Spyware and Adware Can Affect Your Privacy

 Spyware and Adware (sometimes called ‘malware’), are computer programs that are used to ‘spy’ on your computer movements. Both of these types of program are dangerous and need to be taken seriously when protecting your identity.

Spyware is used to capture your keystrokes and passwords which it then passes on to criminals. Any of your information can be ‘spied’ upon. Adware is a program that ‘pops up’ advertisements on your computer. They are programmed to start up whenever you turn on your computer, whether you want them there or not. But how do these types of programs get on your computer?

Most people download the Spyware and Adware software either unknowingly or thinking it will provide them with a more useful computer (e.g. faster browser). They are usually unaware that these programs are also used to gather information about the person using the computer. Spyware  is generally downloaded for free and users are not told of the information that will be gathered from their computer after they download the program. Once the program with the spyware is running, it will send information to the creator of the program. Depending on the program, different types of information is captured and sent on. All of which can be used to steal your identity

When you register for these programs, you will often be asked to provide personal information such as age, gender, nationality, profession, and level of education. While using the browser you may find several advertising hyperlinks pop up. If you follow these links, the spyware will send information to the creator and they will construct a profile of you on the information gathered.

Some spyware programs only send statistical data such as time of use. Others are chasing more information and the software has ways of uniquely identifying you by storing ‘cookies’ on your hardware when the software is installed. The data that a cookie (technical term for a file that contains data) might contain and send back to the creator could be your user name, computer specifications, and installation version. The cookie is this unique identifier.

Spyware takes up a lot of space on your memory and hard drive. Your system can become overloaded and crash. And that’s as well as stealing passwords and credit card information for identity thieves. So having spyware on your computer is not good news.

To help you protect your computer against Spyware and Adware programs you should follow these steps:

1. Install anti adware and spyware programs. These programs are relatively inexpensive and make it much harder for criminalsto steal your personal information

2. Make sure you have the latest security patches applied. Opperating systems such as microsofts windows regularly release security patches as new security issues arise. Keeping you system up to date can help in the fight against having your personal information stolen.

3. Keep your security settings on medium for the internet

4. Keep your antivirus software up-to-date. New viruses, adware and spyware are being produced all of the time so it is important that you update your anti-virus software regularly.

5. Install a firewall. A firewall will make it much more difficult for criminals to gain access to your personal information, and will warn you if anyone atempts to do so.

6. Investigate ‘free’ software to see what the catches are. Most will have some sort of spyware installed.

Your computer is at high risk from spyware and adware. It is not illegal for these programs to be on your computer. It is up to you be aware of their dangers and take safeguards against these programs that can lead to identity theft. Taking these precautions will help to protect you from identity theft.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 4th, 2007 at 10:35 pm and is filed under Identity Theft Solution. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.