Antivirus Blog

Spyware is annoying. There are no two ways about it. On the most severe end of the spectrum, some spyware may be used to steal your personal information and rob you blind or even destroy your credit. In milder cases, spyware is just a nuisance that can prove very difficult to completely remove.

No one in their right mind likes spyware. To remove it, there is no shortage of antispyware software that you can use to locate spyware hiding on your system and effectively remove it. However, this process can also get rather exhausting. It can be pretty frustrating to run your antispyware scanner every couple of months only to find a whole new slew of entries. So, how exactly do people end up with spyware on their system to begin with?

File Sharing
File sharing is one of the worst culprits. Attaching spyware to popular files and then distributing them is one of the most effective ways for the engineers of spyware to get their annoying software out there. Programs like Limewire, Kazaa, and several torrent clients are all notorious for aiding in the delivery of spyware. If you choose to use any of these types of services, make sure you know what you’re downloading beforehand. Torrent sites usually have user comments that will help you determine whether or not what you’re downloading is legitimate, but they can’t always be counted on 100%.

Software
Certain types of software, especially freeware, may come bundled with a variety of spyware. In most cases this type of spyware is just the annoying kind that collects data about your usage and relays it to the company that created it, usually for research. But this type of spyware can still hog system resources and you’re definitely better off without it. However, removing this type of spyware may cause the software it came with to stop functioning. Be sure to read the details in the terms of use of any new software that you install. If there is spyware bundled with it that is required in order for the application to run, it will say so somewhere in the terms.

Web Browsing
Sometimes spyware can be loaded onto your computer simply by visiting a website. This is very common among unscrupulous warez sites as well as some pornography sites. Upon visiting such a site, a malicious code will be loaded by your browser and then saved to your computer, which will then cause you to be infected with their spyware. For this reason, you should always use caution when visiting unfamiliar sites. Google recently implemented a feature that warns its visitors before visiting such a site with the message ‘Warning - this website may harm your computer’.

On top of using your best common sense, another great way to protect yourself from these types of threats is by implementing quality internet security software. Many of the leading antivirus software companies offer total security suites that will offer you a great deal of protection, with regard to spyware as well as just about every other type of malicious threat online. Take a look at the reviews online to help you best determine which security software is right for you.

Today’s internet has become a breeding ground for scam artists along with their clever and sometimes not-so-clever scams. If you are relatively new to the internet, there are a lot of things you need to learn about how things work online in order to protect yourself from such scams. Even those who have been online for a very long time are still not immune to being taken advantage of by scam artists. Scammers are constantly evolving their methods and developing new ways to cheat people online.

On the other hand, the internet is also a revolutionary invention that allows communication and exchange of information at a level far beyond anything that ever existed before. The internet offers several advantages, but in order to safely use it, you need to know how to properly protect yourself.

First and foremost, don’t open emails from unfamiliar senders. This is the most common way that viruses are distributed. Harmful programs are attached in emails and if the unsuspecting user downloads the program, their computer will become infected, at which point their personal information and data may be compromised.
Aside from the distribution of computer viruses, what are some other online scams to look out for?

Whenever you follow a link to a website, always check the address bar to ensure that the address matches the site you thought you were going to. Sometimes crooks design sites to look exactly like a trusted site, such as a banking site, in order to trick visitors into entering their personal information.

Dating scams are also very prevalent online. Con artists pose as singles looking for a partner and lure in unsuspecting victims by chatting with them. The goal is to eventually convince the victim to send money to the con artist, usually by convincing the victim that the money will be used to buy a plane ticket so that they can see each other. Once the payment is made, the decoy then disappears.
Some websites can harm your computer simply by visiting them. Once you visit such a website, a harmful code is executed in your browser and subsequently saved to your computer. Having an up to date antivirus program installed will limit the chances of your computer being harmed by this type of site.

Email scams from countries like Nigeria have gained a lot of attention in recent times. Con artists in Nigeria or other nations where there is little chance of prosecution target people online with an elaborate story about how they have a great deal of money tied up and need an American to help them access it, and of course they are willing to share the expected cash in return for the help. At some point they ask that you send them a few thousand dollars (or more, in some cases) to help cover expenses, after which the con artist disappears.

Another email scam concerns supposed lottery winnings. Emails are sent out to thousands by scammers telling them that they’ve won the lottery, and that all they need to do to claim their winnings is send a check to cover the taxes on the winnings. Surprisingly, several people fall for this scam every year.

Before doing business with any website that you donít absolutely trust, it doesn’t hurt to a little research first. Simply Googling the name of the site should return results that will help you decide whether or not they are a legit company. If a site has been involved with any type of scam activity, you will likely find consumer reports about it. You may also visit the Better Business Bureauís website to see what the companyís rating is.

In order to ensure that you are fully protected from viruses and other types of malicious applications, you should consider running antivirus software on your system. Even the most experienced computer users who are well versed in the art of avoiding viruses still run antivirus software as an additional safeguard. The potential loss of data that a virus can cause makes having maximum security for your PC a must.

Antivirus software functions in two main ways. Its large database of known viruses allows it to scan files and folder on your computer and compare them with virus data to make sure that viruses are not present and files are not infected. In addition, antivirus software provides constant system monitoring to alert you of any suspicious activity that might otherwise go undetected. Part of this monitoring process involves creating hidden decoy files that act as bait to see if a lingering virus attempts to alter them. If this occurs, the program identifies it as a virus and alerts the computer owner immediately.

The two largest providers of antivirus software are Norton and McAfee. Both commercial software companies offer premium security software that is regularly updated as part of their annual subscriptions. Each product offers the same basic functions, and both are well equipped to protect any PC. They tend to be a bit more expensive then other brands, but they are among the most trusted in the industry.

If you’d rather not pay for antivirus protection, there are free alternatives available. One such program is offered by AVG as their “Free Edition”. It’s a relatively small yet effective antivirus application that’s quite popular for being free and also for using very little system resources (so it doesn’t noticeably affect computer performance). AVG is a also a great option for those with older model computers that might not support more elaborate antivirus software.

If you’d simply like to run a check to see if your system is infected but do not wish do actually download and install an antivirus program, you can take advantage of TrendMicro’s HouseCall website. By visiting the website and clicking “Scan Now”, you can perform an immediate scan of your computer that will check for any viruses without the need to install any software, completely free of charge. Although it is very useful to determine if your computer has any infections, it may not help you to actually correct problems that might be discovered. In general, it is not considered a good idea to operate a PC that is not protected with some sort of antivirus software, especially if it is connected to the internet.

It is recommended to try out different antivirus software before deciding which one you’d like to continue using. Most paid antivirus programs offer a free trial version that you can download from their website and will allow you to get a feel for the software before deciding to make a purchase. However, if you test several antivirus products, always make sure that you uninstall each one before installing a new one. Having two antivirus applications running simultaneously can cause system instability.