What Exactly Is Spyware?

The term "spyware" is commonly used, however it's not always made clear what it means. So, what is spyware?

When you hear the term spyware, it is referring to programs or software that gets installed on your computer without your knowledge. These programs can cause all sorts of problems on your system - here are a few examples:

1) Sniff out personal data and pass it on to the programmer of the spyware. There have been many cases financial data has been stolen leading to identity theft and other sorts of fraud.

2) Install various programs to your computer without your authorization. These programs have no use to you but usually will let someone else monitor what you are doing online. This is one of the biggest reasons computers start to "slow down".

3) When you are online, you are redirected to certain websites that have other harmful files such as viruses or other infections.

4) Change computer settings to create holes in your system that will be used to attack it when required.

As you can see, spyware can be a big headache!

One of the biggest complaints about spyware is how drastically it slows down your computer. You entire systems performance is affected by it.

How does Spyware get into a computer?

It can be difficult to trace back exactly where spyware comes from, but here are some examples of how it can find its way onto your computer:

1) Many shareware and freeware software programs have Spyware built into them. Software such as music/video download programs are normally given away free, and sometimes they come bundled with Spyware.

2) A common way systems get infected is from "utility" type programs that are downloaded and come bundled with some form of spyware. There are all sorts of programs that are offered for free download on the internet - although they may serve a purpose many of them will also install spyware on your system.

3) There are some spyware programs that will try to mimic your operating system's messages in order to get on your computer.

As an example if you are using Microsoft windows on your computer, a message might popup that looks like it is a message from Microsoft. You innocently click on the message and the spyware gets installed.

How do you know if your computer is infected with spyware?

Most people will start to notice their computer starts to slow down and they may also get more advertisements popup when they are browsing. Spyware is famous for making computers run a little "sluggish" - this is one of the first signs that your computer is infected.

Unfortunately, many people end up blaming their computer's hardware if their system is running slower than usual. More often than not it is nothing hardware related - it is the fact that spyware has made its way onto their computer.

It's important you do what it takes to kill spyware starting today!

Computer experts estimate that 9 out of every 10 computers have some form of spyware installed on them. It's crucial that you protect your system and personal information by using a top-ranked anti-spyware program.

Make sure you use a spyware remover that will scan your entire system for any existing infections, eliminate any malicious files it finds, and then provide full protection against future infections.