Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Reclaim Your PC from the Internet Spies

By: Jason Frovich

Most Internet users recognize the need of protecting their
computers against viruses, as the vast majority of us sooner or
later become painfully aware of these nasty little programs when
they shut down our PC, spam our mailbox or delete our files.
Viruses are, however, not the only malicious software programs
out there. The newest addition to the evil software family is
the so called Spywares and a good anti-virus program or firewall
is not enough to safeguard against these clever programs.

Spywares are known by many names such as adware, trojans,
malware, browser hijackers etc. The thing they all have in
common is that they will transmit your personal information to
companies and individuals who have an interest in knowing about
your surfing habits, online purchases, credit worthiness,
interests, web searchs, chats, birth date and even your credit
card number. The list goes on and on, since Spywares are
constructed by promotional companies who need to know as much as
possible about the online consumers to target them effectively.
By ewes dropping on you online, these companies hope to be more
successful when sending out promotional materials.

Spyware usually enter your PC by piggybacking on other software
downloads. Every time you use downloaded or otherwise shared
files, including Freeware, Shareware or p2p sharing programs,
you stand the risk of unknowingly infecting your computer with
Spyware. Even confirmed virus free music files, films and
computer programs can have Spyware stowaways. Once inside your
computer, they will hide, monitor all your actions and promptly
start telling your secrets to anyone willing to listen.

Contrary to most viruses the Spywares actually make an effort
not to be observed. Since they won't cause obvious harm such as
deleting important files or shutting down your computer, they
can thrive in your PC for years without you noticing, sending
out massive amounts of information about all your online habits.

At a first glance, you might find this annoying but essentially
harmless. Why not let the companies send me promotional material
about things I am actually interested in? Spyware is however far
from harmless, since the infiltration by Spyware not only let
the companies know about your latest online search, but also
much more private matters such as credit card details, online
purchases of medicine and your private e-mail correspondence
with family, friends and business partners. There are even
examples of how this massive gathering of personal information
has led to an overall loss of privacy and stolen identities. In
the computerized world of today it is not hard to imagine the
amount of damage and personal suffering the fraudulent use of a
persons' identity can cause.

It is obvious to anyone that we must start combating the Spyware
programs, but the best way of doing this is not to panic and
pull the plug on your PC, never go online again and keep five
feet away from all Freeware. There is a much better solution:
http://www.supportcave.com

About the author:
Supportcave.com offers new and enhanced Free Spyware
Removal
Software. Not only will these programs effectively
check and clean your computer from Spyware, once installed they
will also shield your computer from future Spyware intrusions
and browser hijacks - before the malevolent software even have a
chance to enter you PC! Spyware Remover Software is an important
funct

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