Over the past few months, I have helped several family members, friends and associates remove spyware from their computers. Often, people don\’t even realize they are infected with this insidious stuff. All they know is that their computers are running slower and those blasted pop up ads just keep coming.
My son didn\’t know any better when he clicked on a popup ad for \”free smilies\”. He meant well, but that one click managed to install an entire herd of spyware on his computer. It took me the better part of an afternoon to clean it up!
People ask me which spyware program does the trick. The fact of the matter is, none of the tools available manage to do the job completely. And so, I recommend a suite of tools, all available for free download.
The first tool to have is Spybot – Search and Destroy. Not only does this small program install quickly and provide powerful features, but it is free. Free is good.
Next, I add AdAware from Lavasoft into the mix. AdAware Personal is free for non-commercial use. They do provide a paid version for businesses and multiple machines.
Finally, I like to use SpySweeper to finish the job. Created by WebRoot software, SpySweeper is also a powerful tool with a free 30-day trial.
One of the difficulties with spyware is that the creators are always coming up with new ways to invade your computer. Each of the programs mentioned update their spyware definitions from time to time, but none of them catch all the varieties of spyware. There is some overlap, but each does have its strengths. If you are overloaded with spyware, I suggest this trio of products.
For more industrial strength cleaning, you may wish to download Hijack This. This free program really lets you look under the hood of your computer to see all the spyware that is secretly lurking. However, without some more-than-basic knowledge of the windows operating system, this program can be dangerous. Not for beginners!
Is Spyware getting worse? Definitely. Will government regulation make it go away? Bwahahaha! Does government EVER make problems go away?
Just like spam, offenders can easily take their business (if you can call it that) offshore and avoid US legal entanglements. I believe Spyware is going to be with us for some time, so the best defense is a good offense. Practice \”safe surfing\” with these tools and hopefully you can avoid infestation.