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Beware of Spyware Spyware and adware belong to a group of malicious software called malware, which can be disruptive, invasive, and potentially damaging to your computer. Spyware and adware secretly monitor your online surfing and shopping habits or collect your personal and confidential information and report it back to the intruder, who stands to profit in some way from the data that's collected. You can pick up these annoying and potentially threatening programs unknowningly when you download online music, install free software that has malware bundled with it, or accept a product's End User License Agreement without reading the fine print. If your computer has slowed down to a noticeable degree, if your browser's homepage keeps changing or if you are seeing an increasing number of popup windows, you are most likely infected with some type of spyware. Also beware of the web pop-up windows that say something like, “protect your computer, download me.” In almost all cases these are actually some form of spyware rather than anti-spyware. To make sure you are downloading authentic anti-spyware, check with reputable sites such as the following. Network specialists recommend installing at least two anti-spyware programs.
Also check out these sites for additional information:
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Quick Tips Use two forms of anti-spyware to protect your computer from invasions of privacy Check OSU Downloads for free Spybot and McAfee's anti-spyware program |
| OIT | Office of CIO | TELR |
