Registry Cleaners
As if spam, viruses, and worms aren't bad enough. Adware and spyware are here to sap the remaining life out of your productivity and privacy. Cookies are harmless in comparison!
Adware is software that displays advertisements on your computer. These are ads that inexplicably pop up on your display screen, even if you're not browsing the Internet. Some companies provide "free" software in exchange for advertising on your display. It's how they make their money.
Spyware is software that sends your personal information to a third party without your permission or knowledge. This can include information about Web sites you visit or something more sensitive like your user name and password. Unscrupulous companies often use this data to send you unsolicited targeted advertisements.
I've noticed more postings in the Microsoft Windows XP newsgroups about these threats. Many of the postings ask how they can tell if they have spyware on their systems and how to remove spyware if they find it. A small handful asks how to fix problems left over after removing spyware. I'm glad to see a lot of the advice offered from other enthusiasts and I'm going to share some of that advice with you in this month's column.
Windows Media Player 9 Series Questions
Now I know that a small number of you think of Windows XP, Windows Media Player, or Windows Messenger as spyware. The reason I disagree is that Microsoft provides a good combination of privacy notice and choice to users regarding the use of Web services and the sharing of information. For example, when you first run Windows Media Player 9 Series, you're given a chance to review the privacy options and make changes as you see fit. To further preserve your privacy, the default value of the player ID is set to "anonymous."
Is Your PC Affected by Spyware?
The main problem that most people notice with either kind of program is that they cause performance issues with their computers. For example, Internet Explorer might not work properly any more, your computer might hang more frequently, or your computer might slow down significantly. Removing spyware successfully is difficult enough to make preventing it in the first place a priority.
Unauthorized adware and spyware usually install on your computer covertly by using one of two methods:
' Tricking you into clicking a link that installs it. Links to spyware can be deceptive. For example, a Web site that's trying to push spyware onto your computer might open a window that looks like a Windows dialog box, and then trick you by installing when you click a Cancel button to close the dialog box. Sometimes, spyware pushers will put a fake title bar in an empty window, and then install spyware when you try closing the window.
' Installing freeware that includes it. For example, you might install a free file-sharing program that surreptitiously installs spyware on your computer. File-sharing programs can be a major conveyor of adware.
Once installed, spyware can transmit your personal information and download advertisements 24 hours a day. It can also hijack your browser settings, such as your home page or search page: Registry cleaners
Protect against Spyware and Adware
Without help, you have no way to prevent adware or spyware. Old antivirus programs don't even prevent adware, since they didn't consider them viruses or worms. First, you usually give permission to install adware, although you do so unwittingly because adware and spyware pushers are deceptive. Second, adware doesn't behave like a typical virus or worm. They don't usually do actual damage to your computer, other than wrecking its performance, and they don't spread themselves using your address book. (Although some kinds of adware can break your anti-spyware tools.)
Things are changing for the better, though. Most popular antivirus products now include adware and spyware scanning. For example, the latest versions of McAfee VirusScan, Norton AntiVirus 2004, and Trend Micro PC-Cillin 2004 and Registry cleaners now scan for some adware and spyware.
Also, some Internet service providers (ISPs) are introducing protection from adware and spyware. For example, America Online (AOL) announced in January spyware protection as an enhancement for AOL 9.0 Optimized. EarthLink also provides adware and spyware protection through the latest version of its software. Of course, to take advantage of the built-in protection that antivirus products and ISPs provide, you have to update to the latest versions, and keep the anti-spyware/adware signatures current.
Check Your Computer
If you're even thinking about scanning your computer for adware and spyware, then you're probably experiencing some of the symptoms I described earlier in this article. Those include instability, performance problems, or possibly a hijacked Web browser.
There is software specifically designed for detecting spyware and adware, and helping you remove it. The one with which I'm most familiar is Ad-aware from Lavasoft. This is the program that I recommend to most of my friends. A freeware version is available for use by individuals at home. A commercial version is also available for use in corporate environments. A program like Ad-aware finds adware and spyware on your computer and then removes them.
You can find more adware and spyware removal tools at the Registry cleaners guide This Web page includes links to popular spyware removal programs. If you're not going to use a popular program like Ad-aware, however, search Google Groups for the name of the program you do choose. Some spyware removal software can cause as many problems as it fixes, and you want to find out about these problems before using unproven software.
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