5 essential techniques to avoid being infected by Spyware

November 17 2003--Now that winter is upon us, most of us are spending more time on the Internet for entertainment or for work purposes. While the Internet is a powerful resource and provides users with many useful and often entertaining things to see and do, it also has its dark side. What you may not realize is that some of programs you use every day contain code or components, now being generically termed Spyware or Adware, that allow the developers to collect and personal disseminate information about YOU! They track your surfing habits, abuse your Internet connection by sending personal data data to a third party, profile your shopping preferences, hijack your browser start page or pages, send out uncontrollable popup windows that ruin your experience, and alter important system files, and they can do this without your knowledge or permission. In some cases Adware has been bundled (E.G peer-to-peer file swapping products) and with other software without the user's knowledge or slipped in the fine print of a EULA (End User License Agreement). Annoying? – Yes, but even more dangerous than you realize.

Viruses, Trojans and Worms are all bad and you should deal with preventing them separately from Adware. However, not all Adware is damaging, but most Internet users are at best annoyed by Adware's intrusive behavior. At worst, Spyware can critically damage your system, be the cause of data loss and is a critical privacy threat to you, your family or business. In order to avoid or limit your exposure to these nefarious programs, we have put together a few tips which you can easily follow:

1. Stealth Installation Prevention:

Adware can be so blatantly obnoxious that it performs "drive-by downloads". These are accomplished by providing a misleading dialogue box or other methods of stealth installation in order to trick you to act and install the program. There are at least two ways stealth installation can occur. One is through a regular bundled software installation and the other is through an Active X control served up using your browser software. In either case users may have no idea they have installed the application. This is especially true if you have children or teens using the computer, who often have little knowledge of the damage that may result when they instantly click OK when a "EULA" pops up. The "EULA" or End User License Agreement is the agreement you accept when you click "OK" or "Continue" when you are installing any software. Many users never bother to read the EULA but it is becoming imperative that you actually read this agreement before you install any software. No matter how tedious the EULA, you should be able to find out the intent BEFORE you install the software. If you have questions about the EULA- e-mail the company and ask them for clarification. EDUCATE YOUR CHILDREN! If you're unsure about anything, just don't install. Often Adware makers make their application difficult or next to impossible to uninstall.

2. Anti-Spyware Programs

Download and install an anti-spyware program such as Lavasoft's AdAware (www.lavasoftusa.com) or Spybot's Search and Destroy (www.safer-networking.org) and configure the software to load the listener when you boot your system. This investment will enable you to protect yourself from infection vs. having to find out about the problem after the fact. For example, AdAware Pro has a program called Ad Watch that ships only with the Pro version. This application will save you from the computing equivalent of falling into a cactus - naked. OUCH!! If you don't do this you'll be pulling cactus thorns (Spyware) out of your PC's backside for months. Additionally, you should make sure you complete a full scan of your system - you'll be amazed at what you'll find. One of my clients had spyware software install an additional 450 unwanted Windows registry entries and he ended up with almost 50 programs loading at startup - No wonder it took his computer (a 2 GHz Pentium 4 with 512mb of RAM) 10 minutes to boot up! He was ready to throw his computer in the trash, poor guy. Advanced users can sift through the preferences in these programs and will see tons of options for additional protection.

3. Protect your PC and Network

Adding a Router or Firewall software to your PC or Network will block the computer ports that Spyware programs use to communicate with the Mothership or in other words, the server that aggregates the information it has gathered about you. This will also give you the added benefit of protecting yourself from all manner of Internet attack. Some particularly nasty Spyware programs called Keyloggers send your clicks and keystrokes back to anyone who may have an interest in knowing what you're up to. Firewalls, both hardware and software, will restrict the ability of these programs to communicate effectively with the outside world, or thwart any entity attempting to gain access to your system. If you have an always on Internet connection such as cable or DSL do not assume your providers is doing anything to restrict this activity. Spam blocking software won't do it and nor will anti-virus software.

4. Review your Startup settings often

Make sure you know what programs are running when your PC starts up; and disable those programs you don't recognize. You can do this by running MSConfig in Windows 98/ME/XP or you can download a small windows applet called "Startup Control Panel" available for free on download.com for Windows 2000. Be aware that disabling programs and services can be particularly tricky as you could potentially disable essential system services by mistake. It may be worth it to hire a professional to show you how.

5. Hire a professional to help

Spyware developers expend a ton of effort making it difficult for Anti-Spyware programs to locate and remove their software. Programs are locked into system memory; have bots that reinstall the software every time you boot up and much more. The techniques are constantly evolving and are difficult to track. Well-trained and professional computer service tech's will be familiar with these techniques and have the resources available to seek and destroy these malicious functions, giving you back your ability surf safely.


CREDITS: Johnny Kessel is the CEO of EveryMethod, Inc. located in Encinitas, CA . EveryMethod specializes in innovative PC service products for small business and residential customers. Kessel has over 10 years experience in technology management and has previously held senior technical and marketing positions at USSEARCH, JACO Electronics, and ZLand and has consulted on technology strategy for Sr. executives at companies such as BEA, Inc, IBM and Mitsubishi/TradeBeam. He can be contacted at (760)487-1356 or online at www.everymethod.com.

NOTE TO EDITORS AND PRODUCERS: Johnny Kessel is available for interviews. Contact at (760) 487-1356 or email jkessel@everymethod.com. Feel free to use this release in your editorial content only if full credit is given.




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