Do you want a brief, simple, non technical description of Adware, Viruses and Spyware, what they are, what they do to your PC and how to get rid of spyware, adware and viral infection and permanently stop these pests invading your 'space'?!
Here are just a few commonly used generic names to apply to these horrid critters - Viruses, Spyware, Adware, Malware, Trojans, Dialers, Keyloggers, Worms - there are many, many more of course!
Adware itself is not actually designed to be particularly malicious. It is a form of advertising but can be a downright nuisance for several reasons, just think of the common pop-ups, 'winner' and 'error' messages and banner ads, they can be difficult to get rid of and really interrupt whatever you are doing. You can liken adware to real life telemarketers or door to door sales people who barge in uninvited with their pitch and won't leave without a fight!
Spyware, as the name suggests, is another matter entirely. This is solely designed to get information from you. What you do on line, your browsing, surfing, keyboard activity can and will be tracked and this information is sent back to the spyware 'creator'. Spyware will often, but not always, attach itself to downloaded files or shareware, person to person (P2P). Spyware could be the equivalent of your real life stalker, quietly following you about, gathering all your personal information, including your credit card and bank details if they get a chance!
Viruses are the really bad web bugs. There is often confusion and a hazy line drawn between spyware and viruses as some could fall into both categories. However, the easy distinction to make is that viruses are designed primarily to cause real damage to your PC. Why anyone would want to design really nasty viral software such as this is a question only they can answer as it seems rather odd behaviour to me! Viruses in real life would be lurking in the shadows waiting for the first chance to harm you, or even bump you off, but before doing that they may grab your wallet or purse though!
Hopefully this gives you clarity on where all these bugs stand in the hierarchy of nastiness.
One thing people are generally not aware of is that any information you enter on the web can be intercepted and any personal information can be sold to other parties without your consent (or knowledge). Potential customer information and stolen details is big business on the dark side of the internet market today.
Unwanted alterations can be made to your PC settings, your homepage can be changed, annoying pop-ups, pop-unders, tool bars and search bars can appear and generally your PC performance can be slow as a result or just grind to a halt eventually.
The best way to deal with this is not to panic, you do not have to visit an expensive computer servicing department, just get a specialist software system which knows exactly how to get rid of spyware etc. and is designed solely for this purpose.
What this will do for your PC and your peace of mind is give you freedom to do as you please whilst on line.
A good system will stop the accidental downloading of adware and spyware and viruses before they infect your PC by automatic scanning. If you like to download lots of music, images, software, games, videos or documents it is always recommended that you scan straight afterwards or set your system up to do this, it is quick and very easy to do.
You can go ahead and download music and videos day and night, chat online, read blogs, look at thoroughly infected websites and not worry yourself about it. There will be no stolen user names, account details and financial information!
After a scan and clean, your PC speed will also be improved to a level it had when it was brand new.
Updates are usually automatic which means the latest newest threats to your security are always provided for 24/7/365. Generally a really good system will have excellent back up and support available to you in the rare event you 'get stuck' with something.
Free trials are usually available so you can scan and see whether you like the feel of the system and if you do, you can quickly register and then clean up your PC and get on with your life!
