Anti-CIV

Malware is a form of software that launches a malicious attack on your personal computer by making changes without your knowledge or consent. Many times people think of this in terms of computer viruses, even though malware actually covers a large range of computer problems that can be instituted through these bad software programs. This includes Trojan horses, worms, spyware, and adware. Some people also refer to malware as a form of computer contaminant, as it is something that actively gets into your computer and wreaks havoc.

People who do not know or understand what’s going on may think that their computer is crashing due to defective software, but malware is not defective. It’s software that’s specifically designed to destroy your computer. This means that while it causes your computer to crash, it is doing what is has been programmed to do, and therefore it is running exactly as it should be – which is bad news for you.

Many people believe that, in the beginning, many of the malware programs that infect computers were launched only as pranks or as a test of a beginning programmer’s skill. With the growing interconnectivity of the internet, however, it appears that most of the malicious software that attacks computers does so now as a way to make a profit. Malware can do this through something as simple as forcible advertisements that people must look at every time they boot up their computers, to something more serious, like carrying out identity theft by getting into your files and stealing your personal information.

Symptoms of Adware Infection

Your PC is probably infected with adware if:

• You have downloaded music online
• Your PC is running extremely slow
• Your PC is invaded by those horrible popup ads
• Your homepage keeps changing

If any of the above are true then it is likely that your computer is infected with adware.

“But what is adware and how do I get rid of it?” I hear you say.
What is Adware?

Adware is advertising that is integrated into software. It is a small program that is installed with a software application, usually freeware or shareware. Adware displays web-based advertisements through pop-up windows or through an advertising banner that appears within a program’s interface. As you already know, these are highly annoying and need to be removed.

Adware is only installed with the user’s permission – you’re thinking “I never gave permission for it to be installed on my PC!”, but you did. If you’re like me, you rarely bother reading the End User License Agreement and this is where you are told that the adware will be installed on your PC. So by accepting the End User License Agreement you are effectively giving the advertisers permission to infect your PC with adware.

If you think your PC may have been infected in this way you need to get rid of it.
How do I get rid of it?

You can remove adware by purchasing an adware removal program. Most of the companies that provide adware removal programs want to make sure that you are happy with their software before you make a purchase. Therefore, many offer a free trial version or a free scan of your PC so you can check for adware infection.

I’m sure we’ve all had warnings and cautions of ad ware and/or spy ware threatening to shut down our computers. The computer is one of the most important items to most people and protecting it should be something everyone should read more about. Most ad ware and spy ware programs are cheap and an efficient way to make sure your information is safe. Most of you are still probably asking the question.

What is ad ware and spy ware?

Ad ware is a virus like program that gets on to your computer and you will most likely be infected with pop-ups, banners, and ads. Spy ware is when your personal information is gathered from your computer. They generally both work together to scam you with advertisements saying something like “Your computer has been infected with ad ware, to fix this problem purchase our anti ad ware program”. Ad ware will often be attached to programs you may have downloaded from shareware sites with the author trying to sell something to you.

So why protect my computer from ad ware and spy ware?

Well to tell you the truth spy ware is more dangerous than ad ware because it gathers your personal information, which can be used to scam you and send spam to your email address. Ad ware on the other hand is mainly just a nuisance, which is constantly producing pop-ups on your screen. It won’t shut down your computer but it will slow it down and more and more pop-ups will occur over time.

I want ad ware and/or spy ware but what program do I buy?

One of the biggest concerns in internet security is hacking. Hacking could be of different levels of seriousness. Hacking could be just plain annoying and disturbing but it may be very severe to the extent that your finances, security, and even national security are put to risk. Critical as it is, we should make sure that we are doing ways in order to, if not eliminate, minimize the possibility of us being hacked.

A way to minimize attack is by being doubtful of what we see on the internet. Sites and advertisements that have offers that are just too good to be true usually contain viruses, spyware and other malicious software programs that enter your system and make it susceptible to hacking attacks. Hackers would entice us to click on the incredible offers on sites and advertisements so that they could trap us. We should be cautious whenever opening these types of offers on the internet.

Another possible way is to extend our vigilance to the e-mails we receive. Be careful when opening attachments from e-mails that you receive, especially from senders whom you do not know. Hackers could make use of e-mails to pass through your internet security measures by attaching files that actually contain viruses. If you still want to download an attachment from an unknown sender, you may but make sure to scan it first. To be on the safer side, also scan even the attachments that came from people you know.

Having good antivirus software programs and firewalls installed and activated in your computer is also one very good way to deter hackers from assaulting you. Firewalls provide an additional layer of security to your computer’s defences. It is also advisable that you unplug your internet connection when not in use, especially if you’re using a hi-speed connection. Your system is kept connected and open to the internet all the time by many hi-speed internet providers and this would be seen as an opportunity by hackers.

Both adware and spyware are nuisances to computer users. Aside from slowing the computer speed, it threatens our privacy by infiltrating through our computer and pirating our private files. Everyone with computer infected with it surely wants to remove adware and spyware.

Adware and spyware are both viruses designed to advertise unwanted ads through computers. Adware causes disturbing, yet catchy and interesting, advertisements come out of the computer screen on top of all the windows opened. Adware advertisements use words, phrases or pictures that will surely get your attention and make you want to follow the link it provides making you caught in the adware trap. Spyware is literally a “spy ware” that spies on your personal information you used or accessed through your computer such as usernames, passwords, email addresses and other files and send these to a third-computer. The third-computer user will use the information as recipients of unwanted ads, which usually end up in the spam section of email accounts.

Not all computers infected by adware or spyware need to be professionally repaired or the computer trashed away. An average computer user can do something to restore the computer to its original state just by following few simple steps to remove adware and spyware.

Most adware and spyware are taken from the internet by accidentally downloading it and installing it in the computer. Other are secretly attached to another program which will be installed in the computer by installing the said program. Since adware and spyware are installed in the computer, the installation can be undone by simply uninstalling the program. The infected files or better yet the source of the virus could be found in the Add/Remove Program of the control panel. Just click the virus-program and click ‘remove” to uninstall it. After doing so, restart the computer to have it start running without the virus.

An advertising-supported software, or adware as many knows it, is basically a type of software that shows advertisements of certain products, services, or a website on your PC’s. Besides it being annoying, there are many problems that it can also give to your computer. That is why removal of adware is very important.

Some of the damage or bad effects it can bring to your computers are slowing of your browser, pop-ups that suddenly shows, problems with your internet connection, and the worst, it can also infringe your privacy. There are some signs that you should look for to see if your computers are affected by adwares or spywares.

The most common signs that you would easily see are, sudden slowness of the whole system. Some also makes you land on an unknown site different from what you searched. Your default internet browser suddenly changed. You will also notice that every time you open or start your PC, an error sign often shows up.

If you noticed some of these signs, it would be good to check immediately if indeed you are infected. The first step that you will need to do is to always update your computer, most importantly the security updates. Then download an anti-virus or anti-malware software, there are free or trial versions but it would be wiser to buy them to get the most support they can give.

Keep in mind though that every day, different kind of viruses, malwares, and adwares are created. So choose the best anti-malware you could possibly get. Study the capabilities first or ask other peoples referrals, if they knew any great software for fighting adwares. If you already have this, it would be a good practice to regularly scan your computers, if at all possible, use a full system scan.