Adware

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Adware

Adware

Spyware's less-threatening, more-annoying counterpart...

Adware Information:

Have you ever been in that situation where you walk away from your computer for five minutes and come back to a screen absolutely congested with advertisements and promotions? Well, you have Adware to thank for that...

Adware and spyware have a lot of similiarities with one another; they both can get on your computer without your knowledge, they both run in the background making the user unfamiliar of their presence and well...they're both just annoying to have. But, we'll tell you right now, if we were forced to choose between either having adware or spyware on my computer, we would choose adware hands-down. Then again, using safe browsing practices and the proper tools, not only will you be able to efficiently detect Adware and Spyware, but you can also prevent Adware and Spyware from ever reaching your computer!!

Click here for the step-by-step adware removal and prevention video

Now, believe it or not, some of you out there just might like adware on your computer. They do have a purpose after all for the consumer. While some adware programs just randomly pollute your screen with advertisements, others try to deliver advertisements that you may be interested in. More sophisticated forms of adware monitor your browsing habits, taking track of the websites you visit. With that information, the adware calculates advertisements you may be interested in and presents them on your screen. You can consider it a sophisticated way of target marketing.

Adware - Taking Action...

Because of the similiarities of spyware and adware, you can detect and prevent adware in the same ways as you can with spyware. For starters, you can do the following:

  • Do the research: If there is a program you want to download, don't download it until you scope out the company. Does the website look legitimate? Is there customer support you can contact for the program(s)? Can the company that is providing the program be trusted? Look at the company's website and read about them so you can have an understanding on not only what their program will do for you, but also if the company is legitimate or not.
  • Keep your browser up-to-date: Security patches are constantly released so that your web browser can be protected from the spyware that takes advantage of known weaknesses.
  • Read the licensing and use agreements: If you have to click an "I Agree" button before downloading something, there is a reason for that. Through reading the agreements, you can discover the ways that information will be collected from you.
  • Disable ActiveX unless you need it: This is more of an advanced thing to do. While ActiveX is used by a lot of sites for functionality purposes, it can also used to automatically install spyware onto your system. Since disabling ActiveX is different for each type of browser, just go to Google and do a search for how to disable ActiveX with your browser.

Just like spyware, adware can be tricky to remove from your computer. For additional assistance, you can use tools that will accompany you in identifying and removing adware which already found its way onto your system.

Now, believe it or not, some of you out there just might like adware on your computer. They do have a purpose after all for the consumer. While some adware programs just randomly pollute your screen with advertisements, others try to deliver advertisements that you may be interested in. More sophisticated forms of adware monitor your browsing habits, taking track of the websites you visit. With that information, the adware calculates advertisements you may be interested in and presents them on your screen. You can consider it a sophisticated way of target marketing.

Adware - Taking Action...

Because of the similiarities of spyware and adware, you can detect and prevent adware in the same ways as you can with spyware. For starters, you can do the following:

  • Do the research: If there is a program you want to download, don't download it until you scope out the company. Does the website look legitimate? Is there customer support you can contact for the program(s)? Can the company that is providing the program be trusted? Look at the company's website and read about them so you can have an understanding on not only what their program will do for you, but also if the company is legitimate or not.
  • Keep your browser up-to-date: Security patches are constantly released so that your web browser can be protected from the spyware that takes advantage of known weaknesses.
  • Read the licensing and use agreements: If you have to click an "I Agree" button before downloading something, there is a reason for that. Through reading the agreements, you can discover the ways that information will be collected from you.
  • Disable ActiveX unless you need it: This is more of an advanced thing to do. While ActiveX is used by a lot of sites for functionality purposes, it can also used to automatically install spyware onto your system. Since disabling ActiveX is different for each type of browser, just go to Google and do a search for how to disable ActiveX with your browser.

Just like spyware, adware can be tricky to remove from your computer. For additional assistance, you can use tools that will accompany you in identifying and removing adware which already found its way onto your system.

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 Check your list

Are you missing anything?

Whether or not you have read everything prior to this page, this area will serve as a checklist for securing your computer. This area will cover the tools and the practices that you should use on a daily basis.

Make sure your computer has the lateset security patches installed:

The easiest, and I do mean the easiest, way to break into a computer (both for actual people and malicious software) is to take advantage of security weaknesses that people have not patched up on their computers. The reason being is twofold: first, these exploits become public knowledge, allowing anyone to learn and take advantage of them and second, freely downloadable tools are developed that allow anyone to easily use exploit these public vulnerabilities and gain control of computers.

To see if you have the latest security patches on your computer, have a look at Microsoft's website and click on the Microsoft Update link on the left-hand menu. You also have the option of having critical patches automatically update your machine when available. To set this option, do the following:

  • Click Start, then My Computer
  • Under the Other Places menu to the left, click Control Panel
  • If you are in Category View, click Security Center and click on the Automatic Updates section at the bottom of the new window that opened. In the new window that opened, make sure the Automatic (recommended) is selected.

