Spyware is notorious for doing things in the background that cause your PC to slow to a crawl. Sometimes these programs make changes to your desktop and can even turn off security programs and the firewall.
There was a time when we only had to worry about viruses wreaking havoc on our PCs. However, when the Internet caught on, so did spyware. These malicious programs are often bundled with free programs you might find online and be tempted to download. If they are free, be careful. You could be sorry! Only download from sites you trust.
When spyware programs first started making their way onto people's PCs, they usually created a pop-up displaying an ad. Sometimes these pop-ups would be so prevalent, you couldn't do anything on the PC at all.
There is a scam that makes you think you have a malicious program when you really don't. You might be prompted to download a program to fix the problem. This is a signal that you are about to download a malicious or rogue program, and handing over money to purchase a fix for a problem that doesn't really exist.
There is also a way to become infected by simply visiting a website. This malicious code is then transferred to your PC. This type of behavior is relatively new and most web hosts have taken precautions to prevent it.
So, what should you do to protect yourself from spyware? There are many good programs on the market that can help protect your PC. Some really are better than others so be sure to do good market research. Don't fall for marketing hype that might not be true. Go to where people are talking about the subject and find out what they know.
Some programs claim to eradicate all types of threats. But the truth is, those programs usually only do a good job for one type of threat. You really need a separate program for each.
Regardless of which program or programs you decide to use to protect your PC, make sure that you keep it up to date. This is really, really important.
You see, every day there are a lot more malicious programs released into the wild and if you don't update your program, you could be scanning with old updates that won't find your problem. Most good programs today will automatically update on a regular basis.
Here's another thing to consider. Spyware programs are very prevalent in the more dubious areas of the Internet such as crack sites, adult sites, and torrent type sites. So, be careful if you frequent them.
The bottom line is this: If you are in doubt about what to do, get helpbefore you take action. You could make things worse if you don't know what you're doing.
