They have a lot of names such as spyware blockers, antispam blocker, adware spyware blocker, spyware removers, spyware popup blocker and internet explorer blocker to name but a few. But they all fulfill the same purpose; to halt uninvited spyware software from installing itself on your computer and wreaking chaos.
Spyware has been about for a long time but now it seems to be getting more and more prominent. Finding new ways of targeting customers has been the major driver behind it I think. Most spyware is pretty undisruptive, mainly used for advertising purposes. There are entire companies who specialise in writing spyware that records your browsing habits. They then sell 'you' as a lead to advertisers who in turn pay them to install advert popups on your computer. Even though harmless it is very bothersome.
And in a few cases spyware writers take it a step further whereby any url you type in is redirected to the sales website. I'm not sure who thinks that that is going to accomplish any sales. After all if you cannot use your computer any more as the spyware redirects all your web pages to a sales page, you are hardly going to buy what is on offer!
And some spyware writers are shrewdly writing spyware blockers themselves. These are usually obtainable for free download. The only problem is that they are actually spyware! Be shrewd when downloading anything free, you may get a nasty surprise coming along for the ride.
Some are more cunning and the free spyware you have downloaded will start telling you that you have an infection. It may get really bad and you'll start receiving genuine looking windows error messages. Sooner or later you'll get a windows popup telling you to click it to fix the problem. Unsurprisingly that will instruct you to buy a spyware blocker, which of course is their product.
An alternative medium through which you can easily pickup spyware is torrent downloads. In particular executable programs. Be very thorough with torrents it is a prime environment for spyware development and distribution.
The entire spyware industry is colossal. Take spyware doctor, the top selling spyware blocker. There have been 125 million copies of this product downloaded. At $29.95 that's a lot of money, I'll leave you to do the math.
Every where you turn you'll find anti this and anti that. Spyware, adware, malware and on and on it goes.
So, how do you know you have spyware? Popup adverts are the most obvious sign. But pay close attention to your homepage and tool bars, if these unexpectedly change you also have spyware.
And, if your computer starts to run slower and slower there is a good likelihood that you also have spyware. There will unquestionably be some spyware running in the background.
Popup ads although exasperating, are fairly harmless. But some spyware is recording your keystrokes and trying to acquire your passwords and even bank details. This is far more serious and something every person should be aware of.
So, how do you limit the chances of picking up spyware. First of all stop using internet explorer, it has been revealed to be very vulnerable. Instead use firefox from Mozilla, it is free. Secondly, be very alert when downloading free software. Make sure it comes from a decent company. Thirdly, without doubt, install a good spyware blocker on your computer. Buy one, don't skimp on this. Decent spyware blockers are not free.
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