Tips to Protect Your Computer Against Spyware

Almost every computer user knows that there are a lot of threats to their system and their personal security on the internet. One such threat is spywares. Sometimes it is difficult, if not completely impossible to avoid spyware, there are several things you can do to protect your computer against spywares.

What is spyware?

In order to properly protect your system against spyware, it is important to know what spyware is. Spyware is a sort of malware. It is made to collect data from user’s computers, and this data is often used for unethical purposes and maybe even criminal activities. These are not viruses, meaning that spyware is normally detected by antivirus programs.

In addition to harvesting information, some types of spyware can display advertisements or change your computer settings. Some spyware exist to deactivate antivirus programs. This makes a system even more vulnerable, opening it up to more spyware, viruses, and other types of malware. Unfortunately, there are also types of spyware that outwardly show no symptoms, so a user doesn’t know it’s there.

Surf Safely

The best way to avoid spywares would be to stay offline altogether, but since that isn’t happening, computer users need to know how to avoid spyware. If a user is careful, he or she can avoid downloading any spyware in the first place. Programs should only be downloaded from trusted sites, and if a user isn’t sure if the program is safe, they should search for the name of the program to see if there are any reports of it containing spyware.

Users should also ready all the documentation that comes with downloaded software. This includes privacy statements, license agreements, and any security warnings.

Popup windows should also be avoided and closed via the red “x” in the corner of them. Often by clicking “OK” or “Agree” to close is actually what lets the spyware in.

Finally, file sharing programs and sites are rife with spyware and other threats. These “free” music, movie, or other files occasionally come with something unwanted attached. Sometimes the software needed to run these files comes prepackaged with spyware itself.

Anti spyware software

Even though a computer user may be very cautious while browsing the web and downloading anything, there still is a risk of spywares ending up on the system. The best line of defense to keep spyware at bay would be an antispyware program.

There are several types of antispyware programs, and some of them are bundled with other antimalware software. Some examples of antispyware software includesPCKeeper, Malwarebytes and Ad-Aware.

Anti spyware can be effective if it is regularly updated, as new spyware appears every day. Antispyware software must also be used regularly to scan your system. If spyware does end up installed on your system, this software can find and eliminate any threats.

Conclusion

Spyware is an issue for all computer users, but it doesn’t need to be a problem. While staying offline altogether is the best way to avoid threats, it simply isn’t practical. Computer users can keep their systems safe from spywares if they surf smart and avoid any suspicious downloads. Users should also install an antispyware product on their system. For this software to be effective, it needs to be updated regularly and used often to scan the computer system. These tips to protect your computer against spywares are not exhaustive, but they should help you in keeping your system and your information safe.

Author Bio: This article is provided by Sarah Hoekstra – young guest blogger specialized in technology and SEO. Currently she’s writing for spywareremoversreview.net, a site featuring lots of malware removal and spyware remover tips.