Are You Safe From Hackers?

We don't use E-gold very often since most of our online business and customer sales are conducted through our online merchant account. However, we occasionally have someone who will request paying by E-gold so we keep an account there for this reason. Once a month or so we withdraw the funds and decided to do so yesterday. Imagine our dismay when we logged into our E-gold account yesterday and found our balance to be a big fat ZERO! We had checked the balance just a few days ago so we knew this was not correct. After investigating the history of the account, we found that a spend had been made to another e-gold account user WITHOUT our knowledge or authorization. We had been hacked!

Since we have up to date anti-virus and firewall software on our computer, we assumed we were safe. Not so! It seems this is not enough to keep away the hackers as the software does not prevent "Spyware" from being installed on your computer.

"Spyware" is software that gets onto your computer and literally "spies" on your activities. The spying can range from relatively harmless use of cookies tracking you across multiple websites... to extremely dangerous "keystroke loggers" which record passwords, credit cards, and other personal data. That data then gets relayed to the person who put the software on your computer.

Spyware gets on your computer in one of several different ways.

First, it rides along with software you download from the 'Net and install on your system.

Second, they come as email attachments (much like viruses) and automatically install themselves on your computer when you open the email message.

Third, hackers find an open port on your computer and use the "back door" to install basically anything they want.

And fourth, the more malicious types, like keystroke loggers, can even get installed by someone with direct physical access to your computer such as an employer, suspicious spouse, business competitor, or someone who wants to know exactly what you're doing.

So how do you protect yourself against these malicious hackers? You need a program that specifically scans your system for the tens-of-thousands of existing spyware programs along with the new ones appearing daily.

Below are two programs which specifically check for and remove spyware from your system:

"Spybot Search & Destroy" - http://www.safer-networking.org
"Ad Aware" - http://www.lavasoft.de/software/adaware/

You may have spyware lurking on your computer right now so protect yourself today by downloading one of the above programs!

As a point of reference, we contacted E-gold and informed them that we had been hacked. We provided them with the account number of the person who received the funds and asked for a contact e-mail address on the person. E-gold informed us that they could not provide that information without a "court order" and that basically there was no way of getting the money back!

Take action today to protect yourself from this growing threat! The bottom line is: - Keep your anti-virus program current

- Install a firewall
- Carefully screen software before installing it
- Scan specifically for spyware weekly
- Stay current on this growing threat.

READ MORE - Are You Safe From Hackers?

Ways That Computer Viruses Spread

For a virus or similar program to have any great impact it needs to be able to spread from one machine to another. They are specifically designed to get access to parts of your computer system that allow for communication with other machines. Below is a discussion of some of the most common methods.

Boot Infectors

Every disk (hard disk, floppy, CD, DVD) contains a boot sector whether it is a bootable disk or not. When a computer is turned on, it looks for boot informati...


For a virus or similar program to have any great impact it needs to be able to spread from one machine to another. They are specifically designed to get access to parts of your computer system that allow for communication with other machines. Below is a discussion of some of the most common methods.

Boot Infectors

Every disk (hard disk, floppy, CD, DVD) contains a boot sector whether it is a bootable disk or not. When a computer is turned on, it looks for boot information. If the computer finds a disk with boot information, it reads that information and uses it to properly start the computer. If for some reason that boot information is infected with a virus, the virus is activated and possibly transferred to the computer's hard drive (if the infection was on a CD for example).

Once the boot code on the hard drive is infected the virus will be loaded into your computer's memory every time you start your computer. From memory the boot virus can travel to any and every disk that is put into your computer. This is how the infection spreads.

Most boot viruses could be on a system for a long time without causing problems, simply existing there to spread themselves. Often such viruses are designed to activate their bad behaviour on a specific date (Halloween for example). There are some nasty boot viruses that will destroy the boot information or force a complete format of the hard drive immediately after they get into a computer.

Program Infectors

When an infected application is run the virus activates and is loaded into memory. While the virus is in memory any new program file that you run can become infected. This means that there will be increasingly more applications on your system that are infected. Multiple infections are very common and will certainly cause system problems.

Program files may function without any problems for some time but eventually they will have problems or multiple infections brings the entire computer system down. The data the program produces may be a first sign of infection such as saving files without proper names, or with incorrect/incomplete data being saved.

