Avoiding Deceptive Software (Spyware and Adware)
What is Spyware and Adware?
Spyware is software that collects personal information (including e-mail
addresses and passwords) from a computer without the user’s
knowledge or consent. Spyware is often associated with software that displays
advertisements, called adware. Advertisers may install adware on a computer
with or without the knowledge of the user and then generate a stream of
unsolicited advertising that affects your productivity by compromising
the performance of the computer.
What is Deceptive Software?
Spyware and unauthorized adware are two examples of deceptive software.
Deceptive software includes programs which take over your home page or
search page without first getting your permission. Deceptive software
often gets on a computer during the installation of another
program you want such as a music or video file-sharing program.
How do I know if I have Deceptive Software on my computer?
- When you start your Internet browser, does it open
to a page you've never seen before? When you select “search,” are you
taken to a page you do not recognize? Some deceptive software will
alter these settings
without your knowledge.
- Do you see a sudden increase in advertisements on
pages where you've never seen them before? Deceptive software sometimes bombards you
with pop-up
ads no matter what page you visit. These ads are often for adult
or other web sites you may find objectionable.
- Does the computer seem sluggish? Deceptive software is not necessarily
designed to be efficient. The resources it uses to track your
activities and deliver advertisements can slow down the computer
and bugs
in the software can make the computer crash.
Courtesy Microsoft http://www.microsoft.com/security/articles/spyware.asp
- Do you see a large number of unknown icons in
the System tray? A long list of icons in the
System tray in the lower right corner of the Windows XP desktop can
be an indicator of adware
or spyware running on a computer. Extra icons in the System tray
indicate programs that are running in the background. These programs
can lengthen the time a computer takes to boot and make it sluggish
to operate.
Discovering and Removing Deceptive Software
What is Ad-aware?
Ad-aware may be used to help safeguard the ThinkPad against these malicious
applications by scanning the computer for deceptive software and then
removing it.
Accessing Ad-aware
To access Ad-aware, go to Start > Security > Ad-aware 6.
The Status Screen
Ad-aware defaults to the status screen when the application is opened. This screen
shows important details such as the installed reference file, date of your
last complete system check, as well as general usage statistics. The underlined
words are hyperlinks that give you additional options screens when clicked. |
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The “Check for updates now” link
In order to protect the computer, Ad-aware needs the most recent reference file
to assist it in identifying adware. To check for updated reference files click
the Check for updates now link. If a new reference file is available, download
the file, then proceed with the system scan. |
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Scanning the Computer:
- Press the Scan now button, then the Start button in the lower right corner
of the status screen.
- Use the selected scan mode “Perform smart system scan” or
customize these options here and click Next.
- The scan can take up to 45 minutes to run on the computer.
You may continue using the computer during the scan.
- Once the scan is complete, click Finish.
If any adware is found, Ad-aware will ask you to select the file by clicking
a check
box beside the item
found and
allow it to remove it from the system.
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