    If you are in Classic View, click System. When the new window opens, click the Automatic Updates tab and make sure the Automatic (recommended) is selected.

Use a Firewall:

Think of a firewall like the front door to your house: it gives you the discretion of choosing what you want to come in and what to go out of your house. Without a firewall, all traffic no matter what shape or form can enter and exit your computer. All forms of malicious software utilize the opportunity to enter and spread to other computers without firewalls because it is effortless to do. A section on firewalls will be added here very soon!

For now, have a look at this detailed and informative Firewall Guide.

Use anti-spyware software with updated definitions:

Spyware can come pretty much from anywhere. To make sure that various forms of spyware to not constantly monitor your activities, download some anti-spyware tools and make sure that they constantly have the most up-to-date definitions. This will give you the greatest chances of removing any sources of spyware that may be on your computer. To find some spyware removal tools, have a look at the Tools section.

Use anti-adware software with updated definitions:

Adware is another one of those things that you can get pretty much anywhere. While they may not be as harmful as the information that spyware can collect from you, they can be extremely annoying, often times dramatically slowing down the performance of your computer. Don't let adware to this to your computer. Look at the Tools section for adware removal tools.

Use anti-virus software with up-to-date virus definitions:

Viruses, trojans, worms and even some forms of spyware can be detected and removed with anti-virus software. Just make sure that you constantly update your virus definitions. New forms of malicious software and produced and released in the Internet on a daily basis and they only way to protect yourself from them is if you have the virus definitions to block and delete them from your computer. Some Anti-Virus programs can be seen in the Tools section.

Use an Intrusion Detection System (advanced):

While we did not really talk about this, they are very good to have on your computer. You can consider an Intrusion Detection System like a burglar alarm for your house; they alarm you when abnormal activity is occurring on your computer. While Intrusion Detection Systems may need to be configured (depending on what you plan to use) some can work just fine for the personal user right out of the box.

Practice Safe Web Surfing Habits:

While there is always the opportunity of getting various forms of malicious software no matter where you browse to on the Internet, there are areas that have a higher chance of infecting your computer. Warez (illegal software), pornography, and other types of "underground" websites will give you higher probabilities of being infected with malicious software versus sites like Amazon.com and eBay. These "underground" sites have a tendency of actually programming their webpages so that malicious software automatically gets installed on your computer right when you enter the website. You don't even have to download anything!

Don't open unknown emails and use caution when opening email attachments:

While curiosity can get the best of many people, don't open those emails from unknown people that have enticing subjects. Just like with webpages, emails can be written in a form where malicious software will automatically infect you just by opening (or even previewing it like you can with Microsoft Outlook) the email.

Also, make sure you check attachments for viruses, worms, etc., especially if they are from a stranger. Call us paranoid but, we actually scan all of our attachments for viruses because you never know whether a buddy or a worm is the one that sent you that email. Fortunately, many anti-virus programs allow you to automatically check every email for viruses.

Educate Others:

Alright, so you know the in's and out's of protecting yourself on the Internet, but are you the only one that uses the computer? Tell your coworkers, friends, family, spouses, siblings and anyone else you know about the dangers that can lurk on the Internet. Heck, send them to this website if you want! The human element of security is just as important as the technical side. A nice computer security reource guide can be found here.

Beware of Scams:

We actually talk about this subject in terms of phising scams in our newsletter. the tips and tactics of spotting phishing scams, as well as what actions to take once you find them. Just remember this, if you stumble upon an offer that is too good to be true, you're right.

Download with Caution:

Things may not always be what they seem in terms of downloads. Before you open any material that you download onto your computer, make sure to check it for viruses. It's that simple!

Know that anyone, including you, can be a victim:

The people that are the most insecure on the Internet are the ones who believe that they can not be a victim. By understanding the dangers that lie on the Internet, you can take the proper safety precautions to protect yourself. Trust us when we say that hackers, intruders, etc. are always going to first look for the easiest targets to attack. If you apply the information you learned throughout this website to yourself and your computer, chances are you are going to deter those hackers into looking for easier targets to attack.

Don't be scared of the Internet:

Alright, learning about all of the dangers that can lurk on the Internet may probably frighten you of even connecting to the Internet. You shouldn't be frightened though! Yes, there may be bad things on the Internet, but there are many more good things! Just think for a couple of minutes of the massive amount of things that the Internet has allowed you to do that couldn't be done before. The global communicating and sharing, the infinite knowledge-base at your fingertips and don't forget the shopping potential; all of this was unheard of before the Internet! All you need to do is learn how to secure yourself by using some tools and developing some habits. Enjoy what the Internet has to offer, because it is here to stay!

