|
Columns: Insites
Adware and spyware and malware, oh my!
By: ANDREW KLESKE - Staff Writer
A new report from EarthLink and Webroot Software has been making the rounds this past week, raising fears that just about every computer that even thinks about connecting to the Internet has contracted some nefarious and invisible parasite.
Apparently, the average computer they tested had more than 20 adware or more dastardly spyware programs running in the background somewhere, slowing down and otherwise compromising the system, while more than 30 percent had more dangerous Trojan horse programs lurking in their nether regions.
In the past, my solution to this problem has always been pretty straightforward. I ignored it. I use a fairly secure Macintosh for private information or anything really important, and treat my PC as if it were a publicly accessible library computer, because it more or less is.
Not a week goes by that I don't hear a telltale "uh-oh" from the computer room as one of my kids or my wife accidentally hits a button they weren't supposed to and invites virtual Web barbarians into our home. I fend off the more virulent of those that leap the firewall as best I can, but most are innocuous enough and can be left to happily take up residence. In the past, letting them be has tended to cause less damage than trying to block or erase them.
These days, however, those of us who ignore these little demons do so at our own peril. More and more such programs lie in wait to grab some kind of useful personal information, and with more interactivity for online gaming or instant messaging, the vulnerability grows.
Luckily, programs that clean out these software squatters are getting easier to use and a bit more foolproof, which is good news for us fools.
There are dozens of supposed free spyware blocker programs out there, many of which are in fact their own versions of spyware, and there are the commercial versions available from such computer security companies as Symantec at www.symantec.com and McAfee at www.mcafee.com.
Webroot software's Spy Sweeper at www.webroot.com is a for-fee program that is slightly cheaper than programs from better-known companies, and it wins kudos for its ease of use.
For those who find spending money on software to be even more objectionable than having spyware and adware clutter our hard drives, there are some very nice free programs that do the trick.
The German firm Lavasoft at www.lavasoftusa.com has been getting rave reviews for its Ad-aware application, which comes in free and for-fee versions. Watching it sweep several dozen purported "malware" and other programs from the hard drive was both painless and satisfying, and immediately after running it, the computer was obviously more responsive to commands.
If Ad-aware is a yearly checkup, PepiMK Software's Spybot Search and Destroy at www.safer-networking.org is a full body scan. When it puts on its rubber gloves, users should pay a little more attention to where it's going and what it's doing as it delves deep into places you may not be happy to see it go. However, its effectiveness may be worth the discomfort.
Andrew Kleske is online editor for the North County Times. E-mail him at kleske@nctimes.com.
Comments On This Story
Add Your Comments
First name only. Comments including last names, contact addresses, email addresses or phone numbers will be deleted. All comments are screened before they appear online.
Click here to view additional comment policies.
|
 Print this story  Comment On This Story
 Email this story
|
