Spyware Information

You are probably all too familiar with the annoying pop-up ads that you may have experienced on your computers just by opening up Internet Explorer or being connected to the internet. You may also have experienced strange behavior in your computer, such as slow startup speeds and slow browsing or even icons on your desktop that you didn't put there. You may see software installed on your computer that you didn't install yourself or toolbars in Internet Explorer that were never there before. These are all symptoms of a common problem, known as spyware.

According to spyware expert Roger Thompson of Computer Associates, spyware is any technology that discloses information about a computer or its user to a third party without the user being reasonably able to understand the disclosure activity, and/or without the user being reasonably able to uninstall or disable that technology if they so choose. Spyware is also any technology that modifies the behavior of the computer or programs, so that the resulting behavior is not something that the user might reasonably expect.

Spyware can come from a number of places. The most common cause of a computer being infected with spyware is the downloading and installation of free software, specifically file-sharing, or peer-to-peer, software. Programs such as Kazaa, WinMX, LimeWire, BearShare, Grokster, and many others are all bundled with spyware. When you install them, they also install other programs onto your computer without your knowledge. You can also be infected by spyware just by visiting certain websites or clicking on pop-up windows. To be sure you do not get infected from pop-up windows, simply click the X to close the window. Never click anything inside the pop-up, no matter what it says. Many of these pop-ups like to trick the user into clicking them by saying something similar to "Your computer is infected, click OK to remove the infection." There is most likely not an infection, until you click OK.

Spyware can be removed with the help of a few utilities. Many of you know about or have even used programs called Ad-Aware, SpyBot, and Windows Defender. You should be sure to have the latest versions of these programs on your computer and update and run them on a weekly basis. These 3 programs are freely available for download. Downloads and tutorials for each program can be found at their websites. Ad-Aware can be found at www.lavasoftusa.com, SpyBot is found at www.spybot.info, and Windows Defender is found at www.microsoft.com. The Help Desk will also provide assistance as needed. In addition to having these programs, you should also be running anti-virus software. The college provides McAfee VirusScan Enterprise free-of-charge to all students. This is also available on the CD's at the Helpdesk. In addition, there is also documentation on the Help Desk website regarding anti-spyware software. If you have any questions, you can always call the Help Desk at extension 4357 or H-E-L-P.