anti-spyware 2009 is a rogue anti-spyware program. one of it’s clones is anti-spyware pro.

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I am getting a whole load of pop-ups advertising anti-spyware products and am getting seriously peed off with it! McAfee want to charge me £39.95 for a phone call with assistance. Surely someone out there must know a cheaper or easier way to get rid. BT anti-spy keeps coming up with an adware called Nuvens which it can’t delete. Anyone please??!

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but im not sure about malaware/adaware?? sorry if im confusing i dont know much about security-i dont mind paying for them if it will do my pc good-but will either of these just run alongside my anti virus? or will they mess it up? thankyou for any advice u can give me

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Is your browser taking you to websites full of strange ads?  Are your search results full of odd pages that don’t seem to be related to what you were looking for?  Have new toolbars shown up in your browser?  Does your homepage keep changing, even when you reset it?  You might have a spyware infection, and running an anti spyware program may be the only way to save yourself from a lot of grief as your computer is overrun by nasty malware.

Why Do People Create Spyware?

Most spyware is designed to part you from your money.  The goal is the same, although there are a lot of different methods used by the scammers.  Some spyware attempts to record your account numbers and passwords and send them back to the thieves.  Some programs slowly destroy your computer in a bid to get you to buy an “upgrade” that will do nothing except provide your credit card number to the thieves.  Still others just drive your Internet actions to ad sites instead of where you want to go.  Yet others are just downloader’s that will put more malware on your computer if you leave them to work.

How Did I Get Infected?

You probably have an anti virus program installed on your computer.  But spyware is not usually transmitted the same way as a virus.  Where a virus hitches a ride on a legitimate program, spyware tends to be the program, which means you have to actually install it for it to infect your computer.  While that sounds like it isn’t as dangerous, the scammers who create these malware programs use every social engineering trick in the book to get you to install their programs.  Sometimes you won’t even realize you are installing something until it is too late.

A fairly common method used by spyware, but by no means the only method, is to offer you a video that you really want to see.  When you click to watch it, you will be told that you do not have the proper codec to run the video, and asked if you want to install it now.  If you do install it, you might be installing spyware.  The video is only a trick to convince you to allow it on your computer.  It is a successful trick because many video do require codec’s to run.  To avoid getting caught, always find a legitimate source for your videos and never install anything on your computer from a pop-up window.

How Do I Fix It?

But if you are already infected, you may not care as much about how you got it.  Instead, you want to know how to get rid of it.  Unfortunately, getting rid of spyware is much more difficult than getting it.  To manually remove spyware you need some fairly advanced computer skills, including the ability to find and stop processes, the ability to edit the registry, and the knowledge of how to find and remove hidden files on your hard drive.  You also need to know what spyware has infected your system so you know what to remove.

Because where there is one piece of spyware, there is often multiple malware applications, you may have a lot of files and registry keys to delete to fully clean your computer of malicious software.

That means that your best bet is to find a good program that will remove the malware for you.  Finding an anti spyware application is not hard, but making sure it is a good one that won’t cause more harm can take a little effort.  Be sure you know the name of the company that creates your anti spyware program, and check them out with a consumer protection agency like the Better Business Bureau.

Some spyware actually disguises itself as anti spyware, but checking out the company will often eliminate those Trojans.  Also be sure to know what the program promises to do.  Will the company help you if their software doesn’t find everything on the first try?  Take your computer back from the scammers and stay in control in the future with a good anti spyware program.

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Malicious software has the potential to really ruin your day.  A bad spyware infection can take over your system or destroy your computer.  An even worse one may not show any outward signs that it is on your system, but may find enough information to let its creator steal your identity.

Your first priority if you believe your computer has been infected is to get rid of the spyware.  Even if you don’t suspect anything, you should be regularly running an anti spyware program to protect yourself from malware.

Spyware is Bad News

Spyware has only one goal, to make money for its creators.  How it goes about reaching the goal is different for every piece of malware out there.  Some will simply steal information.  Others will redirect your Internet browsing to sites that pay the spyware creators.  Some will try to convince you to buy an “upgrade” to get rid of a virus.

You may notice spyware because your computer has gotten slower, or you see strange error messages.  Malware that attacks your browser might be more obvious, with new toolbars and search redirects that make sure you never reach the pages you want.  But the most dangerous is still the kind you don’t notice at all.

Spyware Tricks and Sneaks Its Way onto Your Computer

There are a lot of ways to get spyware, and all of them involve having the spyware installed on your computer.  Unlike viruses, spyware must be installed.  But there are many ways to install programs on your computer, so even a single click can be dangerous if spyware is involved.

Some spyware is part of a known program, often a file sharing program.  Other spyware pretends to be something else, like a video helper or even a security program.  Sometimes spyware hides in bundles of shareware or freeware, relying on you to install it with the legit programs.  Rarely, spyware can get on your computer through a browser exploit in what is called a “drive-by download” where simply visiting an infected website will install the software.  Avoid this by keeping your browser and operating system up-to-date with all patches and updates.

Remove Spyware Using an Anti Spyware Program

Getting rid of spyware manually requires a little bit of special knowledge.  You have to be able to stop processes, edit the registry, and find hidden files.  You have to be able to identify which spyware programs are on your machine so you know what processes, registry keys and files to go after.

While it certainly not impossible, it’s a lot easier to get an anti spyware program and let it do the heavy lifting.  Find a good anti spyware that is guaranteed to remove the spyware and offers frequent updates.  Be sure to check out the company that makes your security software to make sure they are legitimate, as some scammers disguise their malware as anti spyware programs.

Once you have an anti spyware program, run it regularly to make sure you catch the more dangerous stealthy spyware.  Even if your computer has no symptoms, it is possible to be infected and in danger from spyware.

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