Now that you have been introduced to some of the spyware tools that are available, there is a general procedure of attack to rid your system of that pesky software.

First, identify any odd-ball applications listed in Control Panel > Add/Remove programs. You will need to be online to remove certain spyware applications because they require you to go to their website’s uninstall interface. Read carefully! They try to trick users by using odd wording to keep the spyware installed. For example, it could say, “Are you sure you don’t want to uninstall our software? Click yes or no.” In this case, the answer is “No”. Those double negatives can be confusing.

Uninstalling spyware with provided uninstallers saves a lot of hassle later down the road, however, the downside is that some of these uninstallers need an active net connection for the uninstaller to work. Either way, uninstalling everything you can as a first step saves hours of headaches if you do not want to reformat and reinstall the Operating System.

If you simply allow a spyware scanner to try to remove these strains of spyware that appear in “Add/Remove Programs”, you will be left with bits and pieces on the hard drive and in various places in the registry. These left over pieces will have to be removed manually because they are no longer being detected as threats, but may still be reappearing, recreating themselves, and causing problems. So, make sure you uninstall items that are listed here, plus any additional packages that looks suspicious:

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The two most common and most used spyware tools, Lavasoft’s Adaware and Spybot Search & Destroy have been cleaning infected systems for a few years now. Both still come highly recommended for your spyware combat arsenal.

However, an interesting factor has cropped up recently where Lavasoft has removed a large well-known adware vendor called WhenU from their definitions database. That means any utilities produced by the WhenU vendor will be ignored by Adaware scans. This is a very disappointing move for Lavasoft to make. Pest Patrol and Aluria have also failed to include WhenU’s set of pests in their databases. Lavasoft’s response to its removal was that WhenU software was no longer a threat. Many spyware experts strongly disagree. There are other cases of known adware/spyware vendors going after the creators of spyware removal software, which can be found under this list of litigations pursued by spyware vendors when their software was included in various removal utilities.

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Tightening up system security, keeping up to date with security patches, and engaging in safe Internet usage are the three main ways to prevent spyware from entering your computer system. Many of these techniques rely on each other to maintain overall good system security. Don’t rely on just one or two. Use most, if not all, of these techniques. You will end up with a much healthier computer.

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Much of the time, spyware relies on persuading unaware or credulous users to download and install it by offering some kind of seemingly enticing bait, such as a prize, free money, a free service, or a free service that’s “better” and supposedly gives you a leg up on widely known legitimate software or services. 99% of the time, you can assume that it will not help in any way.

Here is a list of known spyware applications and a list of known spyware creators/vendors . Check these lists if you run across a program you want to install, but don’t really know anything about its origins or appear on unprofessional websites. If the software does not appear in the product search, it is either too new, too obscure, or not a threat.

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There is a large set of problems that are usually attributed to spyware, but that doesn’t mean the effects of spyware are limited to the items described below. If you are experiencing any one of these, it may be a good idea to run some spyware scans.

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The single, all-encompassing term “spyware” is more or less a misnomer, for there are a number of different kinds of software that engage in data harvesting and come under the broad, umbrella-like term “spyware”. Spyware can be loosely associated with viruses; Trojans and Worms being the closest relative to viruses, but there is a fine line of difference. Viruses are typically self-replicating. They can copy themselves and spread from computer to computer through security holes and exploits, as well as relying on a user’s poor security habits to quietly slip in to an unguarded system. Spyware usually relies on a user’s ignorance and credulity to infect a system and does not engage in replication. So, in effect, the first and best form of prevention is awareness.

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Taken down to its simplest form and to be quite general, spyware is a software technology that assists in information gathering. The kind of information being gathered depends on how the spyware was written and what it was made to target. Once installed on a system, it can collect password data, bank and credit data, information on web surfing habits, email addresses, or just about anything else that you may consider a breach in privacy. This information is gathered from your computer and then relayed over the Internet to advertisers and any other interested parties, as allowed and directed by the piece of spyware. This definition, however, does not include or apply to all forms of software that fall under the heading of “spyware”.

The Internet can be a great place to visit and can contain a wealth of information that is made readily available at your fingertips, but like anyplace else, you must exhibit a certain degree of caution while making your way around. Wariness coupled with awareness can go a long way to help combat spyware.

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Anti-virus software mostly works the same way. It scans your hard drive for particular signatures that indicate a known computer virus that is contained in the virus definitions supplied by the company. If it finds a sign of a virus, it will typically offer to quarantine or delete the infected file. Quarantining the file will place it in a tightly controlled area by the anti-virus software so that it cannot infect the computer.

Anti-virus programs work best as a line of defense. In some instances, they can repair the damage after infection. In other cases, it cannot. So, what do you do if your computer is already infected by a computer virus?

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