Computer Spyware

“Spyware, like spam and the other privacy issues I have talked about today, are global challenges that require global solutions. For this reason, the FTC has undertaken a leadership role on international privacy and security issues." -- Lydia B. Parnes, Acting Director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, from a press release dated October 28, 2004.

On October 7, 2004, the United States House of Representatives passed H. R. 4661, the Internet Spyware (I-SPY) Prevention Act of 2004. It was received in the U.S. Senate the following day, but has not been passed at this date.

Will the effect of this Act becoming law prevent your computer from being infested with spyware? Well, did passage of the CANSPAM Act of 2003 prevent you from receiving spam email? Same answer: No. Just as the CANSPAM Act allows email advertising that does not fall under its definition of spam, the Internet Spyware (I-SPY) Prevention Act of 2004 allows spyware that is not used for criminal purposes.

Spyware not used for criminal purposes is most of it. Why all the fuss?

Spyware is a tracking program that enters your computer from any of a number of sources and lives there until it is discovered and killed. Different types of spyware perform differing types of activities, but ALL OF THEM record information about you and send it out over the Internet.

Here are some typical signs of spyware living inside your computer:

You enter a search term in Internet Explorer's address bar and press enter to start the search. Instead of your usual search site, an unfamiliar site like I-search performs the search.

You log onto the Internet and discover that your "home page" has changed to a different company.

You log onto the Internet and discover that your "home page" has a new search bar. The new search bar may even have Internet categories for you to search.

Something new appears in your Favorites list without your putting it there. You try to delete it and discover it keeps coming back.

Something new appears on your Start menu, and you did not add any new programs to the Start menu.

Your computer is running slower than it did previously.

You are not online but your modem lights are blinking like crazy - the same way they do when you're downloading a file.

You get pop-up advertising when your browser is not running, OR you get pop-up advertising that addresses you BY YOUR NAME.

Or, you don't detect anything unusual. You see, a lot of spyware is designed to work in secret without you knowing what it's doing.

A friend called recently and asked if I'd look at her computer because it was running slow and the automatic disk cleanup and disk defragmentation was not working properly. I took a floppy disk with Spybot to her house, loaded it and removed 31 spyware applications.

Don't jump to any great conclusions about Spybot. It's good, BUT. I downloaded Adaware and used it. It discovered a couple of items that Spybot has missed. I then downloaded the free version of Alluria's Spyware Eliminator which found Isearch but wouldn't get rid of it unless you bought the full program

PC Magazine tested a bunch of programs and came to this conclusion in March of 2004, "Let's be clear: None of the applications we tested for this roundup hit the ball out of the park in terms of detecting and removing the adware, Trojan horses, key loggers, and hosts of other assorted nasties that make up the unpleasant category of applications known as spyware."

In June 2004 PC Mag told about a new product it tested by stating, "McAfee's spyware detection and removal functions placed it among the best antispyware tools we've tested." The problem in June was that the McAfee product was included in a suite of products and you had to buy them all to get the antispyware program.

Fast forward to November 2004 and McAfee's product is now stand-alone at an extremely reasonable price. For more information click McAfee AntiSpyware.

Computer Tips from Online Little Rock

Computer Spyware