There seems to be confusion among the general population concerning three very serious problems plaguing computer systems today. Viruses, spyware and adware are terms that are used in day-to-day conversations, yet many people don’t know exactly what they are, what differences there are among them and most importantly, how to avoid them. In this article I am going to focus on what they are, how to tell if you are infected, what to do when you find you are infected, and how to prevent being a victim of these malicious programs.
Adware
As the most benign of these infections, adware is far from harmless. While it might not necessarily corrupt files and damage your data, the effect is none the less irritating and wasteful of precious time. Adware and spyware are similar in their method of infection on your computer, usually attached to shareware/freeware applications that you install yourself. The symptoms of adware include random pop-up ads, new tool bars in internet explorer and redirecting web pages to sites different than those you type in. Because you install adware yourself (you agree to it when you install whatever program to which it is attached, it is actually in the license agreement), the programs are perfectly legal. There have actually been many lawsuits by makers of adware programs that claimed they were falsely classified as spyware. The best way to avoid Adware programs is to watch carefully what you install and read the license agreement. Very few software programs you actually pay for have adware attached. Adware is usually attached to programs like desktop weather, screensavers, peer-2-peer file sharing programs and shareware programs. If you absolutely need the particular program you are installing, read the license agreement and make sure you are not agreeing to install adware. The best defense is to avoid these programs entirely. Spyware
More harmful than adware, spyware is an infection that can spread far beyond your computer into your personal finances and credit. While the delivery method and symptoms of spyware are almost identical to adware, the result is anything but similar. The main difference between these two classes of infection is that spyware actually monitors and tracks your activity on your PC, even going as far as interfering with your normal daily use. While the method of tracking your activity online is usually limited to monitoring which websites you visit in an effort to provide more targeted advertising, there have been reports of more malicious spyware programs logging personal information such as passwords, credit card and bank account numbers. As a result, identity theft is a legitimate concern with spyware. Symptoms of spyware include pop-up advertising, browser redirecting and new search bars in your web browser, similar to the symptoms of adware. Other more serious symptoms include disabling certain features of your operating system, disabling your antispyware program, disabling your antivirus (which leaves your computer completely open to virus attacks) and the presence of bogus antivirus programs that attempt to get you to send them money directly using a scare tactic, telling you your computer is infected. Never, under any circumstance purchase an antivirus or antispyware program because of a pop-up telling you your computer is infected. The delivery method of spyware programs can be through shareware/freeware distribution as with adware; however it is more likely installed without your consent by clicking on advertisements while surfing the internet. To avoid becoming infected with spyware, stay away from these shareware/freeware programs if possible and never click on any advertising. Even if prompted with an advertisement that gives you the option to install or cancel, do not click the cancel button. Simply click the X in the upper right hand corner of the window to close the application. Many spyware programs will install even if you click the cancel button.
Viruses
As the reigning champion of malicious computer programs, the computer virus is the most harmful class of infection. Computer viruses mimic their real life counterparts by damaging critical components of the operating system, replicating and spreading. Compared to its younger relatives (adware and spyware) the computer virus has had more than twenty years to evolve. While there are too many classes of computer viruses to list here, they basically all work the same way. They exploit some security hole in the operating system, damage critical files and replicate. The computer virus can be used for many malevolent reasons; from competitions to see whose virus can do the most damage, to corporate espionage by stealing confidential information. The delivery method of computer viruses are numerous, however the most common forms of delivery today are peer-2-peer file sharing applications and spyware. Viruses can also spread on computer networks, attacking all the computers in your company or home. The symptoms of viruses include disabling of antivirus programs, presence of unusual files that were not create by you, components of your operating system failing without warning, and overall detriment to the performance of your computer. The best way to prevent a virus is to avoid peer-2-peer file sharing applications, and obtaining spyware and virus protection.
Protection Against Adware, Spyware, and Viruses
Although these infections seem daunting, they are all fairly easy to prevent. Obtaining a good antivirus/antispyware program is crucial. At Driven Technology, we recommend Grisoft’s AVG Anti-Malware security suite. AVG provides all of the protection with none of the headaches of the more well known competition. Norton Antivirus and McAfee simply don’t work as well as AVG and can cause numerous problems including slow computer performance and interference with internet use. As a retailer of Grisoft products, we can make sure your computer is protected by installing and testing AVG on your computer. Like in real life, prevention is the key. Once a system is infected, it is hard for a regular computer user to fix the problem. At Driven Technology, we also provide adware/spyware and virus removal services to help get your computer healthy again. We can eliminate any infection on your computer and get it back to maximum performance.
