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DADDY BOB'S COMPUTER Q & A
April 22,
2007
Q.
I am getting a popup telling me that my
computer is infected with spyware. Is this
really true, and should I be concerned
about it?
A.
Is it really true? Maybe. Should you be
concerned?
Yes definitely, but probably not for the
reason you may think. Here is some good
advice. NEVER, and I mean NEVER
fall for spyware tricks using phony pop up
messages in your browser or otherwise. No
legit anti-malware software program will
ever do this.
(See the end of this article
for the definition of spyware, adware, and
malware. Herein, all will be referred to as
malware.)
The only
way to find malware on a computer is to run
a special program, and none that I am aware
of can do this scan quickly. Therefore, any
pop up that tells you that you have spyware
on your computer should be considered bogus
unless it it an alert from a known,
installed anti-malware program.
Contrary to what many seem to believe, just
because something is found on the Internet
does not mean that it is true.
Many of
these rogue programs will actually install malware
on your computer, the very thing they are
pretending to remove. Some install malware,
tell you that you have it, then try to sell
you a product that will remove it.
Some have
more devious purposes. They can include
key-loggers that will try to capture your
usernames and passwords. They may send you
to a phony web site and entice you into
downloading more malware. There are so many
of these phony anti-malware programs that it
is difficult to keep up with them. But there
is a website that is trying to and doing a
pretty good job of it. Click
HERE to
see a pretty current list of many the known
rogue anti-malware products. You will be
surprised how many there are.
I can
personally attest to two very good free
anti-malware programs that I use regularly.
"AdAware"
and "Spybot
Search and Destroy." One of the
best, highly rated commercial programs is
called SpySweeper from Webroot. Also, the
latest versions of OneCare, Norton's, McAfee
and other well known security suites also
contain legit malware protection programs.
Unlike
anti-virus or firewall programs, it is a
good idea to use more than one anti-malware
program as no one ever seems to find or
remove all the various kinds of bad programs
that bombard your computer.
In short,
if you get any kind of warning from any
program, especially one pretending to be
anti-malware, that you have not installed,
ignore it and try to delete it.
Spyware: Spyware is software that
sends information about your Web surfing
habits to its Web site. Spyware is usually
installed without the user’s knowledge or
explicit permission in combination with a
free download. Screen savers, greeting cards
and games are among the worse for this
practice. A good rule of thumb: Be alert if
it looks real good and is free.
Adware: Adware is any software
application or program in which advertising
banners are displayed or Pop-up windows
appear while the program is running. Adware
is considered "spyware" and is installed
without the user's knowledge. It typically
displays targeted ads based on words
searched for on the Web or derived from a
user's surfing habits that have been
periodically sent in the background to a Web
server.
Malware (Malicious
Code): Malware is a catch-all term used to
refer to various types of software that can
cause problems or damage your computer. The
more common classes of program referred to
as malicious code or malware are spyware,
adware, viruses, worms, trojans, macro
viruses, key-loggers and backdoors. |
