Protect Yourself From the Evils of the Internet!

Do you know the one thing that stopped me going online and catching up with the 21st century? Rumours. Nasty rumours about viruses, worms and so on; but what worried me most were the sneaky little programs called ‘spyware’ that could invade your computer without you even knowing they were there. Worse than that, spyware can steal information about you. I didn't want my personal details bandied about the Internet for all to see, especially my financial information; I could only image what would happen if someone got ahold of my credit card numbers. What is Spyware? Spyware is an evil little software that sneaks into your computer and can spy on you and even record your personal data. Here’s a peek at some of ways spyware shows up online:

• Shareware: free stuff on the Internet such as music downloads, games, screensavers, or desktop background photos. Spyware is often hiding inside.
• Pop-Up Adverts/Adware: these invite you to click an enticing little button (doing a very good impression of a Windows dialog box, by the way, but a bit dodgy looking round the sides). When you click it, it installs the spyware.
• Rogue anti-spyware: As the name suggests, this is software posing as protection against the very thing you're trying to avoid.
• Bonzi Buddy: Designed to appeal to kids, he will entice the child into downloading him as a fun sort of pal for their computer. (See what they've done there? Very sneaky, very clever. These guys should work on a cure for cancer instead and do us all a favour!)

Most all these spyware can be considered “trojan horses,” a term that applies to any spyware program that travels with a seemingly harmless one. For example, when you download a game, the spyware sneaks along with it. The term really applies to the method of delivery. The spyware hitches a ride with the harmless program and invades the registry. This is the part of the computer that deals with how to run all programs and applications you have installed, including the operating system. (Bottom line: it is really important!) By invading the registry, spyware programs can be told to start up on their own. Information contained in your hard drive becomes vulnerable, and quite often you don't notice a thing, except maybe that the computer is running a little slow. “Darn internet connection!” Hardly. Identity theft is what’s happening.

What do these spyware programs do when they're 'in' ?

Once the spyware is in your system it can reek all sorts of havoc. The trojans can be bunched together with worms or viruses which attack your computer in thousands of ways, none of which are good. One that I've recently heard of (I told you I was just catching up with the 21st Century, bear with me) is called a ‘key logger.’ This is where a program is delivered ‘trojan horse’ style, and then once embedded, tracks all your keystrokes. This means every time you put your pin codes, passwords, or credit card numbers, somebody is recording your every move. These records can be accessed remotely and told to send out all your precious information to, well, who knows? This mystery person, who is obviously up to no good, can then encrypt your info and either use it for their own benefit, or sell it to the highest bidder.

So can anything be done?

This practice is illegal of course, going against the U.S. Computer Fraud and Abuse Act; but spyware is becoming so advanced, and delivery so crafty, the criminals behind it are difficult to track down. It turns out a solution does exist, and, go figure, it’s called ‘anti-spyware.’ Lucky for us, anti-spyware is just as advanced and crafty as its enemy.

When I started looking for anti-spyware, I wanted three things:

• Affordability: It had to be free or inexpensive
• Usability: I'm not computer genius so I wanted it to be easy and to work without me doing anything!
• Effectiveness: When it comes to my personal info, the second-string defense is not good enough; I want the all-stars in there!

What I found was that there are countless anti-spyware adverts on Google. While most of them say they are free, they are not. I didn't like that deception - it reminded me too much of the very thing I was trying to avoid. Or, some of the free programs did not offer the level of protection I needed. I was wary of programs offered by random sources, because I knew that rogue anti-spyware exists. I decided to ask a few people ‘in the know’ and I was led to Spyware Doctor from PC tools. It’s recommended by loads of experts, won dozens of awards, and millions of users aren’t complaining. So, I gave it a shot. I've stuck with it ever since.

I started with the free version, but there are various upgrades for you to consider, depending on your needs and your risk level. I found the small investment well worth it to be fully protected. Besides, they offer a 100% money back guarantee so I felt comfortable giving it a go. The best part is, once you download and install it, Spyware Doctor doesn't interrupt what you are doing. It scans as soon as you switch on, keeps going until it's finished, then tells you what it found. It will eliminate any existing spyware, but continue to block it from then on.

Spyware Doctor met my criteria for a spyware remover: it’s affordable, user-friendly, and effective. I still hear rumours of evil online villains, but I am no longer afraid. With anti-spyware on my side I have been able to grab hold of those Internet reigns and take off at a gallop into the 21st century. I know my personal information is protected because I have Spyware Doctor on my side.