Viruses of this type are often designed to seek out programs that are used to share information between users/computers such as email applications, screen savers, office document Macros, and self-extracting compressed files.

Through e-mail attachments

Many of the most dangerous viruses are primarily spread through e-mail attachments - files that can be sent along with an e-mail message. In such cases, the user of an infected computer unknowingly attaches an infected file to an email message, and then sends the email to a friend or colleague. When the email is received, the virus is launched when the file attachment is opened, thus infecting a new computer. Email messages with animations, automated greeting cards, jokes, photographs, spreadsheet and document files, all have been documented to contain virus files.

More and more frequently these days mass mailing email worms/viruses are being released. These attacks AUTOMATICALLY scan your computer's files for any email address it can find and then uses your email application to AUTOMATICALLY send infected messages to any email address found in any file on your computer (not just email message files).

It is important to be aware of the emails that you open to make sure that they do not contain harmful viruses. Even emails from family and friends could have a virus, if that person's computer is infected. This is where an anti-virus software would be really helpful in detecting if there is a virus in any incoming messages.

READ MORE - Ways That Computer Viruses Spread

Virus Protection not enough to keep your system safe

Many people believe that they are protected because they have anti-virus protection. Sadly, this is not the case. There are many threats that your anti-virus software will not protect you against. If you are surfing the Internet with just anti-virus protection then you may already have malicious programs running in your computer ‘background’, unknown to you and doing irreparable harm.
The Internet is a dangerous place for people as well as computer systems. Every day there is a new threat that seeks to do harm to your computer and the information contained within your hard drive.

Many people believe that they are protected because they have anti-virus protection. Sadly, this is not the case. There are many threats that your anti-virus software will not protect you against. If you are surfing the Internet with just anti-virus protection then you may already have malicious programs running in your computer ‘background’, unknown to you and doing irreparable harm.

These programs are more commonly referred to as spyware. Spyware is similar in nature to a computer virus in that they both infiltrate and affect system resources and often times both are hard to detect. The main reason that anti-virus does not protect against such threats is because spyware does not appear to be malicious. Often times spyware is disguised as something as harmless as a computer cookie. Once it is logged into your system a whole host of problems can occur.

By its very name, spyware is used to spy on your computer system. This gives whoever created the code a chance to access all of the confidential data that is stored on your hard drive, like passwords, financial data, and personal identification items. Hackers can also use spyware to hijack your computer system and use your accounts for illegal activities such as sending spam mails from your email account, or worse-stealing credit card information. Of course this is all happening right under your nose because your anti-virus protection software was never meant to catch this new kind of code.

People often ask how they can avoid getting spyware. The simple answer is there is no way to keep from getting spyware, absent setting your browser security options to a very high level, but there is a way to remove it from your system before it does any damage.

You will need to purchase and use spyware removal software. This is the only effective method to protect yourself and your computer from the malicious content that is found on the web. A spyware removal program acts as a sweeper, and ultimately a protector by destroying the spyware code found on your drives. It is as simple as that.

The best course of action that one should take is to run the spyware removal software after each session on the web, or weekly if that is to much of a burden. There is no way to avoid all of the potential threats that are on the net these days. Even if you visit only reputable sites that you have visited before you still run a high risk of getting spyware. Most often, a webmaster has no idea that his site is being used to distribute spyware. Producers of the spyware code are getting smarter everyday, and they’re learning to cover their tracks well.

The only way to protect yourself is with this knowledge and a great spyware removal program.
If you need the very best in spyware removal then visit http://spyware-removal.thrcomputer.com
Here you will be provided with the best spyware removal program that is currently available on the market, hands down.

READ MORE - Virus Protection not enough to keep your system safe

How Viruses Contaminate Your Computer

Viruses are little bits of software that normally have a negative impact on our computers when they are activated. Usually viruses are attached onto other software programs (games, disk utilities, office documents/Macros, screen-savers), and are activated when these normally harmless programs are started.

A virus is inactive until the infected program is run or an infected boot record on a floppy/CD is read. When the virus is activated it loads into your computer's memory ...

Viruses are little bits of software that normally have a negative impact on our computers when they are activated. Usually viruses are attached onto other software programs (games, disk utilities, office documents/Macros, screen-savers), and are activated when these normally harmless programs are started.

