Some ask about Spyware, some want to know about AdWare, and then others talk about being infected.
Spware example, a trojan. Typically this is a file one has already accepted into the system, knowingly or unknowingly. This piece of code makes it pssible for some unknown entity out in lala land to enslave one's system and jump at their bidding. At a lesser level, in the event the machine is behind a firewall, it will result in unnecessary layer-3 broadcast traffic, and will is detrimental to the performance of the system as a whole.
AdWare - Can be of more than one kind. Unprotected browsers can cause them to be hijacked, and the users sometimes (particularly those who do not have the patience to read or examine what they are "clicking themselves into", the click-first-think-later types) are taken on to websites they didn't know existed or even sometimes resulting in their systems compromised severly.
Pop-Ups - These are bait. Don't get me wrong, please if the average Internet user is a fish, then a Pop-Up is bait. Unfortunately, however, some pop-Ups you will need. Using their infinite wisdom, many financial institutions have determined that using pop-up technology is their best way of ensuring their security. So, when you click on that "Pay Bill" button, a new Window is opened, which will not have a URL bar and some of the other standard browser attributes, plus this window will invariably be running under SSL, which is definitely more secure.
But guess what??? If you have blocked pop-ups, you are stuck you will not be able to do yo' banking.
The solution?? Selective pop-up blocking. Netscape 7.1 is capable of it. IE is also capable of it, albeit in a more convoluted way. Other browsers are mostly Mozilla based so they should be capable of it. In the case of Lynx the problem does not arise!!!
Virus - is yet another piece of code which enters one's system, typically allowed in inadvertently over e-Mail or from a WebSite over an applet or Active Server Page, typically something that can be kept under control with regularly (I do it daily) updated virus definitions and scanning.
Spyware can be dealt with spyware detecters, SpyBot Search and Destroy for example. If you are dissatisfied with it, you can always search for "Spyware removal" on Google or Lycos, and turn up with a half a MIllion responses.
AdWare is dealt with with Adware removal utilities , Ad-Aware is a good example.
Sometimes, Ad-Aware and SpyBot will over lap, so between them, they will catch what the other missed.
Pop-Ups - some people use external pop-Up blockers. Particularly those who use IE, because it is such a pain to figure out the "zones' in it. EMS FreeSurfer is one of the best I have seen and it is freeware. Netscape and other Browsers typically have built-in blockers which are configurable. If you can successfully implement Windows XP Service Pack 2 (Ha! Good luck!!!) then it is entirely possible that your IE can handle pop-ups on its own.
One is different than the other.
So, people, watch out for yourselves.
Instead of getting, umm, watched over by the likes of Bill Gates and some other, mmm, half-knowledged wannabee geeks who will post about what they 'heard' in their geek meetings and forums and spread hearsay and misleading BS around.
Spware example, a trojan. Typically this is a file one has already accepted into the system, knowingly or unknowingly. This piece of code makes it pssible for some unknown entity out in lala land to enslave one's system and jump at their bidding. At a lesser level, in the event the machine is behind a firewall, it will result in unnecessary layer-3 broadcast traffic, and will is detrimental to the performance of the system as a whole.
AdWare - Can be of more than one kind. Unprotected browsers can cause them to be hijacked, and the users sometimes (particularly those who do not have the patience to read or examine what they are "clicking themselves into", the click-first-think-later types) are taken on to websites they didn't know existed or even sometimes resulting in their systems compromised severly.
Pop-Ups - These are bait. Don't get me wrong, please if the average Internet user is a fish, then a Pop-Up is bait. Unfortunately, however, some pop-Ups you will need. Using their infinite wisdom, many financial institutions have determined that using pop-up technology is their best way of ensuring their security. So, when you click on that "Pay Bill" button, a new Window is opened, which will not have a URL bar and some of the other standard browser attributes, plus this window will invariably be running under SSL, which is definitely more secure.
But guess what??? If you have blocked pop-ups, you are stuck you will not be able to do yo' banking.
The solution?? Selective pop-up blocking. Netscape 7.1 is capable of it. IE is also capable of it, albeit in a more convoluted way. Other browsers are mostly Mozilla based so they should be capable of it. In the case of Lynx the problem does not arise!!!
Virus - is yet another piece of code which enters one's system, typically allowed in inadvertently over e-Mail or from a WebSite over an applet or Active Server Page, typically something that can be kept under control with regularly (I do it daily) updated virus definitions and scanning.
Spyware can be dealt with spyware detecters, SpyBot Search and Destroy for example. If you are dissatisfied with it, you can always search for "Spyware removal" on Google or Lycos, and turn up with a half a MIllion responses.
AdWare is dealt with with Adware removal utilities , Ad-Aware is a good example.
Sometimes, Ad-Aware and SpyBot will over lap, so between them, they will catch what the other missed.
Pop-Ups - some people use external pop-Up blockers. Particularly those who use IE, because it is such a pain to figure out the "zones' in it. EMS FreeSurfer is one of the best I have seen and it is freeware. Netscape and other Browsers typically have built-in blockers which are configurable. If you can successfully implement Windows XP Service Pack 2 (Ha! Good luck!!!) then it is entirely possible that your IE can handle pop-ups on its own.
One is different than the other.
So, people, watch out for yourselves.
Instead of getting, umm, watched over by the likes of Bill Gates and some other, mmm, half-knowledged wannabee geeks who will post about what they 'heard' in their geek meetings and forums and spread hearsay and misleading BS around.
