The concerns we now have regarding privacy are certainly not
to be taken lightly. Since we use our computers a lot, and
for a very diverse set of purposes, it is obvious that the
information which can be obtained from them is quite
representative of our habits. Right now, we tend to be less
concerned about the potential destruction of this
information, since anti-virus software has reached a fair
state of perfection and backups are very cheap. We are,
however, very concerned about spyware. Preventing spyware
infection is vital today and it is exactly what we are going
to cover in this article
There is one thing that has to be mentioned from the very
beginning: preventing spyware infection is always
preferable to disinfecting your computer. There is no
guarantee that, by the time you scan for spyware and purge
your computer of the malicious software, no information has
already been sent. Regardless of how efficient products like
XoftSpySE can be, it's always better not to have them come
into play too often.
There are two main ways for spyware to get on your computer.
More often than not, you install spyware yourself, without
knowing it. Spyware is often concealed behind otherwise
useful software, a browser add-on, a password utility, a
peer-to-peer program and so on. This kind of spyware is very
easy to spot, but users are often unsuspecting, and
rightfully so.
The best way to prevent this kind of infection is to use
software coming only from trusted sources, about which you
have at least some information. Installing some software you
have no idea about, which you have obtained from some
obscure website is a sure way to get busted. If you need a
program badly, scanning for spyware immediately after
installing it should be enough. Actually, running a quick
spyware scan after installing any program you are suspicious
about is often enough.
Spyware can get on your computer in another way, but this is
less common: it can infect your computer by exploiting
various vulnerabilities in Windows services. This is less
common because the techniques involved are fairly complex,
but it has been encountered.
Protecting against this is more difficult, since it doesn't
really depend only on you. The only effective ways are
keeping your Windows installation up to date by running
Windows Update periodically, regularly scanning for spyware
and if you maintain sensitive information on your computer,
using a good firewall.
More often than not, these alone are all that is required: a
regularly-updated operating system running only trusted
software is almost bulletproof. The only exceptions are when
someone else installs software on your computer. However, if
you also share your computer with someone else (a family
member maybe), you may also want to explain to them these
issues, and ask them not to install untrustworthy software.
The ultimate protection, however, can only be offered by
dedicated software. Even with the best precautions
implemented as tightly as possible, spyware can still get
in. This is what anti-spyware programs are for, and you
should certainly use one of good quality, like
XoftSpySE.