A virus is inactive until the infected program is run or an infected boot record on a floppy/CD is read. When the virus is activated it loads into your computer's memory where it can perform its nasty job or spread itself to other programs on your system or computers in your network.

Floppy disks used in an infected system (or CD-Roms/DVDs burned on an infected system) can then carry the virus to another machine. Programs downloaded from USENET, or file-sharing programs (Kazaa, Morpheus, Limewire etc.) can also spread a virus. More frequently now, email is also becoming a favourite way to spread viruses, Trojan horses and especially internet worms.

It should be made clear, that USENET and file-sharing programs do not create viruses or infected files in any way. It is certain anti-social people who create viruses, and then use these services to spread the infected files to other users on the system.

This is very similar to cars and highways in that Ford, Toyota or the highway makers do not cause traffic accidents, it is the idiot who got drunk and then drove who causes a 14 car pileup. Of course if there weren't cars or highways there wouldn't be an accident... then again, the idiot would still be getting smashed and driving his horse-carriage into the store window.

When you get a virus on your computer, it can erase everything that you have on your hard drive. Each virus is different - some of them come up as strange messages on your screen, while others just work at eroding the files on the computer. A virus just doesn't appear in your computer - you have to put them there, usually by running program from the Internet that contain viruses. They sometimes come from attachments in emails. It is possible that an email from a friend could contain a virus if that person's computer is infected. With anti-virus software installed on your computer, this will tell you whether or not it is safe to open the email with a message such as "No virus detected in incoming mail:

When you do get a virus through programs or mail, it hides in your computer and when you save data in the computer, you also save the virus. Then it starts to infect all the other files in your computer. When you send files to a friend or co-worker, you also send the virus to his/her computer. After a while the virus starts to crowd the data in your files and causes major problems with the system, such that you may not even be able to open important documents or you may not be able to open any of the programs on the computer. The virus won't affect the memory of your computer, but it will affect any disks that you use to save your work.

READ MORE - How Viruses Contaminate Your Computer

How To Keep Your Computer From Spreading Viruses

There are some simple steps you must take to avoid becoming a victim of computer viruses and also stop from spreading viruses to others. Here are some things that you can and should do.
Email Issues to watch

Never open an E-mail with an attachment you were not expecting.

The latest batch of virus programs are often spread by E-mail. Even if your anti-virus program does not warn you about the attached file and even if the eMail appears to come from someone you know, do ...

There are some simple steps you must take to avoid becoming a victim of computer viruses and also stop from spreading viruses to others. Here are some things that you can and should do.
Email Issues to watch

Never open an E-mail with an attachment you were not expecting.

The latest batch of virus programs are often spread by E-mail. Even if your anti-virus program does not warn you about the attached file and even if the eMail appears to come from someone you know, do not open it if you were not expecting it, and if you were expecting it, only open it AFTER scanning it with your up-to-date virus software.

Scan ALL incoming email attachments (regardless of who sent it).

Be sure to run each attachment you plan to open through the anti-virus check. Do this even if you recognize and trust the sender; malicious code, like Trojan horses, can slip into your system by appearing to be from a friendly source.
Turn off the 'automatic preview' in your email program.

Automatically previewing an email message has the exact same effect as opening and reading an email. My of the newest internet worms, trojans, and viruses simply need to have an email message read in order for them to be activated. Turning off the preview feature allows you to scan any email BEFORE you actually read it.

Disk Issues to watch

Don't boot from a floppy disk.

Floppies are one of the most common ways viruses are transmitted. If you are using a floppy while working on your computer, remove it when you shut the machine off or the computer will automatically try to boot from the floppy, perhaps launching any viruses on the disk.

Web Based Issues

Keep your web browser set to its highest security level.

Its a pain to get the warning messages on every other web page you visit, but its the best way to protect yourself - especially if you use Microsoft Internet Explorer and Outlook.

Don't download programs from the Web.

Unreliable sources such as Internet newsgroups or Web sites that you haven't heard of may be willing providers of viruses for your computer. Avoid downloading files you can't be sure are safe. This includes freeware, screensavers, games, and any other executable program - any files with an ".exe" or ".com" extension, such as "coolgame.exe." Check to see if the site has anti-virus software running on their side. If you do have to download from the Internet, be sure to scan each program before running it. Save all downloads to one folder, then run virus checks on everything in the folder before using it. Regardless of where you download from, ALWAYS scan downloaded software.

