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Malware and Spyware

Malware and Spyware - Phishing

What is Malware?

Malwarealso known as Malicious Software, is software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner's informed consent. The term is a portmanteau of the words malicious and software. The expression is a general term used by computer professionals to mean a variety of forms of hostile, intrusive, or annoying software or program code. Many computer users are unfamiliar with the term, and often use " computer virus" for all types of malware.

What is Spyware?

Spyware is usually advertising software that gets installed on your computer without your knowledge. Companies use it to pop up advertisements on your computer, track your Internet usage, and gather other personal information about you. These programs are usually not written very well and tend to cause a lot of problems.

Besides invading your privacy, these programs often cause problems with Internet Explorer and other web browsers. If you have a lot of spyware on your computer, chances are that one of these programs has affected your Internet browsing capabilities.

Common Symptoms of Spyware

If your computer is experiencing any of the following symptoms, you might have spyware:

  • Random advertisements that pop up on your computer
  • Unusual slowness of your system
  • Unusual instability in your system (computer crashes more than usual)
  • Odd behaviour in Internet Explorer or other browsers, such as re-direction to search sites that you've never seen, or your homepage has been switched to a different page.

Major Sources of Spyware

The following programs are either spyware themselves or spyware is installed along with the program.

  • KaZaa
  • Gator
  • Morpheus
  • Most web search toolbars (except the Google toolbar)
  • Most pop-up blocking software (except the Google toolbar or built in pop-up blockers in browsers)
  • Download accelerators or managers
  • There are many other sources of spyware. We recommend only installing programs from reputable companies and only if the software is necessary. If a website asks to install software on your computer, always click "no" unless you know specifically what it does.

How do I remove Spyware?

Information Solutions and Services recommends the following spyware detection and removal programs: