“Do you ever get the sense you’re being watched?”
Sometime in our life we have all had that eerie feeling that we were being watched. Virtually everywhere we go we come under the watchful eye of security cameras and other ways of tracking our movements. However, what if your PC was monitoring you without your knowledge? What if it was reporting your Internet surfing habits to a remote location?
Spyware is data-tracking software that is often installed on a PC without your consent as the result of simply clicking a deceptive pop-up window. Once installed, spyware secretly gathers personal information about you and sends it to advertisers or other interested parties.
These unwanted privacy-invasive programs are designed to be difficult to remove. We’ve created an easy link to give helpful hints and tools to do the job. This will guide you to safely scan and remove these programs from your PC.
Remember, the more strangers learn about you, the happier they are. Who’s watching you?
Follow the steps provided below for as many of the different scanners as you would like.
Trend Micro – HouseCall
1. Go to http://housecall65.trendmicro.com/
2. Read the Terms of Use and then check the box next to “Yes, I accept the terms of use”
3. Click the “Launch HouseCall” button
4. When the test finishes, click the “Starting HouseCall” button under the “Using Java-based HouseCall kernel” section
5. If a “Warning – Security” box pops up, choose “Run”
6. Click the “Next” button under the section “Scan complete computer for malware, grayware, and vulnerabilities”
7. Allow the scan to run and then clean any infections it finds
Some recommendations from Microsoft on avoiding spyware:
Adjust Internet Explorer security settings
You can adjust your Internet Explorer Web browser's security settings to determine how much—or how little—information you are willing to accept from a Web site. Microsoft recommends that you set the security settings for the Internet zone to Medium or higher.
To view your current Internet Explorer security settings:
1. | In Internet Explorer, click Tools and then click Internet Options. |
2. | Select the Security tab. |
Surf and download more safely
The best defense against spyware and other unwanted software is not to download it in the first place. Here are a few helpful tips that can protect you from downloading software you don't want:
• Only download programs from Web sites you trust. If you're not sure whether to trust a program you are considering downloading, ask a knowledgeable friend or enter the name of the program into your favorite search engine to see if anyone else has reported that it contains spyware.
• Read all security warnings, license agreements, and privacy statements associated with any software you download.
• Never click "agree" or "OK" to close a window. Instead, click the red "x" in the corner of the window or press the Alt + F4 buttons on your keyboard to close a window.
• Be wary of popular "free" music and movie file-sharing programs, and be sure you clearly understand all of the software packaged with those programs.
To see more hints from Microsoft, visit http://www.microsoft.com/protect/computer/spyware/prevent.mspx.