Spyware and Adware: the Latest Computer Menaces

‘My computer has become worthless; it is so slow.’ We often hear this from clients. What is going on? Many people are experiencing adware and spyware software building up on their computer.

I have read the story Isaac, the Ice Cream Truck to my children dozens of times. It takes me back to the days when I would hear the ice cream truck bell ring, ask mom for a dollar and go running do the street for a delicious treat. Good old American free enterprise--and a unique advertising mechanism--gave the ice cream man a way to earn a living. The truck and the bell worked for Isaac, but most businesses feel that method would fail to reach enough people. National TV, radio, print are very expensive. A better solution became targeted direct mail, or junk mail as it is known.

Then the internet opened a new marketing opportunity. According to Pew Internet & American Life Project, 65% of all Americans were connected on-line in 2004. That represents over 70 million people, which is a bigger chunk of America than the Super Bowl draws. The ever creative and ingenious people who work to match buyers with sellers decided they would make software to reach that market. That software is called adware and spyware

Adware and spyware are sophisticated marketing tools which use the internet as their vehicle of transport. According to the PCHell website, spyware is defined as software that aids in collecting information about an organization or person without them knowing about it. This usually provides its makers with demographic information. Adware is software applications that allow banner ads to be displayed while a program is running. To do this, the software producers have created pieces of their software programs that make their way from the internet into your computer. Sometimes these are referred to as cookies.

One or two pop-up ads are annoying. And because spyware runs in the background, you might not even notice it. But as the amount of software programs increase so do the problems. And that is when you might see the any number of symptoms on your computer including poor performance, lock-ups and even losing your internet connection.

To get your computer performance back to where it should be, you will need to have the adware and spyware software removed. There are a growing number of products that are now being marketed—yes even some through pop-ups—that claim to take care of adware and spyware. In our opinion, purchased programs do not seem to solve the problem as well as some freeware/shareware programs. We use AdAware and Spybot which can both be easily found on the internet. Since 2003, we have used these programs with good results.

With that said, we recommend most customers who have a large amount of pop-ups, a slow-running computer, a hijacked homepage or other problems take the computer to a professional technician for the initial cleanup. Then the freeware programs can be installed and they can be trained to run a weekly scan to remove the adware or spyware accumulation. Otherwise, customers often find that they can’t get the adware and spyware programs removed by themselves.

We also strongly urge computer owners to have up-to-date anti-virus protection. Viruses are different from adware and spyware. They are malicious, causing potential damage to your data. The main function of anti-virus programs is to protect your computer from viruses that may enter the computer through the internet, email or through outside sources.

For the best protection, keep from visiting sites that you are unsure of, don’t open emails from senders you don’t recognize, make sure your anti-virus protection is up-to-date by keeping your subscription current, and install and run weekly some freeware programs to cleanup adware and spyware programs.

Adware and spyware are the price we pay to use the internet freely. But with the right tools, even this type of “junk mail” can be controlled.

Founded in 1993, Computer Heroes Inc. is one of Southern Wisconsin’s leading consulting and computer resale companies. Their staff can install new systems, manage business networks, and provide training and product support. In addition, Computer Heroes, Inc. develops and maintains business websites; designs, installs and maintains phone systems and installs and provides authorized printer repair.

Computer Heroes, Inc. is located at 132 West 6th Street on Monroe’s West Side. For more information about Computer Heroes, Inc., contact Susan Wetherington at 329-4300 or .