Routine Maintenance

Make regular back ups of important data

Make it a habit to back up all of your most important files at least once a month. Store the back up discs in a safe place.

Clean any virus/worm/trojan off your computer
(Details: http://www.antivirus-report.com/trojan-horse-removal.html )

Using your antivirus software, perform a full system scan of your PC, hopefully it will detect and remove the virus. If a virus was detected, restart your computer and run the full scan again. Sometime the virus will keep reappearing, due to the evolving nature of viruses. Symantec is particularly fast at providing removal tools should you ever get a virus or worm infesting your computer.

What is a removal tool? Well simply put it is a simple software that will scan your computer for infections, and then remove them from your machine. You most often need this if your machine got infected BEFORE you installed antivirus software.

Top Considerations for PC Protection

And the final and most important two things to do to keep your computer clean and make sure it does not spread viruses to other computers...

Install a Firewall

If you use a broadband/high-speed method to access the internet, you need to get a firewall. A firewall is a program that defends your computer from hackers who attempt to gain direct access to your computer over the Internet. There is a very good firewall program called ZoneAlarm that will do the trick if you use Windows.

Install and use a high-quality anti-virus program.

This is the key to protecting your computer. Buy one of the major anti-virus programs - Norton Anti-Virus, PC-Cillin, or McAfee Anti-Virus. The primary benefit of the commercial packages is the frequency and ease of updating the virus definition files that these programs use to detect viruses. With new viruses popping up all the time, unless your protection software is kept updated, you start to become ever more vulnerable to infection.

Get immediate protection.

Configure your anti-virus software to launch automatically on start-up and run at all times. This will provide you back-up protection in case you forget to scan an attachment, or decide not to. And in case you forget to load up your anti-virus software, configuring it to start by itself will ensure you get immediate protection anyway. The top antivirus software programs all do this (but only if you have one installed on your computer). You do have current antivirus software installed right? If not, you can go to this page for more information on why you need antivirus software and how easy it is to use.

READ MORE - How To Keep Your Computer From Spreading Viruses

Choosing A Free Spyware Remover

These are some of the most powerful and popular spyware removers which are widely available. All of them are completely free for download from their official websites and for personal use.

Advanced Spyware Remover (ASR): This software from Evonsoft protects your system against and removes numerous malwares such as stealthy spyware, aggressive adware, system hijackers, tracking cookies, keyloggers, dialers, etc. It also scans and lists the contents of key areas of the Regis...
These are some of the most powerful and popular spyware removers which are widely available. All of them are completely free for download from their official websites and for personal use.

Advanced Spyware Remover (ASR): This software from Evonsoft protects your system against and removes numerous malwares such as stealthy spyware, aggressive adware, system hijackers, tracking cookies, keyloggers, dialers, etc. It also scans and lists the contents of key areas of the Registry and System. The new version even includes a Quarantine Manager. Available for download free of cost at www.evonsoft.com/download.htm/

STOPzilla (http://www.stopzilla.com/): STOPzilla is very powerful in protecting against phishing and ID Theft. It features Real-Time Spyware and Adware protection, Integrated Cookie and History cleaning, Integrated Home Page Hijacker protection and a Popup protection. The ZILLAsmart technology automatically checks for updates on a daily basis, and support is free 24/7 via live chat, email or a toll free number.

AD-aware Personal (http://www.lavasoft.com/): A product from Lavasoft, this spyware removal software provides advanced protection from known data-mining, aggressive advertising, Trojans, dialers, malware, browser hijackers, and tracking components b detecting known and unknown variants of malware by using the Code Sequence Identification (CSI) technology. It scans fixed and removable drives, memory and Windows registry.

Spy Cleaner Lite (http://www.spycleaner.net/): Programs and applications that automatically install themselves on your system are identified and removed by Spy Cleaner. It scans for traces of recognized adware modules in the DAT files, registry and temporary Internet files. After the search, it provides you with a log file.

Spy-Ad Exterminator Free: The software scans for and deletes, ignores, or quarantines your system’s memory, hard drives, and registry for spyware, adware, worms, hijacks, keyloggers, IE Toolbars, etc. Has up to 20,000 malwares in database, which can be updated online.

