Top Ten Signs Your Computer Has Spyware

Spyware can be very, very annoying and difficult to get rid of, and more importantly it can be very dangerous. It is vital you know when you have spyware, so here is our list of the top ten symptoms to having unwanted spyware on your computer.

10. Computer Performance

Spyware is typically designed to hide itself from the user of the computer in an attempt to avoid detection and hence removal. However is cannot hide itself from a computers processor which still has to process all of the tasks the spyware needs done. This means users may experience a slower performance in their computer than usual. The more spyware and other malware installed on the computer, the slower the performance. With computers becoming faster and faster every year however, slower performance is something that is becoming harder to detect and computers are becoming better at handling multiple tasks without compromising in performance.

9. Emails

Spyware can also work alongside software which automatically send out emails without your permission. Users often first realise this when they find several “bounced back” emails in their inbox where emails were automatically sent out to older redundant emails in the victims address book only to get directed back to the victim. Users with free web based email like Hotmail often find themselves victim to this type of attack, often dubbed "spamware".

8. New Desktop Shortcuts

Spyware being installed on a victims computer often leads to shortcuts being placed on the victims desktop. These shortcuts often lead to dangerous websites or websites that promote the products created by the people responsible for the malware. Often its pornography or gambling websites. Only you or programs you install can create desktop shortcuts, so if some appear without your consent, you most likely have malware. The same applies to the Favorites list in your browser.

7. New Toolbars

when installed onto your computer, toolbars can do a wide variety of tasks, including helping provide pop-up ads, directing users to unwanted websites and tricking users into giving away personal information. Toolbars invariably appear near the top of the Internet browser window. Again, like desktop shortcuts, only you can install such toolbars, so if new toolbars are appearing without your knowledge, you may be in trouble.

6. No Control of Browser

Having spyware installed on your computer can often lead to having some sort of hijacker installed on your computer as well. This means that the victim will experience control issues when trying to surf online. This can include being directed to unwanted websites or not being allowed to go to certain websites such as security related websites.

5. Virus Warnings

This is more directed at scareware scams but is on the rise so still really important. This is where victims are bombarded with virus warnings and requests to install anti-virus software to fix the problem. However the files the victim is being urged to download are actually further malware. It is important to only trust the antivirus software YOU have installed.

4. Internet Performance

Because spyware needs to communicate what is finds with the scammer, it will constantly need to transmit data and possibly receive data as well. This means that users may experience slower Internet performance because much of the bandwidth will be used by the spyware. This symptom can also be given away by the router or modem activity light constantly flickering despite the user not doing anything on the Internet.

3. Antivirus Does not Open

Spyware and other types of malware are designed to stay on a victims computer even if they have been detected, meaning that in the interest of self preservation, they are often designed to close down any antivirus and spyware removal software and prevent them from being reopened. If the victim cannot open antivirus software, then getting rid of spyware will be difficult.

2. Random Errors or Behaviour

Internet users are always advised to be on the lookout for strange behaviour from their computer which can indicate a spyware infection. This can include random error messages, a computer restarting or shutting down unexpectedly, automated tasks being performed on social networking sites or certain programs not working correctly.

1. Pop-ups

Spyware and Adware are a popular combination. The spyware aspect will spy on your online activities, such as the websites the victim visits, and the Adware aspect will serve up related advertisements in the form of pop up ads. Pop ups are extremely intrusive and annoying, and are one of the more obvious signs that a computer has been infected.

Top 10 Anti Spyware Software

			1. Sunbelt CounterSpy v2 2. Windows Defender (version 1593) 3. Webroot Spy Sweeper 5.5 with Antivirus 4. Norton AntiVirus 2008 5. Trend Micro AntiVirus plus AntiSpyware 6. McAfee VirusScan Plus 2008 7. ZoneAlarm Anti-Spyware 7.1 8. Spyware Doctor 9. CA Anti-Spyware Plus 2008 10. Lavasoft Ad-Aware 2007

CNET Labs has performed a series of detailed antispyware tests based on real infections of adware and spyware. Based on the programs abilities to actively shield the PC from new spyware as well as cleaning an already infected hard drive, this is the order in which they came out.

What is Spyware?

By TopTenReviews Contributor

In general, spyware is a software application that gathers information about a person or employee with or without their knowledge. There are basically two types of spyware. The most annoying type is the spyware that some unscrupulous businesses place on your computer to track your surfing habits and then that information is transferred or sold to marketers and other interested parties.
The other type of spyware, sometimes known as Spy software, is used to monitor or record all activities occurring on the computer. Typically this is a parent trying to identify what their children are doing on the computer. This can also be used by a husband or wife, to check up on the online activities of their spouse. This web site, Monitoring Software Review, is focused on this later example of spyware, the type that monitors your children, spouse, or employees.
Spyware or Spy software can be loaded intentionally by the purchaser of the software or unintentionally from a virus or attachment in an email. Sometimes, Spy software can be installed as a computer monitor and is readily apparent to all users that they are being monitored. Some might argue then, that it isn't Spyware because they know they are being monitored and not spied on. Whatever you call it, Spyware primarily allows the monitoring and recording of information about an individual or organization.
If you are concerned about spyware on your computer (and you should be) click here to research the best spyware blockers.
Please visit our monitoring software review site to read objective side-by-side comparisons of applications in this category.

ABC of Virus

A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Most viruses are too small to be seen directly with a light microscope. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea.^[1] Since Dmitri Ivanovsky's 1892 article describing a non-bacterial pathogen infecting tobacco plants, and the discovery of thetobacco mosaic virus by Martinus Beijerinck in 1898,^[2] about 5,000 viruses have been described in detail,^[3] although there are millions of different types.^[4] Viruses are found in almost everyecosystem on Earth and are the most abundant type of biological entity.^[5][6] The study of viruses is known as virology, a sub-speciality of microbiology.

Virus particles (known as virions) consist of two or three parts: the genetic material made from either DNA or RNA, long molecules that carry genetic information; a protein coat that protects these genes; and in some cases an envelope of lipids that surrounds the protein coat when they are outside a cell. The shapes of viruses range from simple helical and icosahedral forms to more complex structures. The average virus is about one one-hundredth the size of the average bacterium.

Hello!! friendzz how r u?
^0^ Definition of Spyware:-
Spyware is a type of malware that can be installed on computers, and which collects small pieces of information about users without their knowledge. The presence of spyware is typically hidden from the user, and can be difficult to detect. Typically, spyware is secretly installed on the user's personal computer. Sometimes, however, spywares such as keyloggers are installed by the owner of a shared, corporate, orpublic computer on purpose in order to secretly monitor other users.