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How Many Spyware Items Are Slowing Down Your Computer?
by Slow Computer
How big is the problem?
Spyware and other forms of malicious software are regularly infecting computers
across the world. Most computers have no, or little, protection from software
with the intent to harm. Most frightening is the frequency at which your
computer is being infected without your knowledge.
To get some insight into the size of the problem, an Infosec Writers web site
article indicates, "According to a 2004 survey by America Online and the
National Cyber Security Alliance, 91 percent of users questioned were familiar
with the term spyware. Only 53 percent believed their computers were infected,
but a scan found that 80 percent of their PCs had some type of spyware installed
on them." It also goes on to say, "...The average number of spyware components
per computer was 93 with one computer having well over a thousand." And the
problem is still growing each year!
What is Spyware?
The term 'spyware' is broadly defined as any program that runs on your computer
without your knowledge or permission and operates in stealth mode while it
collects and sends information about what the computer user is doing on their
computer. Spyware is generally not designed to harm your computer but is a means
for hackers and crackers to spy on what you are doing on your computer.
Wikipedia offers
a great definition and some useful resources about spyware.
Some spyware such as tracking cookies, are considered harmless, as they don't do
much other than allow web site owners to track how often a specific user has
visited their web site. While cookies may infringe on your privacy, they don't
really harm anything on your computer.
Others, however, can be very hazardous. The worst kind of spyware is known as a
"key logger" that will log every keystroke you make on your computer. These can
be used to capture and send your credit card details every time you use your
credit card to make a purchase online.
How do I know if I have Spyware on my Computer?
Here is a short list of some of the symptoms your computer may exhibit if it is
infected with spyware:
- Your computer has become slow and sluggish
- It takes a very long time to start up your computer
- Your computer crashes frequently
- You get unexpected behavior such as pop-up ads appearing
So what can I do about it?
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