Disspy Lite: The Disspy Lite scans memory, registry, cookies, files and folders and removes all detected malwares such as keyLoggers, Hijackers, Dialers, Spyware, Adware, Browser Helper Objects, Spyware cookies, aggressive advertising and other malware. All removed files are quarantined for restoration when needed, and users can choose to be alerted whenever a newer database version is available for download. Download available at http://www.h-desk.com/new/Download.12.0.html/

Free Spyware Scanner (www.spyscanner.net): This spyware remover has a huge database of spy components which infects the system, and offers remarkable features such as options for scanning your drives and Registry, updating online, and saving the last, best system set-up as a backup, and the option of saving log file of the scan result and file deletion for future reference.

AdDriller (www.cdmworld.com): AdDriller scans and cleans over 30,000 now malwares. It also includes features such as like active monitoring and HEX Viewers besides removing adware, spyware, malware, Trojans etc, and new features such as scheduling, scan depth, messenger services enable and disable.

Malware Sweeper (http://www.malwaresweeper.com/): This remover not only scans your registry and drives for known adware modules and Spywares, but for your active memory ad components, which are not stored on your hard drive and last only as long as the computer is powered up. It also removes bundled spyware components from Kazaa, Morpheus, audiogalaxy, grokster, Limewire, Imesh, Gnutella.

READ MORE - Choosing A Free Spyware Remover

Another Fine Mess!

I'm in the Anti-Spyware business, and I'm doing a lot of advertising to promote my website, but here I am online and on the phone, giving my personal information to.....who? Strangers basically, Geez!.
I was reading an excellent article today titled “Identity Theft” by Judith Collins at eWeek.com, when it got me to thinking.... I'm in the Anti-Spyware business, and I'm doing a lot of advertising to promote my website, but here I am online and on the phone, giving my personal information to.....who? Strangers basically, Geez!.

The majority of identity thefts occur thru contractors employing people in entry-level jobs that have not been properly screened. Not even Hackers,Phishers or Dumpster Divers account for as many! The ideal location for a Identity stealer would be in a out sourced agency that fails to use adequate screening processes.

I've read many articles lately that state we need stricter guidelines and procedures to insure we have proper security as consumers. A set of universal rules that would be adhered to by all. To even think of the enormous complexity of this project staggers the mind!

So here I am, I want to take a advertisement out at a prestigious magazine that is published in a traditional print paper and online. I may have to deal with people online and on the phone.I give my name, address, phone number, and……my credit card number! EGAD, what am I doing?

Then my common sense and education about matters such as these kicks in and I rationalize that these companies would not be in business if they couldn’t keep their customers happy. But,accidents happen.

So you see my dilemma. I know computer security and Spyware, and the vulnerabilities and strengths when dealing online. Its just a little new to me to trust, when I know the ramifications to me personally if my Identity were to be used for ill-gotten gain.

I know after all these years of being a, OK I admit it, a slightly paranoid online user, that I need to make myself a little vunerable so I can better succeed in my online business.

Ive been where the people who contact me asking for help are; a place in their minds of anger, frustration and helplessness.

But then as I said earlier, common sense and education about Spyware wins over and I take a deep breath and go on.

The California Attorney General has a excellent website for Identity Theft at
http://caag.state.ca.us/idtheft/

READ MORE - Another Fine Mess!

Adware tale of the computer hijackers

Adwares are some of the most derided objects in the web alongside viruses, spyware and other malicious softwares and programs. Although adwares are alleged to be the most benign form of spyware they can in fact do damage and yes you can beat them.


When we think of adware, what comes to mind are those annoying and pesky ads that pop up out of nowhere whenever we are surfing the net. Anybody who has surfed through the net has encountered those irritating pop-up adwares advertising everything from computer software down to Viagra. Adwares are some of the most derided objects in the web alongside viruses, spyware and other malicious softwares and programs. Although adwares are alleged to be the most benign form of spyware, most web users hate the blatant and bothersome way of advertising. Most are often tricked into clicking on such adwares and end up unintentionally downloading something far more serious.

What are adwares, anyway? Adware or advertising-supported software is defined as any computer program or software package in which advertising and other marketing material are included with or automatically loaded by the software. Adwares are usually played back after installation. Some malicious adwares upload information about the computer or its user's activities even without the consent of its user. Adwares most often take the form of banner ads that appear on pop up windows or anywhere on the computer screen.

