TOP 10 ANTI-SPYWARE TIPS
1. Install recognized software to protect your computer. Free software is great, if you know the weaknesses, should they have any. Sometimes several free programs can adequately protect your computer, as good as, if not better than, one purchased programme.
Several anti-spyware programs might pick up different spyware applications, so it may be better to have more than one. However, try before you buy – most sites have a trial download, so take advantage of it. Also install a firewall – bad stuff can’t get in, and your good stuff can’t get out.
2. Keep your anti-spyware protection up to date. Also, as spyware can sometimes come in with a virus, keep your virus protection up to date. Run the scans frequently and delete programs they find.
3. Make sure your operating systems and web browser software are kept up to date – companies that manufacture them bring out updates (sometimes known as ‘patches’) to fix loopholes in their systems.
If your systems are up to date, there is less of a chance the spyware can infiltrate your computer. Set your browser security high enough to avoid drive by downloads. You might not even be aware that your computer is merrily downloading programs while you’re working away.
4. If it is too good to be true, it probably is. Or, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. If a program is free, there is probably a catch – and that catch might be a spyware application surreptitiously installed on your computer. Avoid ‘free’ downloads – they usually aren’t.
5. Similarly, be aware of pop ups advertising programs that will make your computing experience better, or announcing you’ve won some prize. Even if you click “No” you’ll more than likely begin a download of spyware programs.
6. Learn about your enemy – how spyware manifests itself and what it can do – so you know how to recognise it and delete it, should you find it on your system.
7. Be conscious of the fact that if you want a particular piece of software you might have to live with the spyware.
If an anti-spyware scan picks up a piece of spyware and asks you if you want to delete it, ask yourself if you can live without the software you’re using – if you delete the spyware, the next time you try to use the wanted software it might not start as it cannot find the spyware it downloaded with it.
Sometimes pop up ads are bearable if the program is a good one. And, as in point 6 above, if you know the effect the spyware program has on your computer, it might not be so bad.
8. Beware the unexpected email/IM attachment. If in doubt, delete, and ask the sender if they knew what was in the attachment (particularly if you know them).
9. Consider switching from Internet Explorer to Mozilla Firefox – for several reasons, Mozilla is less susceptible to spyware intrusion.
10. Unplug your modem when you’re not using it. It’ll stop information being sent even when you’re not online.
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