$Adware/Spyware: All of it Malware!$

 

            Surely you’ve seen them:  unwanted pop-ups advertising everything from hot dates to travel opportunities to virus protection! 

 

They’re a nuisance; they’re a distraction; they’re adware!

 

How do you get them? 

 

Why you? 

 

Well, it could be your own fault! 

 

Ever accept the installation of a component of an application without really knowing what you were accepting? 

You could have been saying “yes” to adware or, worse, to spyware!!! 

 

 

Spyware, often associated with tracking cookies, is a term used for software that embeds itself deeply in your computer and “spies” on you! 

 

That’s right! 

 

It traces your surfing habits and then targets you for advertising and solicitations. 

 

And it’s not easy to identify for most people. 

 

Removing it is best done with the help of safety and privacy software and services created just for that purpose.  Firewalls are a great help, but like all technology, the firewalls will have to keep getting more and more sophisticated to keep up with the purveyors of malware.* 

 

And some malware is more than a nuisance; it can take up valuable space and slow down your system. 

 

There are even some laws against it, though they have been difficult to enforce.

 

Your best bet is to having a good firewall and running regular scans on your system. 

 

See the link to “How Things Work” for more practical suggestions to keep you from being a victim of malware!

 

*Malware is a general term for any software that threatens to compromise your computer!