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Home::Malware
How to Stop Spyware - Once and for All
Author : Stephen Craton
Stopping spyware and adware is not a difficult task if people
just simply take the time to be careful. To make it even easier,
however, I have created a simple 3 step guideline to stop
spyware and adware from infesting and slowing down your
computer. Following these 3 simple steps will greatly improve
your internet experience and all in all will make your computer
very happy.
The 3 simple steps are... 1. Only trust certain websites
2. Always assume no
3. Get anti spyware software
Let's examine each step individually. Only Trust Certain
Websites
One common problem with people is that they are too trusting. In
the real world where with your family and friends, this is
always a good thing. However, in the internet, this is a very
bad idea.
Let's make an analogy here. Let's say you go to New York Park
and a man walks up to you asking if he can borrow $10. Ten
dollars is not much, but he doesn't just want the green, he
wants your credit card number. You obviously say no and walk
away, right? You can't trust a man that you have never seen in
your life with something as valuable as your credit card, can
you?
The same can be said on the internet. There is probably one
website to every human being on this planet, and we all know not
everyone on this planet is trust worthy and safe. How can we
then say that every website is safe? It's simply not true.
When a website asks if they can install something on your
computer, it's just like the man in the park asking for your
credit card number. You may not be able to see the parallel
right away, but think about it. You may have your bank
statements downloaded on your computer, a picture of your
children, several passwords, and maybe even personal emails.
Spyware and adware not only slow down your computer, but it
actually spies on you and steals your personal information.
How do you know what websites to trust and which to not? It's
very simple. How do you know who to trust in the real world?
Between a clean, well dressed man or woman on Wall Street and a
man in shaggy clothes who looks to be in bad health in a ghetto,
you'd obviously choose the well dress one on Wall Street, right?
Maybe you know of this website from some other people you trust,
so you can inherit the trust from others. Maybe it's a big name
website or owned by a big name like Yahoo, Google, or
Microsoft.
All of these websites you could trust because you know of them
personally already. That's not to say you can't trust more
websites, though. Such websites need to gain your trust though,
either by helping you personally, not asking for personal
identifiable information, or not asking you to install anything
on your computer. Always Assume No
So let's say you are surfing the web and you are on a website
you're not sure if you can trust yet or not. Out of no where it
asks "Such and such as requested to install an ActiveX
control...blah blah blah" Too often people think "Oh, it's just
one thing, I'll click ok."
This is the biggest mistake on the internet ever. Just like the
man in the park, why would you say "Ok"? Do you know this
website, has it gained your trust? How can you just say yes out
of nowhere? You have to let it gain your trust first.
Let's say you go to Yahoo! Games and it asks to install
something. You should know of Yahoo, and you know that you are
trying to play a game, so you can draw your conclusion that you
can safely install something. Get Anti Spyware Software
One sure fire way to make sure you stop spyware and not get any
is to get anti spyware software. It is the best way that, even
if you accidentally click "yes", it will still block it so you
know you are 100% safe. It will catch anything.
Following these steps should help you out on your journey on the
internet and keep you safe. Following these basic guidelines
will become second nature to you after a while and you will
always be safe. Be sure to send these guidelines around to your
friends as well, to help keep them safe and keeping you safe as
well when they need to use your computer. Good luck on your
journey!
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