Software applications display these advertising banners whenever a program is opened or through some other triggering mechanism. Most adwares are integrated into a free application. This is a way for the developers to recover the costs of creating such software. A prominent example of this is the Opera browser software, which is a free application but comes with a banner ad. The adware can only be removed once the user purchases and registers his copy of the software. It is also a revenue-generating mechanism. A company can sponsor adwares to capture more visitors and potential customers. Adware as a marketing strategy is just one of the many techniques used by websites to attract more traffic.

However, some adwares are more than just pesky and garish ads. In many cases, adwares accompany a more malicious program, which uploads information about the user collected without permission. The users surfing habits are then tracked; in some cases, the browser home page is altered or redirected to the adware company's sponsoring site. These types of adwares are dangerous since they may jeopardize the computer system's health. Aside from installing malicious software, they may also become an avenue for viruses to invade the system.

Adwares have come under fire not only because of their annoying presence in the form of pop ups and banners but also in the way they invade the privacy of the user. Trackware and Spyware are just two of the "evil" forms that adware can take. That is why most computer users make an effort to get rid of these adwares. Because of the annoying nature of pop-up adware, most browsers now employ an adware blocking system through the form of a pop-up blocker or adware blocker. Browsers such as Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Mozilla's Firefox all use pop-up blockers, which instantly block or close any window that is triggered by adware in the sites that the user visits. These steps have significantly reduced the number of irritating adware that pop up every time a site is opened.

Most antivirus programs and utilities now feature an adware search and removal system. These programs indexes known adwares and spywares in the internet universe and searches for it in the user's computers system then subsequently quarantines or deletes the malicious files. Nevertheless, despite the numerous efforts against adwares, they continue to plague web surfers with their showy ads and banners as well as the nasty programs they introduce into the computer system. As the sage of the annoying adware continues, web surfers are also equipped with the best tools and utilities to combat them.

READ MORE - Adware tale of the computer hijackers

Adware spyware both have nasty intensions

Adwares are some of the most derided objects in the web alongside viruses, spyware and other malicious softwares and programs. Although adwares are alleged to be the most benign form of spyware they can in fact do damage and yes you can beat them.
Adware removal is actually one of the most important aspects of keeping your computer running safely,securely and free from all outside intrusions. There are many people who think that adware and spyware does not indeed cause a great deal to worry about, this could not be further from the truth. The plain fact is that anything that infiltrates the inner workings of your computer must without fail be treated with the upmost distrust and caution.

Adware or spyware by its very nature will mainly be placed on a computer for reasons that are clearly financial. Nine times out of ten this is for tracking purposes in order to give the big companies as much consumer data as possible. They use it in order to gain information regarding your consumer activities and in what ways you carry out your online activities. At the other end of the scale there are those darker entities that have a far more sinister purpose and it is these folk that we truly need to be protected from and keep as far away from our personal computers as possible.

If you wondered just how these nasty adware parasites manage to infiltrate the inner sanctum or your computer then you may be surprised to learn that you yourself were probably the one that invited them in the first place. These hidden programs that are the plague of the internet community actually hide themselves in what most of us think to be some very innocent software's. From instant messengers to free software downloads you can be assured that you are downloading a little more than you first intended to invite.

One of the biggest sources of unwanted scumware are the numerous music download sites that are springing up all over the internet. Does anyone actually wonder why these folk are so kind and so willing to give away such a vast amount of free music programs and software's? Data is worth money and there are plenty of corporations in existence who are more than willing to purchase your data and dig to the inner most soul of your activities.

No matter if you suspect that you have been infected or not it is absolutely vital the regular system scanning is carried out. The cool thing is you do not even have to pay for such scans. Download a scan for free and if you are in the clear you will not have paid anything at all for the service. If however you are infected then you can rest assured that paying a small amount for computer cleansing by far outweighs the risks of having your computer carry a spy who is both watching,recording and submitting your private information for the bad guys to use.

As has been pointed out computer adware / spyware can have some extremely nasty purposes. Don't ignore the possible implications and ensure that you at least get a scan. For those of you who are extremely security conscious why not go all the way and purchase a full blown adware software protector, this way you will never need worry again.

