June's 4th update 29/01/09

Hello there this is my 4th update and today I am going to tell you about Spyware and what I have read and learned about it

SPYWARE

Spyware can be installed without even the user knowing anything about it. It can collect information from your computer such as banking details and send it on to other places with you not even being aware that it has done this. Spyware can hijack a computer and add additional software, and can take you off to other pages that you never even requested. Many computers are infected with spyware and users are unaware of it. You can be tricked into going to certain websites and while you are there the spyware is downloading and installing software on to your computer. The name for this is called Drive by download very cunning in deed.

There are ways that you can protect your computer from these things happening to it such as ensuring that your software is up to date and making security settings high enough to detect unauthoried downloads, Spyware can cause so many things to go wrong with your computer increase disk activity, network traffic and make your computer crash. But the worst thing that it can do is to make you wipe the whole of the hard disk and rid the machine of the spyware all together.

Here are a few things that I have read about which should help you to detect if you have spyware is on your computer and how to try to prevent it from happening.

Detection

New toolbars appearing, your computer going very slow when trying to save files, and the computer taking you off to other website that you haven't requested it to do so.

Prevention

Install a firewall, we have these on our computers at work in the learning centre which helps stop users from accessing your computer.,watch out for offers for you to sign up for anit spyware software, don't click on any pop up windows.

Spyware and the law

Computer misuse act 1990, and Data protection Act 1998 authors of spyware can break the law as the information that they use and get is breaking the data protection act and this is illegal.


End User Licence agreement

You need to watch out for this as spyware can get around this data protection by asking the user to accept the EULA and by accepting this you are opening yourselve right up, so watch out for the small print.

Anti Spyware

There are many companys out there that offer anit spyware software and this is who some of them are and how it works.

McAfee and Symantec are two anti spyware firms

Users can make there computers schedule daily and monthly scan to look and remove any spyware on there computer, and like the anit virus software it can prevent spyware from entering your system and being installed. There are also Fake anti spyware programs out there as well surprize surprize, so you have to watch out for this as well, makes you what to go back to paper and pen when you realise the amount of threats you can get on your computer it is scary stuff. What you have to watch out for is adverts coming up on your computer saying that it has been infexted and that you can fix it by downloading certain anit spyware software, and by doing that you maybe fecting your computer more So be on your guard.

I am going to finish here today and log back on tomorrow and finish off this part about spyware

I am finding it very interesting and also that the book let's you know when to stop and write up you blog/ log book. Bye for now.