Nov 14, 2008 - 10:53:38 AM -
What is Spyware?
Spyware are malicious software programs that, when installed on your computer, secretly track and monitor your computer use and Internet activities. Some spyware programs, known as keyloggers, record all your keystrokes and take screenshots of the tasks you perform on your PC and send the gathered information to external sources. The main motive of these external sources, usually hackers, is to collect user names, passwords, credit card and banking information, and any other sensitive information that you access from your computer.
Most of the time, spyware programs gather data that comprises information related to Web sites you visit, time you spent on a particular website and ads you click. Spyware can link this information with the numerical hardware ID (MAC address) and IP address of your computer, along with any other personal information collected about you, and trade it with various affiliate advertising partners.
What is Adware?
Adware can be defined as a program that installs a component that feeds advertising content, such as popup ads on your desktop or a toolbar, such as the Mirar toolbar, to your computer. Many legitimate adware programs come packaged with freeware software programs and run on your computer only when you are using this program.
However, certain malicious adware programs hijack your Web browser and redirect all your searches to Web sites other than the ones you intend to open. These malicious adware may reconfigure the settings of your Web browser toolbar or Web browser start page in such a way that, at times, it may be difficult even for an expert user to remove the program from your computer. For instance, as soon as the Mirar toolbar gets installed on your computer, it copies a large number of files to various folders on your computer and ads a large number of entries in the registry. This makes Mirar toolbar removal a difficult task, especially when using the Add or Remove programs option, which is quite ineffective in completely getting rid of the program. So, the only option left is to manually search for and delete Mirar files and registry entries from your computer.
These insidious adware programs are categorized as spyware due to their malicious behavior.
Spyware and Adware Removal Tips
Removing spyware and adware from a computer can be quite tedious and frustrating. However, if you follow the tips listed here it will make the process much easier and more effective.
Get an anti-spyware software: First and foremost, get a reliable, current, and updated anti-spyware software. Remember, anti-spyware is different from antivirus and you cannot rely on your antivirus software to remove spyware and adware from your PC.
Close all applications before scanning: To ensure that your anti-spyware scan is effective, close all applications currently running on your computer and disconnect the computer from the Internet and network - remove LAN cable or Phone cable from your computer.
Scan, restart, and repeat the process: After closing all the applications, open your anti-spyware program and run a scan. If you get any results, review and take the appropriate action. Next, reboot your computer, and run the scan again.
Note: You must run the anti-spyware scan twice even if no errors are displayed during the first scan.
Run scan in Safe Mode: Creators of many spyware and adware software, program them in such a way that no matter what you or the anti-spyware utility try, it is just not possible to get rid of them. Therefore, many anti-spyware vendors suggest that you must boot your system in Safe mode—press F8 at system startup and choose the appropriate option. In Safe mode, only essential system processes are active, therefore, running a scan in Safe mode is much more effective than scanning in the Normal mode.
Use a registry cleaner utility: Registry cleaners help you scan and repair registry errors. Many advanced registry cleaners also enable you to weed out spyware entries that are added deep within the registry. Therefore, running a registry scan using a registry cleaner will also help you in removing spyware and adware from your computer.
Just like viruses and Trojans, it is very important for you to keep your computer safe from unwanted and troublesome spyware and adware programs. Be a vigilant user and be careful when you download and install freeware games and tools on your computer. Regularly update and run anti-spyware scans on your computer to keep all spyware and adware problems at bay. Also, run regular registry scans to ensure that your system registry is free from all spyware and adware entries.
