What is the Best Way to Protect Myself Against Spyware ?
Spyware certainly has become a major problem on the internet today for both home and business computers. Originally, advertisers came up with the idea that by tracking a persons surfing habits, it would not only help advertisers immensely, but would also help consumers by showing them ads they were most interested in seeing.
What advertisers didn't count on at the time was that the majority of people found the idea of someone tracking their surfing habits offensive which subsequently pushed the idea underground - and behind closed doors. Instead of being up front with computer users about installing programs that would track surfing habits - less the scrupulous companies began to hide their tracking software in other programs such as file sharing clients ( napster, kazaa ) and freeware software.
Realistically though, spyware that only tracks usage for advertising effectiveness is really only offensive in principle rather then an actual threat. But before long, spyware became the proverbial back door to a users computer - and the threat of data and identity theft.
Spyware now represents a real threat to both commercial and home computer users. Although most advertising based spyware is simply designed to increase advertising performance - it also has created a real system vulnerability when it comes to hackers and back door intruders. The result is that your personal information can be at risk.
At the very least, computer spyware robs your system of processing speed and memory which ultimately inhibits the performance of your computer.
One of the biggest threats from spyware is the installation of self executing software that once in your system, begins to change your computer's internal settings including opening what is known as back doors to your computer. As you likely have guessed, the reason they are opening this access to your system is so more programs can install themselves on your computer. These can range from simple browser hijackers to highly dangerous worms that are designed to find your personal information such as bank account numbers, user names and passwords. As you can imagine, the potential threat to your personal information can range from moderate to extreme.
The good news is that protecting your system from spyware is a relatively easy thing to achieve through the use of a quality spyware software application on your computer. The best spyware program I've come across is a program called Identity Patrol by Patrol Software Labs. Interestingly, the program was actually created as a tool to prevent digital identity theft, and in doing so, have created the most powerful anti-spyware application on the web.
In my testing of the product, it was the only program that detected two hidden key logger programs and a parental monitoring software application we installed as test subjects. To see their own testing of the software against the leading spyware removal products on the web, click here. ( a new window will open and you won't leave our site )
What we liked about Identity Patrol is that It will find and eliminate all spyware on your computer - 116,000 plus known threats and counting at the time of this writing - as well as prevent any spyware from being installed in the future including trojans, keyloggers and the dreaded system hijackers that are the rage among rogue websites. It also will prevent any attempts from hidden malware to change the settings on your computer which is a favorite trick of spyware creators to make their software more difficult to find and remove. Identity Patrol is a free download and you can scan your system for any vulnerabilities at no charge.
Just as all computers systems should have anti virus protection, they should also have a trusted spyware protection plan. On a closing note, be wary of many of the cheaper spyware programs that are created by off shore script farms. Before you invest in any software, be sure to do your research.
Article Resources
To visit the Identity Patrol website, click here.
Editors Note.
AskNerd is not an affiliate of Identity Patrol and receives no commission for referring users to this product's website.
