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Information: Adware / Spyware Information

► Summary:

The following information provides information on Adware / Spyware.

► Content

This article will provide information about Adware and Spyware, how these types of programs can

adversely impact your computer performance, and provide tips and suggestions to remove malicious

programs and protect your computer system.

► General Information

According to the "Center for Democracy and Technology", there are at least three general categories

of applications sometimes described as Spyware. They are:

Keystroke loggers and screen capture utilities, which are installed by a third party to monitor

work habits, observe online behavior, or capture passwords and other information.

"Adware" and similar applications that install themselves surreptitiously through "drive-by

downloads" or by piggybacking on other applications and track user's behaviors and take

advantage of their internet connection.

Legitimate applications that have faulty or weak user-privacy protections.

There are many reasons why someone would install Adware / Spyware on your PC. The most notable

include:

Advertising of products: Companies will pay developers of Adware to devise ways of showing

their products to you. Some may be as simple as a pop-up ad that you see when you go to a

particular website. More ingenious methods will install a small software program on your PC

that can be continuously updated by these developers when new products are available.

Track your web-surfing habits for Marketing of new products: Developers will create small

programs that "track" your web-surfing habits, which are then categorized for companies to

create "targeted" marketing campaigns.

Identity theft: This form is, by far, the most malicious use of Spyware. Developers will create

programs to capture personal information such as bank accounts, credit cards, and so on. Many

of today's most popular Spyware applications promise the ability to execute via "remote

installation". Remote installation is the ability to install a Spyware program on a computer

without having physical access to the machine

► Symptoms of Adware / Spyware

The best method for identifying Spyware on a computer is with the use of software designed to identify

and remove it. Since most Spyware applications communicate with other computers and are programs

themselves, they use system resources which include memory, CPU cycles and an Internet connection.

Therefore, the following are some symptoms you might notice:

Slow Computer Although there are many reasons why your computer may run slow, if you use

your computer daily then you are familiar with how it behaves. Older computers and some

applications can cause a computer to run slow; however, if suddenly it begins to run much

slower, this could be a indication of Adware / Spyware.

Unknown E-mail Activity If you start noticing email sent without your knowledge or you start

receiving a large number of undelivered emails you did not send, then you may have been

infected. There are some types of programs that can send out spam from your computer using

your address book or simply return the email addresses in your address book to a spammer to

be used for unsolicited email.

Odd Computer Behavior You may notice hard drive activity when you are not using the

computer, an unknown icon in your Windows system tray appears, settings modified, CD drives

opening and shutting, or programs mysteriously opening and closing. These could be a sign of a

Spyware program running on your PC.

► Detecting Adware / Spyware

There are several steps you can take to detecting Adware / Spyware on your computer.

The simplest method to determine if Spyware or Adware has been installed is to check your Windows

Programs list or the Windows Start-Up folder. To check the Windows Programs list:

Click on Start

Then choose Settings

Select Control Panel

Open Add/Remove Programs

Review the list of programs installed on your computer. If you identify a suspicious program research

the applications on the internet to confirm it is Spyware and then remove it.

Another method of identifying Spyware is to check your Windows Start-Up folder:

Double click MY COMPUTER icon

Select the hard drive C:\

Navigate to Documents and Settings

Choose All Users

Then click on the Start Menu

Check for any unknown programs

If you are uncertain if a program is considered Adware / Spyware, we suggest researching the program

against Spyware databases which can be found by searching the Internet.

► Removing Adware / Spyware

If you believe you are infected with Adware / Spyware, the easiest way to detect and remove it is by

the use of anti-spyware software or scanning software. Anti-spyware software is a different tool from

anti-virus software but operates in much the same way, by scanning the hard drive looking for files

associated with known Adware / Spyware programs. The software then returns any found programs and

allows the user to determine what course of action to take.

► Keeping Clean from Adware / Spyware

Be cautious of downloads. The easiest way is to not install them in the first place. Many of

these applications are installed via "drive-by downloads", which use misleading tactics to install

them. Many times users have no idea they have installed the application. Many developers will

design their applications to be difficult to uninstall. If a small portion remains on your PC, it

has the ability to rebuild itself, so be careful what you download. Be sure to read any privacy

policies offered by the site and only install applications when you are certain what functions

they are performing and AFTER you read the End User Licensing Agreement (EULA).

Be suspicious of pop-up ads. Do not download programs via pop-up ads or from unknown sites.

Also, be sure to close any window that looks suspicious and always close windows properly by

clicking the "X" in the upper right hand corner. Some pop-up ads will contain a close box or

"X" within the window that will actually open the ad. To be safe, you can always close the

window from your Windows taskbar by right clicking on the window located on your taskbar

(generally found at the bottom of your screen) and selecting Close.

Stay updated. Simply keeping up with the latest security patches, fixes, and service packs will

help prevent some of the programs from installing on your computer.

Scan regularly. Frequent scans using your anti-spyware tool will also keep you safe.

► Where can I find additional information on Adware / Spyware?

Suddenlink does not endorse any particular site, but you can search the Internet for Spyware sites or

visit sites like http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/twc/privacy/spyware.mspx or

http://www.spywareguide.com/ to learn more about Adware/Spyware and utilities for removing these

types of applications.

► Applies to

Adware / Spyware general information.

Online safety, protecting your computer and our network.

More about Spyware, Adware, trojan horses, parasites and other viruses.

More about how to protect yourself against viruses.

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