money. Poor coding leads to spyware damaging a users system, sometimes just visiting a site that has spyware exploits embedded into the html can bring your system to a crawl. Most anti virus applications do not recognize spyware so removing spyware from an infected machine can be difficult. If a novice attempts the removal, it can even be dangerous to the system, as registry editing is always involved.

Browser hijacking is a common way spyware programs get you to visit their website. If your homepage keeps changing to an advertiser’s web page, no matter how many times you have set your favorite homepage, then you definitely have spyware. More often then not, you will also have pop up windows appearing in your browser, even if you are offline!! These can advertise mundane products but a lot of the time you will be flooded with undesirable sites. More serious browser hijackers are able to record every keystroke, particularly ones used at online banking and shopping. When you hear about online identity theft, this is one of the major ways it is done. A hijacked browser is not easily fixed and a novice attempt will often lead to more serious system problems.

How Can I tell I have Spyware?

Not all symptoms are easy to diagnose, but the easy symptoms to recognize include:

- Your computer slowing down to a crawl.
- Undesirable sites popping up in your browser when you are surfing the net
- Your computer mysteriously dials up phone numbers during the middle of the night, leaving you with a huge bill.
- When you enter a search into your search bar, a new and unfamiliar site handles the search.
- New sites are added to your favorites list without you adding them
- Your homepage has been hijacked and even though you remove the new site it keeps coming back
- You get pop up adverts that address you by your name, even when your computer isn’t connected to the internet.

For more information about spyware or to have us remove and protect your system against spyware, please contact us.