- Spyware is malicious software intended to collect information about you without your knowledge. Once they gain access to a computer spyware programs are difficult to detect. They run quietly in the background collecting information about your browsing habits and computer use, and may even log your keystrokes for transmission to a third party. Spyware does not replicate itself as computer viruses do. It often is packaged with other software to trick you into installing it on your computer. Adware hijacks your browser to display pop-up advertisements, and can redirect other websites or search results to point to sites of its own choosing. Spyware and adware are closely related, and usually if one type is present, so is the other.
- Spybot Search & Destroy can be downloaded free of charge for personal use from the Safer Networking website (safer-networking.org), with a yearly license available for corporate use. After the install process has completed you can opt to take a backup of your registry, which you can use to restore the registry settings if changed by spyware in the future. Before running your first spyware scan, click on the "Search for Updates" button to ensure that the spyware database is up to date with the latest signatures. You can then select a location close to you to download the files from for a faster download.
- Once you have ensured that Spybot S&D is fully updated, click on "Check for Problems" to run your first scan. Spybot checks for more than 800,000 types of spyware and adware programs, so the scan can take several minutes to run, depending on the number of files on the computer's hard drive. Spybot lists in a results box any malicious software it found, displaying the name of the program and the type of adware or spyware it contains. You can then click "Fix selected problems" to remove the files. Some software will not run if you remove the accompanying adware. In this case, Spybot creates a set of dummy files to trick the software into thinking the adware files are still present. If any problems occur after Spybot removes the offending files, you can reverse the process in the "Recovery" section.
- Besides helping you to remove adware and spyware from your computer, Spybot S&D has a number of features to help prevent further spyware installs. The "Immunize" function protects your Web browsers by blocking spyware installers and stopping certain tracking cookies being set. The Resident SDHelper specifically protects Internet Explorer, stopping you from downloading files that contain known spyware or adware. The Tea Timer function monitors your system, prevents unwanted files from installing, and blocks unwanted changes to the registry. If a suspicious action occurs on your computer, Tea Timer intercepts it, and you can then decide to allow or block the action. If you make a mistake, you can roll back and make a different choice.
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