01786 489666
info@farmore.co.uk
info@farmore.co.uk
Farmore IT News #2: Spyware = the hidden threat
I hate it when IT companies use over complex, scare mongering tactics for increasing sales of security devices. It is easy to bamboozle people with technical jargon and force a sale through fear.
However, this is not a reason to completely ignore appropriate security. Most people now have anti-virus on their PCs and assume this is enough. It is a great start but we are seeing a rise in the number of spyware and malware incidents which are potentially even more dangerous than a virus outbreak.
So what is spyware?
The main difference between spyware (also known as malware) and a virus is that spyware does not attempt to replicate itself to other computers – it is usually installed by deceiving a user whilst they are surfing a web page. There are lots of ways to do this but it is often disguised as a useful ‘utility’ such as “Download Speed Booster”. For more details, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spyware
What is the risk?
There are various threats, some more dangerous than others. The biggest area to be concerned about is identity fraud and theft. This is where spyware can capture your passwords as you enter them (for an online bank, for example).
What can I do about it?
Everyone should run a spyware scan to see the current state of their PC on a regular basis. You may have spyware on your machine and not even know about it. There are lots of tools on the market and the difficult bit is that not all scanners will pick up every piece of spyware or malware. Many techies run more than one scanner at a time just to be 100% sure.
You can choose to run it all the time or just run it manually once a week (it depends on the power of your PC – if it is an old dog then running anti-spyware software will slow it down even more).
In the report you will often see low level threats which are actually just info trackers from sites you regularly visit (known as cookies). These are often useful to you (pre-filling forms and remembering your login credentials). You can choose to keep these or “clean them’ with the rest of the spyware.
A piece of software that we often recommend if from Pareto Logic (click on the Pareto Logic logo at: http://www.farmore.co.uk/partners.php) – it will do a free scan but if you have spyware to remove it will require you to buy it. (Honesty bit: if you use this link and then go on to buy it in the future, we may receive a small commission). There are other products out there which do a similar job.
If you have any concerns or questions – get in touch on 01786 489666.
However, this is not a reason to completely ignore appropriate security. Most people now have anti-virus on their PCs and assume this is enough. It is a great start but we are seeing a rise in the number of spyware and malware incidents which are potentially even more dangerous than a virus outbreak.
So what is spyware?
The main difference between spyware (also known as malware) and a virus is that spyware does not attempt to replicate itself to other computers – it is usually installed by deceiving a user whilst they are surfing a web page. There are lots of ways to do this but it is often disguised as a useful ‘utility’ such as “Download Speed Booster”. For more details, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spyware
What is the risk?
There are various threats, some more dangerous than others. The biggest area to be concerned about is identity fraud and theft. This is where spyware can capture your passwords as you enter them (for an online bank, for example).
What can I do about it?
Everyone should run a spyware scan to see the current state of their PC on a regular basis. You may have spyware on your machine and not even know about it. There are lots of tools on the market and the difficult bit is that not all scanners will pick up every piece of spyware or malware. Many techies run more than one scanner at a time just to be 100% sure.
You can choose to run it all the time or just run it manually once a week (it depends on the power of your PC – if it is an old dog then running anti-spyware software will slow it down even more).
In the report you will often see low level threats which are actually just info trackers from sites you regularly visit (known as cookies). These are often useful to you (pre-filling forms and remembering your login credentials). You can choose to keep these or “clean them’ with the rest of the spyware.
A piece of software that we often recommend if from Pareto Logic (click on the Pareto Logic logo at: http://www.farmore.co.uk/partners.php) – it will do a free scan but if you have spyware to remove it will require you to buy it. (Honesty bit: if you use this link and then go on to buy it in the future, we may receive a small commission). There are other products out there which do a similar job.
If you have any concerns or questions – get in touch on 01786 489666.