Internet Safety: Malware

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Spyware
   1. Drive-By Downloads
   2. Dealing with Spyware
   3. Spyware Clues
   4. Anti-Spyware
   5. How Anti-Spyware Software Works
   6. Spyware Quiz 1
   7. Spyware Quiz 2
   8. Spyware Activity 1
   9. Spyware Activity 2
3. Adware
4. Key Loggers
5. Rogue Diallers
6. DoS Attack
7. Spam

Anti-Spyware

The following is a list of free anti-spyware programs that are very popular and useful. You can visit the home page for each product by clicking on the relevant link.

• Microsoft Windows Defender

• Spybot Search & Destroy

• Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition

Microsoft has announced that it will be building anti-spyware protection into future versions of Windows, but at the moment users of XP and 2000 can download it for free from the Microsoft website.

Once the anti-spyware has been installed it can be set to scan the system for spyware that can be deleted. There are generally two types of scan that can be carried out:

• Quick Scan
• Deep Scan

If this is the first time installation then a Deep Scan should be performed to check all of your system. After that, regular Quick Scans, and occasional Deep Scans, should be enough to keep persistent spyware out.

All good anti-spyware software allows for the regular updating of its spyware database. This is a vital component because of the growing number of different spyware programs created every day. Updates can be downloaded manually on a regular basis or automatically at a certain time (often during the night).

Next: How Anti-Spyware Software Works