Spyware can confound
even seasoned veterans

I've voiced my concerns about spyware before in this column, but lately I've grown even more worried.

Why? For starters it's just as pervasive as spam but, because it's hard to detect, can be much more dangerous. Think of it as a potential cancer attacking the inner organs of your PC.

Like a cancer, there are many ways it can harm your system. These range from slowing it down to actually spying on your every online movement and feeding this data to people who might not have your best interests at heart.

Do I mean to scare you? Well, yes. You should be very concerned about this issue. However, before we get too worked up, let's take a step back and define exactly what spyware is.

Spyware is a comprehensive term that includes a broad spectrum of software that operates in conjunction with a Web browser. Think of spyware as the family that "cookies" (those tiny records that detail the activities of your Web surfing) belong to.

They allow Internet advertisers or companies that provide free services such as Kazaa to track your movements if you've visited their sites. They can be innocuous or irritating (such as spawning pop-up ads). Chances are, they aren't malicious.

Enter the nastier side of the spyware family, which has lately sparked my concerns. Here are some examples of what it can do:

So, how do you get infected? Let's say you're an all-American, God-fearing individual who minds your own business. Why would you have to worry about it? Like all people, you make mistakes. Perhaps you went on a site that provided free music software, or one of your family members was surfing the Net and ended up someplace they didn't suspect was bad.

Until I had problems with spyware on my own PC at home, I figured it was always someone else's problem. As an IT professional, naturally I was always concerned but didn't think it extended into my personal life. I was mistaken.

When did I suspect I had it? The first thing I noticed was that my computer was running sluggishly. I figured it was a hardware issue until I used a popular search engine and got a rash of ads that popped up on my screen. Sometimes the spyware programs caused Windows to lock up the browser screen. Obviously, this unwanted activity was from Web sites responsible for the spyware.

I ran two anti-spyware programs to cleanse the system, but they didn't seem to get rid of the offending code. Some spyware is incredibly sophisticated and will do everything in its power to conceal itself or generate replacements.

I finally licked the problem by running four different spyware cleansing programs. Sometimes it took running the spyware cleaning programs multiple times. After this kind of really vicious code confounded a seasoned professional like me, I began to realize how problematic it would be to an average end-user who might not know where to find anti-spyware programs.

Other than staying away from Web sites that might hijack your system, how do you protect yourself? First, make sure that you regularly update the security patches on your Windows OS. Likewise, make sure that your Windows Explorer browser is up to date.

One thing every XP Windows user should do is upgrade their system with "Service Pack 2," which is designed to plug security holes that have been prevalent ever since XP was introduced.

Security pro Ho'ala Greevy of Pau Spam says there have been reports that XP will crash if you don't remove existing spyware before you install winxp sp2. Greevy suggests that you download the free Ad Aware with the latest updates and run the program, which will remove suspected spyware. At that point run sp2 from windowsupdate.microsoft.com.

If you want to avoid Microsoft's browser, consider the free, open-source Mozilla browser (www.mozilla.org), which has proved to be very safe from spyware infections. Another option, although pretty radical, is to ditch your PC and migrate to Apple's Macintosh. There is no foolproof way to avoid spyware when using Windows, but regular updates of patches and running anti-spyware programs are good practices to follow.

How to get rid of 'scumware' It's not that hard to rid yourself of a true scourge of the Internet. I recommend a couple of programs: » Ad-aware gets consistently good reviews and I like it as well. It's available at www.LavaSoftUSA1.com. It comes in the "standard" edition (which is free) and the more sophisticated Professional and Plus versions, which will automatically scan for malevolent code at a price. Price for the Plus Edition is $27, or you can spend $40 for the Professional version, which, according to their Web site, provides more "flexibility." » A popular free software to get is Spybot-Search & Destroy, at safer-networking.org. I also liked this program. It worked quickly, identified a number of problems and allowed me to easily remove them. It also explains what the offending programs were and "immunized" me from further exploitation from them. The author does not charge for services, but does ask for a donation. » You can run a free scan of your system at PestPatrol.com. They will list any spyware/adware found, but because it's an evaluation version, you can't remove the offending code. Price is $40 per year for the home user edition. I'd also visit PCPitStop.com, which is another good anti-adware scanner. It will identify adware and describe in detail how to clean up your PC. Kiman Wong

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