Spyware and scumware. Is your computer infected?

Protect your business by protecting your computer - 2

Is your computer transmitting your private secrets to who-knows-where when you're online? If it's infected by spyware, it could be doing just that. Here's how to get rid of these parasites and protect your confidential passwords, credit card details, etc, FREE.

On this page, we define spyware, adware, scumware and parasites, and then show you how to detect, eliminate and protect your computer and its valuable data. For free. (There's another page devoted to free virus protection. You can even clean your computer of viruses there!)

Start here if the test shows your computer is infected. Click here to get rid of that scumware

Cleaning spyware, adware and scumware from your PC

Spyware watches what you do online and sends information back to marketing companies. Without either your permission or knowledge, of course. These programs can spy on information you enter into forms, even 'secure' ones.

Adware plagues you with unwanted advertising, usually popups or popunders. But adware can also spy on you. These pages will help you learn about adware and remove adware.

Scumware adds advertising links to your web pages, and you dont get paid. You may not even know they're there. Scumware is also designed to hijack your affiliate-program payments. The purveyors of scumware are thieves.

Trash apps (applications) are programs that install themselves on your computer, and are intentionally hard to find and harder to eliminate. Usually they'll pester you, either forcing ads on you that you dont want (eg, porn) or trying to get you to download some other program like Gator. Here's where you can find out how to remove these trash apps from your startup folder, win.ini file or registry. It's a bit technical but if you have unwanted programs loading and bugging you at startup, you'll learn how to get rid of them.

All these parasites may also degrade the performance, stability and security of your computer. Perhaps it's been slowing down lately and you've been wondering why...

Ad-Aware is excellent free software that identifies and removes spyware (also defined here) from your PC. Some of the programs you download from the Internet could actually be spying on you, keeping track of the websites you visit, the purchases you make, your click patterns, etc. But Ad-Aware searches your program files for spyware, lists it all and then asks you whether you want to delete each of them from your hard drive. (When it asks you whether to delete items from your 'deep registry', it's wiser to say No. I found that out the hard way.)

Shields-UP! Internet Connection Security Analysis will expertly check your computer's ports to see if your PC is vulnerable. Ports? Yes, they're the 'connection points' if you will between your PC and the big wide world of the Internet. You know how you can be surfing at the same time that you're downloading some software, at the same time that... (you get the point). Well, each computer application uses a different address at your computer, a different 'port'. And nasties can enter through those hundreds of ports without either asking you or informing you. And they can copy whatever information they want! So be wise. Click the link to find out how vulnerable your computer is to uninvited entry by malicious robots and hackers. Then be sure you get it to "Test my shields" and also to "Probe my ports".

Replace Gator with Roboform form-filler

Gator is a known spyware. But it's also handy. Now Roboform is non-spy alternative that fills in all your online forms, remembers passwords, creates random secure passwords, uses 3DES encryption (it's secure!) and is free for personal use. 5 Cows from Tucows. Click here to get Roboform FREE.

Scumware resources

If you wish to learn more about various types of spyware and scumware and how to protect yourself, these sites can certainly help.

DMOZ Ezula directory
Ezula Killer
KaZaa: "you also get a virus"
ScumWare
StopScum
SurfPlus remover

Someone Is Hijacking Your Visitors?
Have your sales dropped off lately? Over 4 million web surfers are viewing links on your website you didn't put there. These links are taking your customers elsewhere, the really scary part is unless you have TOPtext installed on your browser you won't even know it's happening.

Spyware resources

Spyware Blaster. FREE. Prevents spyware from being installed by disabling the CLSIDs of popular spyware ActiveX controls. Also prevents the installation of any of them via a webpage. The SpywareBlaster database contains information on known spyware Active-X controls and can be updated with the click of a button. For Windows 95/98/ME/NT4/2000/XP.