Evolving Threats

As computer technology matures, so does its users. In the beginning, for the average user, a home PC was little more than a simplistic web browsing machine and new environment to play solitaire. We now have multimedia repositories responsible for housing everything from our entire financial histories, to the cherished memories of home movies and photos.

As the PC has evolved to meet our new “Information on Demand” society, so to have computer threats evolved. Spyware and adware are now a larger threat to the common PC user than the computer virus ever was. 84% of all computers are infected with at least one spyware classified files at any given moment. Many infiltrations number in the hundreds and even the thousands of infected files.

Spyware is used to describe a program that burrows down into your system, logging your keystrokes, credit card information, web passwords, and browsing history. It is most often installed with another piece of software or under the guise of something useful. Have you ever downloaded a helpful toolbar, weather watcher, or file sharing program? Chances are you have a spyware infection.

Adware is a program that uses your computer to display advertising. The most common symptoms include annoying popups and page redirecting. While adware can be quite a nuisance by itself, it is often paired with spyware in order to track your browsing history and deliver “personalized” advertising directly to your computer.

The predominant threat to your PC from spyware and adware lies in the divulgence of your personal information. Since this is a silent process however, most people will not even know about the infection until the secondary threat ensues. Spyware and adware infections are social creatures and often invite friends and colleagues to join them in the marauding of your PC. As the programs pile up, they wreak havoc on your computer. Poorly written code and a general disregard for important system files often leaves a PC slow and unresponsive.

The key to keeping these programs out is prevention. Most virus protection software now protects against spyware and adware, however it is always a good idea to use a stand-alone spyware protection program as well. Both Spybot Search and Destroy and Adware Personal SE are very good, lightweight programs that are freely available on the internet and offer a great deal of protection. The key to PC security is to evolve with the threats as well as the technology to ensure that your private information remains private.