Are You Infested with Spyware?

Spyware is secret software that can come with many seemingly harmless software downloads, including internet browser toolbars, file sharing networks, or desktop background or screensaver software. Spyware monitors all of your behavior on your computer, both online and offline, including the websites you visit, the emails you send, and any passwords you might type in.

Obviously, spyware is a huge invasion of your privacy installed without your permission, and it also can compromise your security by sending out confidential information not properly encrypted, so that other malicious software could potentially hack into your online accounts or get your credit card numbers or social security number.

Unfortunately, spyware is often programmed by very bright computer experts who know how to fool 95% of the population into thinking they either have harmless software on their computer, or no software at all. However, there are some warning signs that you’ve been infected common among most varieties of spyware. Here’s what they are.

One common sign of spyware is your internet browsing experience changes significantly. You may be redirected to other websites when you open your browser window, or you may see a screen of ads that you’ve never seen before. You may get warning messages saying your computer is infected and you need to download certain software to fix the problem, but this software may simply be more spyware and make the problem worse.

Your other programs might not work at all anymore, or you might see a different screen or some advertisements before or instead of the application running.  Popups may appear even when you don’t have a web page open.

Of course, spyware infections get more sophisticated all the time, so you may simply be seeing more advertisements than usual, but not an extremely high amount. Usually, however, if you are seeing any ads you aren’t used to noticing, there is at least one application hiding in the background and monitoring every move you make.

For that matter, anything strange at all that happens on your computer should be noted and investigated. Your safety as a computer and an internet user depends on it, and it’s critical to look to see if you need to eliminate spyware from time to time.