NEWS Published in THE RECORD on 3-31-2005

SPYWARE POSES A COMPUTER THREAT
By Kevin Nylen

The number one problem we see today is Spyware. It slows your computer down and it causes all kinds of pop-ups even when you are not surfing the Internet. It is enough to drive a person crazy. Many people have called and asked if they should just get a new machine.

I’m here to tell you that you probably don’t need a new computer, but you do need to take some action as the problem will not fix itself. The reality is that the longer is goes on, the worse it gets and the end result might require reloading all the software again. So the first thing you need to do is make sure that you have a copy of your personal data.

When I talk about Spyware, I’m grouping in programs that do Data-mining, aggressive advertising, Parasites, Scumware, selected traditional Trojans, Dialers, Malware, Browser hijackers, and tracking components. Basically it refers to code that performs certain tasks on your computer without your consent. This list should scare anyone, but these programs are just new ways for hackers to access your computer.

Don’t be naive and think that it can’t happen to you. If you browse the Internet, you will run into it sooner than later. I find that kid’s site seem to be the worst for some reason, followed by shopping and then adults sites. The truth is that it can be anywhere and you won’t know until after you’ve got. It is like the flu, so you need to give your computer a flu shot to protect against it.

Now that we know the problem exists. What can we do about it? We have always recommended using the Lavasoft Ad-Aware program as it was a free download for personal use, but Microsoft released an Anti Spyware program on January 6th (still in Beta, which just means they are still testing it) which does a great job cleaning off the unwanted. I will also say that I have not heard any bad press from users on this product to date.

I personal like the product because it runs and updates automatically nightly. It will also notify you when it detects a possible problem. If you install this program, I recommend taking all the defaults on the install.

The program will do a scan nightly (so you need to leave your computer on) and reports any know Spyware. I usually “remove” all the programs it finds. In addition, the program runs in the background and you will need to read the messages that pop-up. Some of the messages will ask you if you want to block or allow the action. We tell people to lean towards blocking it unless you are installing an application.

To find more about this product, search Google for Microsoft Anti Spyware.

Kevin Nylen is a technical consultant who has worked with computers for over 20 years. Currently part owner of Shrewsbury based BNA Computing Inc., a company that specializes in helping small and medium sized businesses with all their computer and network needs.