Web Evidence

Have you ever wondered how websites can give you product or service recommendations that would actually be of interest to you? With the hundreds and even thousands of products and services that a website can offer, how do they know what you would personally like? Also, how can entire forms be automatically filled out by just simply entering information in one area? Well, information can be collected from you that is not only used for target marketing, but also for other various purposes.

Web Evidence Information:

There are tons of places that your computer can store information about you. Some you may be familiar with, such as your cache and your web history, but there are many other places that store information as well when you surf the web. The main purposes for storing this information was to provide the user with some conveniences while browsing. The following are some examples on how and why information is collected from you.

  • Cookies: Cookies are simply little text files that websites store on your computer. While they do not store sensitive information such as credit card numbers, they do store mundane information such as what you searched for, what products you clicked on, etc. That way, when you re-visit that website, it can quickly find the cookie it put on your computer to inform you about product deals, recommendations and the like that may be of interest to you. This is a way of personalizing the browsing experience for every user, making the website unique for each individual.
  • AutoComplete: Yet, another convenience for the user. Have you ever been asked to save form information after entering it in for the first time? Then, when you go to re-enter it, it automatically fills out everything for you, dotting every i and crossing every t? Yup, that's not just a cool coincidence, it was information that was stored on your computer.
  • Cache: You ever notice that it can take a long time for a website to fully load, but when you go back to it, it loads almost instantaneously? This is where the Cache comes in. The cache saves every webpage, picture, song, video, etc. (to an extent) to your computer so that you can quickly view them upon revisiting the website.
  • History: When you type a website address into your address bar, you probably noticed that a list of websites pop up that you recently visited that match what you are typing in. This is good for those situations when you stumble into a cool website but forget its address. If you know just a little of the website, your computer will quickly allow you to find that glorious website again. This feature has helped us many times!

Then, there are the other places that your computer stores information about you, primarily in what is called your profile or index.dat. These areas can store information about you such as those found in your cookies, autocomplete, cache and history sections. The only problem is that if you know how to manually clean up your cookies, autocomplete forms, cache and history, you probably will not delete the information stored in your profile or in your index.dat.

Web Evidence - Taking Action...

Eliminating evidence on your computer can be done in both a manual way and an automatic way. Personally, we perform the latter because, well, we are lazy and they can get things that we may forget about. We will not be discussing how to manually remove evidence here because there are a lot of areas to cover and manually eliminating evidence is different for every browser. That would just take way too long to write out!

So, do what we do and keep it simple; let the automated tools take care of everything for you.

Web Evidence Information:

There are tons of places that your computer can store information about you. Some you may be familiar with, such as your cache and your web history, but there are many other places that store information as well when you surf the web. The main purposes for storing this information was to provide the user with some conveniences while browsing. The following are some examples on how and why information is collected from you.

  • Cookies: Cookies are simply little text files that websites store on your computer. While they do not store sensitive information such as credit card numbers, they do store mundane information such as what you searched for, what products you clicked on, etc. That way, when you re-visit that website, it can quickly find the cookie it put on your computer to inform you about product deals, recommendations and the like that may be of interest to you. This is a way of personalizing the browsing experience for every user, making the website unique for each individual.
  • AutoComplete: Yet, another convenience for the user. Have you ever been asked to save form information after entering it in for the first time? Then, when you go to re-enter it, it automatically fills out everything for you, dotting every i and crossing every t? Yup, that's not just a cool coincidence, it was information that was stored on your computer.
  • Cache: You ever notice that it can take a long time for a website to fully load, but when you go back to it, it loads almost instantaneously? This is where the Cache comes in. The cache saves every webpage, picture, song, video, etc. (to an extent) to your computer so that you can quickly view them upon revisiting the website.
  • History: When you type a website address into your address bar, you probably noticed that a list of websites pop up that you recently visited that match what you are typing in. This is good for those situations when you stumble into a cool website but forget its address. If you know just a little of the website, your computer will quickly allow you to find that glorious website again. This feature has helped us many times!

Then, there are the other places that your computer stores information about you, primarily in what is called your profile or index.dat. These areas can store information about you such as those found in your cookies, autocomplete, cache and history sections. The only problem is that if you know how to manually clean up your cookies, autocomplete forms, cache and history, you probably will not delete the information stored in your profile or in your index.dat.

Web Evidence - Taking Action...

Eliminating evidence on your computer can be done in both a manual way and an automatic way. Personally, we perform the latter because, well, we are lazy and they can get things that we may forget about. We will not be discussing how to manually remove evidence here because there are a lot of areas to cover and manually eliminating evidence is different for every browser. That would just take way too long to write out!

So, do what we do and keep it simple; let the automated tools take care of everything for you.