for Feb. 18, 2004

Hi, All;

This week: What I learned about Spy Ware

Last week I talked about Spy Ware and finding a program to remove it from your PC. What do you look for to see if you need a Spy-Ware removal program? My first indication that I had something extra on my PC was the dialup icon in my "systray."

The "systray" is the area on the right side of the "start" bar that displays programs running in the background (programs that do not run on the task bar or on the desktop). My dialup icon was continually blinking like it was transmitting data even when my PC's were idle. Then my PC was very slow at times and seemed to be working harder than it should, things taking longer to open and the cursor continually blinking. So I figured I had something that did not belong on my PC and that it was put there without my knowledge.

Most companies protect themselves with their "privacy statements" on their web sites that tell you that they will be adding programs to your PC. But if you don't take the time to read the privacy statement, you are not aware of the spy-ware. Does that mean "implied" consent? Does your not reading the privacy statement mean they can put a program on your PC? Seems backward to me; they should ask first.

What did my spy ware removal program find? First, it looked to see what programs were currently running on my PC. Then it looked in my registry files to detect any spy ware programs in them; these are the commands that start the spy ware programs at startup. Then it found all the "cookies" that have links back to their companies that may or may not be spying. Cookies could be just holding a valid link for your browser that you can use again.

I did not really care about what cookies had what; I just told the removal program to delete anything it thought might be spy ware.

The result: all my PC's and my dialup line has been a lot quieter and my PC's running much better since.

'Til next week, (ComputerFAQ#177)


Robert

 

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