What is adware and how does one remove it?

Adware and Spyware is one of the fastest-growing Internet threats. According to the National Cyber Security Alliance, Spyware infects more than 90% of all PCs today. These unobtrusive yet malicious programs are designed to silently bypass firewalls and anti-virus software without the user's knowledge. Once embedded in a computer, they can wreak havoc on the system's performance while gathering your personal information. Fortunately, unlike viruses and worms, spyware programs do not usually self-replicate.

I decided to write about this subject because its becoming a real problem for normal PC users that have a Internet connection. I have been infected a couple of times by these malicious programs and
if you don't know whats going on and what to do about the situation it can become a real problem for you. Let me give you a brief example.

You have a computer at home connected to some type of Internet connection.One night you happen to land on a site and you request to download something that interest you. You open a new session in Internet Explorer and find that your homepage has changed, and you land on a site that's promoting gambling or some sexual explicit material.That is one of the first signs to tell you that you have been infected by adware or spyware.

Adware or Spyware also have the potential to slow your computer down. It does this by occupying the CPU usage. If your computer is not responding or is very slow, press Ctrl, Alt, delete at the same time and notice at the bottom of the window that pops up. It will tell you your CPU usage. If it is over 40% , there is a good chance that you are infected.

One of the main reasons to check if you are infected is that these malicious programs can record your banking details and any electronic transaction that you are doing on that computer.It records the information and sends it to another website or email address without you knowing
and the next thing you know is that you receiving statements that you bought something china
but have never been to china. Its as simple as that. Here is a list of things that Adware and Spayware can do.

1. Monitor your keystrokes for reporting purposes.
2. Scan files located on your hard drive.
3. Snoop through applications on your desktop.
4. Install other Spyware programs into your computer.
5. Read your cookies.
6. Steal credit card numbers, passwords, and other personal information.
7. Change the default settings on your home page web browser.
8. Mutate into a second generation of Spyware thus making it more difficult to eradicate.
9. Cause your computer to run slower.
10. Deliver annoying pop up advertisements.
11. Add advertising links to web pages for which the author does not get paid. Instead,
payment is directed to the Spyware programmer that changed the original affiliates settings.
12. Provide the user with no uninstall option and places itself in unexpected or hidden places
within your computer making it difficult to remove.

If you are worried about the health and protection of your computer, You don't have to be. There are programs that protect and clean your computer from Adware or Spyware. The best way to prevent yourself from getting infected is to have the best protection there is. The beauty about these programs are that they are on auto-pilot, so once installed, just do one clean and they will keep your computer clean and will update itself.

I have compiled a list of the best adware and spyware software out there. You can view them by going to my website. I hope this information has helped you and that you decide to protect yourself today. ill be updating this blog with more information in the coming days.

http://cyrus.bezoogle.com/pp/adware/