Things You Should Know About Spyware
Most people who have spyware on their computers and laptops do not even realize it. The spyware lurks in the background doing it deeds within the shadows of their computer’s hard drives.
Sadly, most are unaware of what spyware can do, the types of damage it can potentially cause and measures that can be taken to protect yourself from these annoying programs.
This article will offer answers that will clarify what spyware is and tips you can use to protect yourself from spyware in the future.
What Exactly Is Spyware?
Spyware are computer programs that exist on your computer’s hard drive. They come in a variety of types and flavors. Some spyware simply lurk in the shadows of your hard drive, watching your browser and taking notes of which websites you visit.
Often, it then communicates what it finds to other parties by using your internet access. Other spyware watch and take note of your keystrokes whenever you visit a financial services website.
Knowing as “keyloggers,” this type of spyware then sends your sensitive financial information (including your username and passwords) to other parties across the internet.
How Does Spyware Get Installed?
Most often, spyware is downloaded through the internet. Sometimes, the download occurs when a user knowingly downloads another piece of software and the spyware is attached and enjoys a “free ride” on the user’s hard drive. Other times, spyware can be downloaded by visiting websites.
Known as “drive by’s,” these downloads happen automatically without the user’s permission once a user has simply visited a particular website.
Is Spyware Dangerous?
While not all spyware is necessarily dangerous, it does represent a risk because of the damage it is capable of doing.
For example, the spyware that watches your keystrokes when you visit financial websites and then communicates this data to other unknown parties exposes you and your financial livelihood to risk.
These other parties can then potentially access your bank, investment and loan accounts online without your knowledge or permission, wreaking havoc. Other types of spyware can actually gain control of your computer and distribute that control to other parties.
As a result, unknown parties can potentially gain access to any sensitive data on your hard drive.
How Can Your Protect Your Computer From Spyware?
The most effective way to protect you and your computer from spyware is to use a computer program that is designed specifically to identify and get rid of such bugs.
Such programs include the well-regarded Spybot – Search and Destroy software. These types of programs are increasingly helpful as spyware creators become more savvy.
Some spyware tries to mask or disguise its presence on your hard drive by appearing as an anti-spyware program. That can make them difficult to identify and remove.
Fortunately, dedicated programs like Spybot are constantly updated with the latest version of spyware that are being circulated. This allows it to keep up with new spyware, helping it to easily identify and remove them.
If you have never scanned your system, there is a good chance that you have a spyware program lurking on your hard drive. It could be relatively benign, content to simply exist.
Or, it could be maliciously communicating your sensitive data to outside parties. Use a dedicated spyware removal program such as Spybot – Search and Destroy to get rid of these bugs before they cause any significant damage.
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What Can We Do About Spam?
I receive approximately 5,000 emails containing spam each and every day. Well, maybe not that many, but it sure seems like it. Spam is spiraling out of control and shows no signs of stopping. The question is, where does spam come from, and can you do anything about it?
Most of the spam I receive in my inbox is sexually explicit, but I still like to look at it because some of this junk is actually quite entertaining. My personal favorites are offers to purchase discounted Canadian Viagra, ads for pornographic websites, and bogus work-from-home programs.
How do these people get their grimy hands on your email address? One way they can get it is through opt-in email. When you order something online, as part of the subscription or service that you signed up for, you may have inadvertently agreed to receive offers via email from that company in the future.
As a result, said company adds you to their mailing list and begins to send you email. This is perfectly legal as long as the company provides you with a way to unsubscribe from their mailing list. If they do not provide you with a means to unsubscribe, then the emails they are sending you are considered spam.
To make matters worse, a spammer will sell your email address and any other information you submitted to them to hundreds or even thousands of other companies who are looking for leads. Before you know it, your email address has been circulated everywhere. Once this happens, there is almost no way to prevent spam from reaching your inbox.
Another common way your email address can end up on a mailing list is when an internet marketer purchases a list of email addresses from someone else, and then sends a joke or an interesting cartoon to everyone on that list and asks you to forward it along to all your friends and relatives.
Once you forward the message, the email has a program attached to it that will copy the list of addresses that the message has been forwarded to and send that list back to the person who originally sent you the email. So now, that person not only has your email address, but also has the email address of everyone you forwarded the message to.
