Tip

Step 1: Get familiar with spyware now if not already

Spyware is one of the major new scourges of the information age and the Windows platform. "Spyware" is the generic term for software that exploits either user ignorance or system insecurity to install itself frequently without your knowledge or consent.

Spyware programs are disruptive and often dangerous. They may attempt to hijack your browser to marketing-oriented Web sites, display unwanted advertising, or spy on your browsing or typing habits and report this information back to a third party. This last attribute is where the name spyware comes from, and for many users and system administrators, it puts such programs in the same category as viruses: unwanted hostile intrusions.

You don't want this stuff on your computer. It slows things down, interferes with work and sometimes even prevents your system from being used at all. What's to be done? The following steps outlined in this guide will help you identify and remove spyware from your own work or home machines.

 


How to remove spyware

 Home: Introduction
 Step 1: Get familiar with spyware now if not already
 Step 2: Know where spyware comes from
 Step 3: Recognize how spyware acts
 Step 4: Understand what damage spyware can cause
 Step 5: Choose tools to clean up spyware
 Step 6: Use these advanced techniques to clean up spyware
 Step 7: Install service packs to prevent spyware infections
 Step 8: Take additional initiatives to prevent spyware infections
 Step 9: Plan ahead for new spyware tactics

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
 
Serdar Yegulalp
Serdar Yegulalp is the editor of the Windows 2000 Power Users Newsletter. Check it out for the latest advice and musings on the world of Windows network administrators -- and please share your thoughts as well!
Copyright 2005 TechTarget
 

This was first published in June 2005

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