| Spyware removal has become a tedious work. As | | | | threats then virus, citing lawsuits brought by |
| the spyware threat has worsened, a number of | | | | software authors against the authors of web sites |
| techniques have emerged to counteract it. Among | | | | and programs which described their products as |
| these are | | | | "spyware". |
| - Programs designed to remove or to block | | | | However, recent versions of these major firm's |
| unwanted programs | | | | home and business anti-virus products do include |
| - Eucating the users in such a way that they can | | | | anti-spyware functions. The malware, adware type |
| keep bad programs from infecting their computer | | | | of software is treated differently from viruses |
| - User practices which reduce the chance of any | | | | though. |
| software sneaking their way into your computer. | | | | Symantec Anti-Virus, for instance, categorizes all |
| Information gather software remains a costly | | | | kinds of malware as "extended threats" and now |
| problem even with all new technology used to | | | | offers real-time protection from them (as it does for |
| combat them. If a large number of spyware | | | | viruses). The drawback with these programs is that |
| programs have infected a Windows computer, the | | | | they are very complex and in many cases produce |
| only way to save the computer may be to back up | | | | more hurdles to jump over then you as a user really |
| user data, and fully reinstalling the operating system. | | | | need. |
| Anti-spyware Programs | | | | All protection software requires a frequently-updated |
| One of the markets most popular programs, | | | | database of threats. As new threats are released, |
| Adwarealert will help you find and ultimately rid your | | | | the protection software developers discover and |
| computer of unwanted software. | | | | evaluate them, making "signatures" or "definitions" |
| Many programmers and some commercial firms have | | | | which allow the software to detect and remove the |
| released products designed to remove or block | | | | ofending software. |
| spyware. Steve Gibson's OptOut, , practially invented | | | | If a threatening program is not blocked and manages |
| a growing category. Programs such as, | | | | to get itself installed, it may resist attempts to |
| - Adwarealert | | | | terminate or uninstall it. Some programs work |
| - Lavasoft's Ad-Aware SE | | | | together: when an threat scanner (or the user) |
| - Patrick Kolla's Spybot - Search & Destroy | | | | terminates one running process, the other one starts |
| Rapidly gained popularity as effective tools to | | | | up the killed program again, making it virtually |
| remove, and in some cases intercept, badly behavied | | | | impossible to clean the computer. |
| programs. | | | | Some malware will detect attempts to remove |
| Recently Microsoft bought the GIANT Anti-Spyware | | | | registry keys during the spyware removal and |
| software, renaming it as Windows AntiSpyware beta | | | | immediately add them again. Usually, booting the |
| and releasing it as a free download for Windows XP, | | | | infected computer in safe mode allows an |
| Windows 2000, and Windows 2003 users. The | | | | anti-spyware program a better chance of removing |
| renamed software for now exists as a time-limited | | | | persistent programs. |
| beta test product that will expire at the end of July | | | | The most extreme way of cleaning is to move the |
| 2006. Microsoft is continuously developing and | | | | hard drive to another computer, boot on the normal |
| updating this product. | | | | boot disk that computer has, and then clean the |
| Protection and removal | | | | infected disk. You can also mount the infected disk |
| Major anti-virus firms such as Symantec, McAfee and | | | | over the local network and scan & clean it to |
| Sophos have come later to the table, adding | | | | remove as much spyware as possible. |
| anti-spyware features to their existing anti-virus | | | | It doesn't matter what way you choose to clean |
| products. | | | | your computer, but using a good malware removal |
| In the beginning, anti-virus firms did not want to add | | | | program will make your life much easier ... |
| functions that was connected to other forms of | | | | |