Another popular technique is known as harvesting. This is accomplished by writing a simple retrieval program that searches through every web site listed on a search engine for a certain keyword, and then grabs any any email addresses that are posted on those sites, and subsequently sends them back to the harvester. Using this technology, it is possible to acquire thousands of email addresses in an hour or less.
Harvesting has become a legal dilemma. The email marketing community feels that they should be allowed to harvest email addresses that are posted on public websites. In their opinion, if someone has posted their email address for all to see, then other people have the right to contact that person and ask them questions or send them offers.
However, web sites where email addresses are posted have threatened legal action against anyone that harvests email addresses from their site and uses them to build spam lists. Unfortunately, these web sites really have no way to prevent this, and it will only get worse in the future.
We will never stop spam completely. Both big businesses and small businesses have a strong incentive to send bulk email, because it costs nothing, and is a valuable tool for increasing their customer base. Sending regular mail or hiring a telemarketer costs a lot of money and is extremely ineffective. As a result, most companies would prefer to send massive amounts of email. So, expect your inbox to be chock full of spam for many years to come.
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Fight Spam! Strategies and Software to Take Back your Inbox
Efficiency and accuracy in communication may be more important today than at any time in human history. The number of spam messages passed between individuals and businesses continues to increase significantly each day, to the point that some are literally overwhelmed by their sheer volume. Now, more than ever, it is vital that true non-spam email messages be absolutely accurate and arrive at the correct location, on time.
According to most studies, Americans are doing their part in adding to the vast number of electronic messages, but they are also creating a huge number of unwanted, unnecessary messages. One set of statistics shows that as many as 4 of every 10 spam items come from U.S. addresses. Europeans are far worse, however. Half of all emails originating there are spam, according to some statistics.
But what is spam, really? Of course, most people know about the canned food made from pork products (a Hawaiian delicacy). The definition widely used in electronic messaging and email defines spam as a “disruptive, commercial message that is unsolicited and usually sent indiscriminately.” The sheer number of unsolicited messages is enough of a problem in that the sheer handling of this additional traffic slows the entire process of communication. In addition, those messages contain symbols, code etc. that actually cause system disruption or total failure. The resulting damage can be costly.
Some of the top stories in the world of email and electronic messaging recently have focused on the motivation behind spamming. In the end, it is mostly greed/money that motivates these “spammers” who spend their time distributing spam full-time through automated bots and zombie computer networks. Many of those who watch this industry carefully acknowledge that current Federal laws in the United States and at the individual State level fall short of controlling this type of “white collar” crime.
So, what can be done to remedy this situation? Actually, a number of steps can be taken to ensure that individual and business email is safe and efficient. Just making sure the inbox is free of unwanted messages is an obvious place to start. But how is that done?
Much of the spam sent to worldwide email addresses is meant to introduce products, in the hopes that the receiver will be enticed to buy. Financial schemes (the dreaded Nigerian Email scam) and illicit pharmaceutical adverts make up a significant portion of spam; as does pornography and offers for adult material.
Basic e-mail filtering (determined by the content of the e-mail) is a simple step each and every user should be taking at the start of each day and at the start of each email session. In essence, this filtering can be initiated by certain words or phrases that automatically send messages to the trash. Beyond this initial effective step, there are black hole lists (DNS-based) of known spammers, as well as email addresses that are not intended to be used except to capture spam (spamtraps) which offer more intermediate ways to combat the problem at the computer user level.
Some of the best methods employed by individuals and businesses have not been enough to stop the most determined of spammers, however. The most aggressive will use false names and addresses to establish multiple accounts across multiple ISP’s. The use of “buffers” or third-party senders, helps to isolate the actual spammer from recrimination. Spammers have found and will continue to find open paths to unsuspecting inboxes, with the added risk of virus-infected messages a growing concern.
Spam and viruses are a particular risk to companies with extensive communications networks. While many of the simple steps noted above will help keep a system clean (with constant attention by administrators), more aggressive tactics are needed to ensure the continued success of larger, commercial internal communications networks.
