HOW DOES SPYWARE GET INTO YOUR COMPUTER?
Sometimes, you’re surfing the net and an offer too good to be true pops up. Free screen savers! Computer running too slow? Let us check it for you – click here! Free music downloads! When you click the pop up and start downloading a program=, you could be allowing an unwanted application into your computer.
Those cute little smilies, desktop icons or assistants, digital pets, peer-to-peer software (where you get to share music, videos and the like) such as Kazaa, or software that is ‘free’ can, and do, hide spyware applications.
Sometimes you intentionally download a programme with the knowledge that you’ll be allowing some type of spyware to act – like downloading a tool bar and receiving pop up ads. This is not strictly spyware as you consented to it – even if you didn’t know how annoying it was going to be. But if you never knew you were downloading something you didn’t want, then it is spyware. Using a good antivirus software can help prevent spyware, plus be smart and use a firewall such as ZoneAlarm.
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