Be safe, Not sorry.

READ MORE - Adware spyware both have nasty intensions

Adware scare you much? This gremlin can get anywhere

Adware is one of the scourges of the internet. Ignore it at your peril because it can have some truly sinister applications. Non of us are immune from it and for those that ignore it the outcome could be truly expensive.
Adware is on of those things that most internet users don't even think about until its too late. More often than not the majority of us do not even realise the existence of spyware until the damage has been done. Each and every day thousands of hidden applications are trying to gain access to computers all over the internet.

The amazing thing is that only a small percentage of people protect themselves from this kind of adware parasite and most only seek protection once the damage has been done. There are many ways that spyware and adware can take advantage of those of us who tend to be lacking in the area of computer security. Most times it is just our internet usage details that these nasties are after but at the other end of the scale there are some adware programs that are acting in a completely sinister manner.

If we all treated our computers like our bank accounts then you would not even be reading this article. The sad fact is we do not and every day there are thousands of people that are putting their private details at risk. None of us should have anything in our computers that we do not want and did not willingly invite but I would bet my last paycheque that anyone reading this article has a few unwanted extras lurking in the depths of their P.C's.

It is absolutely essential that you be very aware of the possibilities with the latest of today's scumware. If you are not willing to purchase some internet protection on the grounds that you might be infected then you should at least take advantage of an online scan. These scans are free and easily accessed so to be honest it would be sheer madness to ignore their existence and simply carry on regardless.

Run a free adware scan and the end result will be you are either spyware free or do in fact have a computer stowaway nestling inside your computer. If you are adware free then you can carry on without a care in the world, Your money will still be in your pocket and your computer will be running safely. If on the other hand you do find an intrusion then you can simply spend a little of your cash and rid the gremlin from your computer.

There are many free adware help sites all over the internet and it is very easy to get the latest news on all the recent adware outbreaks. Listen to the experts and weigh up what you have to lose.

If your computer is clean then a free scan will cost you nothing.

If it is infected then just how much do you stand to lose should your data be accessed?

READ MORE - Adware scare you much? This gremlin can get anywhere

Adware is a Pain but you Can Deal with Fast

Adware can do some pretty nasty damage if you let it, most people do not realize the dangers and do not know how to deal with it.
Adware is one of those things that many people simply do not worry about until the ghastly stuff actually does some damage. Yes it can cause damage and sometimes this is too late to fix. The plain facts are that adware or spyware can number one effect your computers functionality and two this can lead to system failure and ultimately data loss.

Now without putting the fear of god into you the data loss scenario is certainly a possibility but in the most extreme of cases. How does this happen? well quite simply if you allow certain spywares to gain access to your pc then over time these and the addition of others can seriously slow down the functions of your pc.

Now if your pc is functioning slow due to adware this means that any product you might purchase to cleanse it will also run at a slower pace. If the spyware or adware remover cannot faction properly due to this lack of efficiency then it may be that a reboot of your computer is the only way to solve the problem. This alas will result in the loss of your personal files and installed software's.

If you have safeguarded your data and made backups then there is really nothing to be concerned about as once you re-load your operating system software the adware will not be lurking inside your pc. Then you can safely re-add your files and add your programs at your leisure. This means the only loss you will incur is a few days of your time undergoing re-installation procedures.

The moral is that buying some adware or spyware protection is really something for the wise amongst us. If you value your files and programs then a small amount of money spent on a security program is nothing when compared to the misery that malware can cause.

Firstly to check to see if you have an adware or spyware problem them simply take advantage of a free scan. If it shows you are indeed infected then remove the problem immediately.

Once this is done and you have some kind of computer guard then regularly scan and put your mind at ease.

READ MORE - Adware is a Pain but you Can Deal with Fast

About Norton Anti-Virus

With the many types of anti-virus software, it is helpful to read a brief description of what the different types do and how they can be beneficial to you and your computer.

Norton Anti-virus

Symantec's Norton AntiVirus software is perhaps the world's most trusted antivirus solution. It is available for both Windows PC's, and Macintosh (Symantec Antivirus for Macintosh - S.A.M). Norton AntiVirus is a very reliable and easy-to-use anti-virus product. It's the best anti-...