New technology, such as highly intuitive anti-spam filtering software, may be the answer to many of the problems caused by a worldwide increase in spam. Current email users can download these anti-spam software updates in real-time and in doing so will help keep their network current. This type of technology is at the top of the list for users looking for email maintenance and for help in maintaining the efficiency and integrity of an entire communications system. Among the key focus areas for general email users are virus-free stability, lower maintenance and upgrade costs, email search capabilities for customized spam surveillance, archive services and anti-spam tools that put the daily maintenance in the hands of the local administrator.
Spam continues to grow, as senders find motivation to increase their efforts. At one time only a few hundred people received these unwanted messages. But over the years, the problem has exploded and now affects billions of email users and businesses each day. By one estimate, only about 15% of email is truly wanted and needed by the end receiver. Companies have come to realize this inefficiency cannot be supported over the long-term and are turning more and more to professional software protection options for help.
Don’t let spam win, make sure your email messaging system is protected by a robust anti-spam software solution and take back your inbox today!
Casey Markee is a consultant with worldwide Novell GroupWise security solutions provider GWAVA. GWAVA is the world leader in providing anti-virus, anti-spam and general security software to support the world’s Novell GroupWise community. Visit them online at http://www.gwava.com today.
9 Ways to Keep Your Online Identity Secure
In a world where you can do virtually everything online, one has to wonder where all the information is going, and how it is being protected. High speed Internet access and devices like Blackberry’s give us constant access to the Internet, and therefore, the ability to exchange information via the World Wide Web. But with this convenience also comes a price.
Local and national news stations run stories frequently about hackers that have corrupted someone’s database leaving millions of facing the possibility of identity theft. How do you go about protecting your identity when you’re online? And, is it really safe to do business online?
#1- Install a firewall on your computer. A firewall is software that installs on your computer to prevent unauthorized access to your computer. Without a firewall in place, you become exposed to hackers while surfing the Internet or simply having your computer connected to the Internet. There are many available, both free and paid, stand-alone or part of a package.
#2 – Use anti-virus software to avoid contracting a virus which can monitor your computer habits. Remember, anti-virus software is usually an annual subscription, don’t let your subscription expire.
#3 – Don’t use the same password for all of your online accounts. It can seem tempting to keep them all the same just for the sake of simplicity, but if you do, and a hacker gains access to your desktop, you may find that they are able to also gain access to all of your personal accounts.
#4 – Use spam filters in your email. Most hosted email solutions now have anti-spam solutions. If they offer it, use it!
#5 – Avoid Email Scams. – Different than spam, email scams use social engineered methods to convince you to trust the sender. Often these scams talk about large sums of money that need to be deposited in your bank account. If you respond, you will begin emailing with a live person, maybe for months, that will work to gain your trust and then steal your money through gaining access to your bank account.
#6 – Don’t ever click links in emails from senders you do not know; this is one of the easiest ways for hackers to gain access to your information.
#7 – Make sure websites you visit are secure. These are easily distinguishable just by glancing at the toolbar on your browser. A URL that begins with ‘Https’ indicates a secured and encrypted site.
#8 – Beware of phishing. Phishing emails are those that look like emails from reputable sites like PayPal, eBay and even your bank, but are designed specifically to steal your identity. The hope is that you will read the email, panic at its information and click on a link within to verify your account details. The website you visit appears as being from the vendor and you are asked to enter your personal information to verify your account. Once you do this, you will find your account at a zero balance within days. One way to avoidphishing is to avoid clicking the embedded link in the email and instead type in the organizations official URL in your browser and login on the official page.
#9 – Watch out for misdirected urls. When you type in a misspelled URL, you can be redirected to a bogus website, although it looks authentic. Often you are asked tologin with your legitimate credentials, which are captured by the bogus site. Then you are often given an error notice that the site cannot process your request and to return at a later date. This buys time for the criminals to take your stolen credentials, visit the legitimate site, and drain your bank account.
Keeping your identity safe online takes work and persistence, but it’s worth it. The only certainty when dealing with identity theft is that the battle will never end. As the hackers become savvier, the solutions will become more high-tech and you will need to stay on top of what’s current. Common sense plays a large role in keeping you and your family safe from online identity thieves.
Richard Bliss is a Security Expert and VP of Marketing with worldwide security software provider GWAVA. Visit them online for the latest in security software and see why http://www.gwava.com is the #1 software provider to the Novell GroupWise.