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By John Davin
Is your computer been running slower than normal? Are you
worried someone may be able to access your computer and steal
your private information and use it against you? If so, these
are feelings I have shared with you in the past.
Some time back, my 3-year old computer was running so slow
that
I had to buy a new computer. Or at least I thought I needed a
new computer. Then within a matter of weeks of surfing on the
Internet, my new computer was also running so slowly. In
addition, some programs did not run well on my computer, and I
did not recognize some of the programs that were running on my
computer. That scared me most. Were these programs that were
tracking my keystrokes on my computer or programs I just not
remember installing? I knew I had to find a answer and
solution
fast.
The truth is, we can all put up with a slow computer, but very
few of us would want others to have access to the information
on our computers, but that is exactly what can happen when
spyware or malware is loaded on our computers without our
knowledge.
According to Spyware Nuker’s web site, “Spyware applications
are programs and files that hide on your PC's hard drive
without your direct knowledge. These programs allow hackers
and
advertising companies to track your every move, both online
and
even when you work offline. They can track the websites you
visit, the items that you buy online, the emails you send and
receive, your Instant Message dialog, and worst of all they
can
even record your credit card number, personal identification
numbers, and all of your passwords. If you use dial-up to
connect to the Internet then spyware can be used to bill 900
numbers to your phone bill. This is just a short list of the
harm that spyware can cause.”
The web site also provides statistics that show spyware is a
huge problem effecting many people. "27.3 million Americans
have been victims of identity theft in the last five years,
including 9.91 million people or 4.6% of the population in the
last year alone."
In addition, it is very easy for your computer to become
infected with spyware as "The majority of all downloadable
games, music, screensavers, etc., can infect your computer
with
SpyWare or AdWare. Most people do not know that after simply
clicking on a random "pop up" ad, their computers may have
been
infected with SpyWare or AdWare."
No matter how we get spyware, here are 10 very real reasons
you
don’t want spyware on your computer.
1. Your computer may start running slower
2. Some programs on your computer will not run correctly
3. You may not recognize programs that are now on your
computer
because they may have been installed there by a spyware
related
web site or program you loaded on your computer.
In addition, you might be worried that:
4. Someone might be able to read your e-mails
5. Someone might be able to access your e-mail list
6. Someone might be able to see you track the keystrokes you
type
7. Someone might be able to access your credit card
information
on your pc
8. Someone might be able to access your passwords list on your
computer
9. Someone might be able to steal your social security number
10. Someone might be able to track all the web sites you visit
As I mentioned, most of these programs get on your computer
with out you even knowing, but another frustrating part is I
recognized a few of these programs because I remember
installing AND uninstalling them! So now I know that when we
install some of these handy little utilities to track
passwords
online or programs to help with e-mail or keep track of the
weather, even if we uninstall them, they may not be gone from
our computers. They are still in our computers, waiting to spy
on us, at the least.
A great way to find and remove spyware is to run a spyware
detector and remover. Most spyware detection and removal
software today offers a free scan to verify that you do or do
not have spyware on your computer.
About The Author: For many more resources to assist you in
removing spyware, visit: www.talking-spyware.com
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