Safeguarding our computers are one of the most important things we can do. It doesn't matter if you use your computer for just emailing and talking online with friends, or running a small business at home off of your laptop, you should always take the necessary steps to protecting yourself and your computer. A lot of people have no problem downloading anti-virus or anti-spyware software but then they never update it. Usually every few weeks your anti-spyware software needs to be updated. This update includes things like new virus definitions, which is really important considering new viruses pop up almost every single day! Another misnomer, is that you have to actually download something to become infected. This isn't true, sadly. You could become infected just by surfing the Internet. You would really be surprised the things your computer can pick up just by visiting certain web pages.
If you don't have anti-spyware software, how do you know which is the best one for you? Or how do you know which ones really work? Well, there are comparison sites you can visit. These sites have people that run tests with the anti-spyware software. They let you know exactly what's what. What doesn't work, what does work, and usually they also have a "top" list that allows you to see the top ten or the top 5 best anti-spyware programs out there. These anti-spyware comparison sites also let you know about other infectious virus's like adware and malware. Just a quick little update:
- Spyware - This is software that secretly gathers information about a user while he/she navigates the Internet
- Adware - The difference between Adware and Spyware is very subtle. Both Adware and Spyware is installed without the user's permission on a machine. An Adware's main purpose is to display targeted ads based on the user behaviour it is tracking
- Malware - Short for malicious software, a program or file that is designed to specifically damage or disrupt a system, such as a virus, worm, or a Trojan horse
Needless to say the above three infections are NOT things you want on your computer! On a lot of these sites you probably will see software programs like AdAware, SpyBot Search And Destroy, Spyware Nuker, Pest Control and others. In my personal experience it seems that by using AdAware (note not adware) and SpyBot my computer is always bug free. But some people prefer other programs like the ones listed above. It really depends on your personal preference. But if you really have absolutely no clue about adware, spyware or malware protection, these spyware comparison sites are probably the perfect route for you to take. They include things like:
Comments
Free scan or not
Popularity
Satisfaction
Ease of use
Current rating
much more!
If you would like to find sites like this, you could try looking on the following sites below:
2009 Software Reviews
PC Tools
Spyware Warrior
PC World
Consumer Search
CNET
It doesn't matter which site you decide to go to or what software you decide to try, please remember to always update when the software asks you to! There are several people out there (as said above) that don't update when asked to and then they wonder why they received a potential threat to their computer! Updates are necessary!
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