Much of our world today is spent on the internet. Think how many times today alone you did a personal transaction of some sort using the computer. How would you feel if each of these transactions was viewed and recorded by a criminal with bad intentions? That is what happens each and every day when spyware is introduced onto your computer. Spyware blockers are the best means to keep these nefarious programs off of your computer in order to keep your information safe.

But first, what is spyware? Well it is any type of program that is installed on your computer (usually without you knowing) which will record data flowing through the computer. This could be keystrokes, screen images, file reads and writes, websites visited, etc. This program will “spy” on what is happening on the computer and will either record it on the computer somewhere for later viewing or will send it to a third site for storage and future retrieval.

So why is this bad? Well think of the last time you entered a password, credit card, social security number or any other type of personal information on your computer. Would you like this to fall into the wrong hands? That is what Spyware is capable of doing. When this information is available to the wrong parties, it opens up the possibility for identity theft. This could result in the loss of your good credit rating, stolen funds, or the divulging of personal information.

So how to counteract this threat? Well as the saying goes, the best offense is a good defense. Keep these programs off your computer by using a Spyware Blocker that will recognize an installation attempt of a spyware program and alert you to what is taking place. This will enable you to stop the operation and keep your computer free of the offending program.

Even if you think that you would never install a spyware program you may be surprised to learn that these programs can be hidden in webpage’s themselves and never actually require an installation program in the classic sense. By using security flaws in ActiveX, Flash, or other scripting languages they are capable of installing themselves on your computer without your knowledge. For this reason alone it is also a good idea to stay away from questionable sites to include adult websites, warez sites, illegal download sites, etc. These are classic breeding grounds for these most insidious types of spyware programs.

But there may be times when you actually do want to install a spyware program. These are often called “monitoring” programs and can be useful if you want to monitor the internet or computer use of your children or maybe your employees if you are an employer. Keep in mind that it is always best to inform the user that their computer usage is being monitored to keep you out any possible legal troubles.

In short, spyware is easily defeated through an active defensive posture by installing spyware blockers to detect, defeat and destroy the spyware before it is installed on your computer.

When downloading a spyware blocker, it is tempting to use the cheapest or first programthat you run across. This can be a huge mistake because it is a common occurrence that these “spyware blockers” are actually spyware themselves! This certainly defeats the purpose of the download. For that reason it is important to be very cautious of any spyware adware removal software. You don’t want to do more harm than good.

So where to go for spyware downloads? It is always best to start with reputable companies that offer downloads and review of the products. Some of my favorites are download.com and cnet.com. Whatever you do, do not download a program based on a sudden pop-up that tells you your computer is infected and “Click Here” for a free scan or free anti spyware. This is almost certainly an infectious program itself.

Now that you know what to look for when downloading spyware removal software, let’s look at what it will do…

Of course you will first need to install the software. Then run the program and look for an update option. Due to the speed with which spyware is updated by it’s makers, it is important that you are fighting with the latest definitions in order to recognize and remove that latest infections.

Once the update has been completed, perform a complete system scan. This may take some time, but it will ensure that any infections are discovered. It is probably best to let this run over night. Then check in the morning to see if anything was found. You will generally find that some “tracking cookies” were found. These may or may not be evil, but it is probably okay to delete them regardless. If an actual spyware program has been discovered it should be plainly reported. Ensure that it is removed.

Once the initial scan has been completed, then it is important to setup a weekly scheduled scan. Your software should have a schedule option that allows you to set it to run automatically at a predetermined schedule. I would recommend that you perform a scheduled scan at least once a week. This should be sufficient. If you discover that you suspect an infection before your scheduled scan, you can always go and run a full system scan at any time.

Lastlly, it is also important that you keep your other programs updated to include Windows Operating System, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Outlook, Word and others that you use on a regular bases.

If you follow these steps, you should be successful in keeping your computer healthy and spyware clean.

Is your computer slow? Do you have random ads that pop for no reason? Does your hard drive light come on with no one using the computer? Are you missing files that were just there? If your computer exhibits one or more of these symptoms, it is possible that your computer has been infected. The only sure-fire way to tell however is to have software installed that can detect and identify malicious programs.

Spyware Blockers – How to Recognize SpywareMany people do not realize that they have spyware on their computer. For most people, viruses are more of a worry to people because viruses affect you and try to spread the infection to other people. Also, in this day and age, spyware blockers software is quite good and can prevent most infections from getting installed onto your computer.

If you suspect that your computer has been the target of a nefarious program, then double check any anti-virus or spyware blocking software that you have installed to make sure that the updates are current. Then run a complete scan of your computer with both anti-virus and spyware detection software.

If one or more of these scans is positive, then the software should automatically clean the infection from your computer. In some cases it may not be able to remove the malicious software however. In such cases itwill attempt to “quarantine” the software so it is unable to run and cause any more harm. Often a system reboot will then allow the software to beremoved.

So how can you tell the difference between a spyware infection and a virus infection? Well usually spyware is much easier to detect because it’s effects in general are more visible because it is often bundled with adware which will bombard you with advertising pop-ups.

Here are some ways to recognize whether or not you have malicious software on your computer:

1. You experience a large increase in pop-up ads. These could be text ads, picture ads, or even worse-offensive adult advertisements.

2. Your browser home page defaults have been changed to an unknown website – many times spyware will change your browser settings so that the main “home” default web page is the malicious software’s site.

3. You attempt to go to one website and instead you end up at another site. This is called redirection and is an indicator of malicious software.

Keep in mind that the most dangerous kind of spyware is the type that doesn’t exhibit any strange behavior, but is secretly keeping track of all your activiites. It could be collecting all the sites you visit, the keys you type, the files you access, and sending this data to a central location for use by others.

If you suspect that your computer has indeed become infected? Then I suggest that you think back to your recent activities. Did you recently install any free software? This could even have been a free anti spyware program. These are notorious for actually being spyware itself! For that reason it is important to be careful for any spyware download programs.