With the many types of anti-virus software, it is helpful to read a brief description of what the different types do and how they can be beneficial to you and your computer.

Norton Anti-virus

Symantec's Norton AntiVirus software is perhaps the world's most trusted antivirus solution. It is available for both Windows PC's, and Macintosh (Symantec Antivirus for Macintosh - S.A.M). Norton AntiVirus is a very reliable and easy-to-use anti-virus product. It's the best anti-virus product for catching viruses in downloaded files and E-mail. Norton AntiVirus is also more expensive than McAfee VirusScan although not by much, and the added abilities of Norton can easily make up the difference.

Norton AntiVirus includes many tools that can be run in the background, including watching for suspicious PC activity and automatically checking downloaded files for viruses. Norton AntiVirus is also automatically configured to handle E-mail virus scanning for email messages coming into your computer, as well as those you send. This process automatically scans and cleans both incoming and outgoing email, stopping viruses from infecting your computer or spreading to others. It removes viruses automatically, without interrupting your work and prevents infections during real-time online chats, and also detects viruses in instant-message attachments. Because so many viruses and internet worms are now spread using email and Instant Message Systems, this is extremely valuable and necessary protection.

Norton Installation

Installation is simple. Simply install the CD in your CD drive, and the installer will launch automatically. The installer should ask you if you want to do a pre-install scan of your system for viruses. This is a very good thing to do. Once this is finished, the installation will proceed, and you can accept all the defaults without worry. Once the installation is complete, you'll be prompted to go online and get up-to-date virus definitions. DO NOT skip this step. Having up-to-date virus definitions is essential to the performance of any antivirus software.

Normal Use

Norton is a very hands-off program. Pretty much it is an install and forget program that looks after itself. It will automatically notify you if there is anything that you need to do. If a virus is found, the software will try to automatically repair the file, if it can't, it will place the file in a safe 'quarantine' zone, and let you know. In addition to looking for known viruses, the Norton Antivirus Bloodhound feature tries to spot new viruses and worms by their behaviour that is common to such nasty programs.

Checking your system and downloading updates are two things you need to do regularly. Norton Antivirus makes them painless by setting up a full system scan once a week and checking for new updates (both to the software, and virus definitions) whenever you're online. These simple update scans hardly slow down your PC down at all.

Overall, Norton Antivirus is an excellent way to guard against viruses. It is the system that I recommend to my clients most often, and that I use personally.

READ MORE - About Norton Anti-Virus

Anti Virus, Protect Yourself

There are so many great things about the internet you know that there is going to be problems. And there are! Identity theft, fraud, and maybe the largest most problematic is the epidemic of computer viruses that are wreaking havoc. These viruses are different scripts (if you can call them that) written for purposes of destruction. It is the classic "minority of trouble makers ruining it for the vast majority of the rest of us." So what sorts of viruses do we worry about and get anti virus programs for.

Well, there are all sorts of different kinds of virus-type things traveling around in cyber space and require the protection of an anti virus tool. Examples include worms, spiders, spyware, and adware. They have a variety of effects ranging from pure destruction to actually taking sensitive information off of a computer's hard drive.

Spyware is an example of the latter effect. It is designed to come in via the internet (usually involves a download of some sort) and to search through the hard drive looking for sensitive and profitable information such as credit card numbers, social security numbers, and online preferences, and search or surf histories. The potential for badness with these is very real and very worth getting protection in the form of anti virus software tool for.


Anyway, as you may or may not know, there has been a new revolution of security (anti virus) software in response to this new demand for online security. This software ranges widely in both price and effectiveness. The software also generally offers both "treatment" and prevention of computer viral infections. That is to say that there is usually a scanning feature offered that is able to detect old infestations and to either quarantine them or sometimes it can actually repair the damage. The other feature then is to disallow new infestations. This prevention is accomplished with daily scanning of anything new, for example downloads or email, and warning user of anything suspicious and recommending action.

My recommendation is to get a more well known software package and be willing to spend a bit, because after all "you pay for what you get." Good bets are the anti virus software tools that are sold in computer, office supply, or electronic stores. You want to look and make sure that it has an automatic on line updates that allow your protection to stay as up-to-date as possible.

READ MORE - Anti Virus, Protect Yourself

Membuat Virus Dengan Mudah

READ MORE - Membuat Virus Dengan Mudah