Spyware/Adware Answers
What is "spyware?"
"Spyware" is a term that refers to software installed on your computer that attempts to collect information about you and report it back to some central location. The degree of the information collected can vary greatly. Sometimes the information consists of only the addresses of web sites you have visited. Some software is capable of logging your keystrokes and can collect sensetive information like passwords, credit card numbers, and other personal information. For this reason, understanding what Spyware is and how to prevent it from loading on your computer is very important.
What is "adware?"
"Adware" is a term that refers to software installed on your computer that displays advertising. Banner ads and even popup ads on web sites are not adware. Adware typically causes advertisements to appear at random or in response to specific events on your computer. Unfortunately, a large number of advertisements produced by adware are pornographic in nature.
Where are all of these advertisements/popups/startup items coming from?
If you seem to get random (i.e. not caused by clicking on links or loading web pages) advertisements, popup ads, or even items that start every time you turn on your computer, it's quite possible that your computer contains spyware and/or adware. It is important to keep in mind, however, that most banner ads (image-based advertisements that appear within web pages) are not caused by this sort of software. Rather, they are included on the web site as a means of making money for the owner of the web site. Most popup advertisements are also not caused by this sort of software. We have a separate help document about stopping popup ads which can be found here.
How can I prevent this software from being loaded on my computer?
Most truly dangerous/privacy invasive spyware/adware is loaded by exploiting bugs and security holes in web browsers (such as Internet Explorer or Netscape) and e-mail software (such as Outlook Express or Eudora). Most software vendors make fixes for these security vulnerabilities available as soon as they are discovered. As a result, the best way to avoid spyware/adware is to always make sure you have the very latest version of your web browser and e-mail software. For Windows users, it's also very important to make sure that your computer has all of the latest updates and bug fixes from Microsoft's Windows Update site installed.
A number of software products (both commercially and freely available) also provide protection from spyware/adware. The latest "utilities" offerings from both Norton and McAfee include protection from spyware/adware in addition to their other features. Ad-aware is a piece of software that is freely available for personal use that can detect and remove virtually all spyware and adware. For more details on the free version of Ad-aware, please refer to the next question. Lavasoft, the authors of Ad-aware, also offer a more powerful version of their software called Ad-aware Plus, which offers complete real-time blocking of all types of spyware, adware, and other "offensive" software.
How can I get rid of the spyware/adware that's on my computer?
It is important to understand that removing spyware/adware can be a fairly complicated task. In rare cases, removing spyware/adware can also cause other problems on your computer. If you are uncomfortable with performing the tasks described in this document on your own, SVN strongly suggests that you hire a computer professional to assist you in removing the files. SVN offers this service, along with others, at a discounted rate to our subscribers. Details on our computer repair services can be found here.
In our experience, we have found that Ad-aware by Lavasoft is a highly effective (and free) way for users to remove spyware, adware, and other files that potentially pose a privacy risk. The details can be found in our Ad-aware help document. Lavasoft also has an extensive FAQ (frequently asked questions) about their software, in addition to web-based support forums where Ad-aware users can ask questions and share information.
Where can I learn more?
For more information, you can take a look at the following sites:
