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Have you let a spy into your computer?
by: Maria Marsala
Yes, it's true. You may have inadvertently invited a spy
into your computer. This spy is known as "spyware,
adware, or trojans", and once it is in your computer
it starts taking statistical information as you travel
the Internet. In some cases, it may send you pop-up ads
and slow down your computer. A wired.com article, mentions
it "could even collect your credit card information".
How did you invite the spy?
Maybe you visited a website you knew and enjoyed only
to find that it was recently purchased by a pornography
site. The new company has imbedded "spyware"
into the home page and now, in many cases without your
knowledge, it is on your computer.
Maybe you downloaded a free or paid program and as part
of the package you were provided with an added secret
bonus – a “spyware” program. Spyware may
also be placed on CD’s you purchase, too.
Maybe you agreed to it! You could have downloaded a program
and checked the box to allow the program to take statistics
from you "for their own use".
Maybe someone sent you spam, especially porn spam, and
that spam created the spy. Spys can easily be placed,
without your knowledge, in pictures or HTML email.
What you can do?
Purchase a firewall program and it should let you know
if a program is about to download from the website you
are at. Note the word "should".
Or you can learn all about spyware, download an anti-spyware
program, and schedule time in your weekly calendar to
run an anti-spyware program. The first time I conducted
a ”clean up”, on my 18-month old computer, I
found 2 porn and 42 other spyware programs. Then a week
later, I had 4 new spyware files appear.
To further reduce the amount of spyware that ends up in
your e-mail Inbox, create a "rule" or "filter”
that will move any e-mail containing "certain adult
words of your choosing” directly to your delete or
spam folder.
Norton and MacAfee the virus protection specialists, have
added anti-spy programs to the list of maintenance programs
they sell. However, according to information I’ve
seen on email lists, they’re not as anywhere as good
as the Ad-aware program from Lavasoft.
Just a note: If a few people use your computer and each
has their own log in password, when you run LavaSoft program,
you need to run it under each password. Example: Let’s
say Katie and Molly have passwords on your computer. Log
in as Katie and run Lava Soft. Then log out of Katie,
and log in as Molly and “run the program again.”
I’m sure, you’ll find additional spys under
each log in name – just like I did last weekend when
I cleaned and updated a friend’s computer.
Use the resources below to help you learn more about Spy’s:
Learn about protecting your computer from spam and spyware
http://www.unwantedlinks.com/
http://grc.com/optout.htm
http://www.spyware.co.uk/
Check for spyware on new software before you download
it.
http://www.spychecker.com/
Free anti-spyware program. Use it at least monthly and
don’t delete the items you really want! http://www.lavasoft.de/
Opt out of double click ads
http://www.doubleclick.com/us/corporate/privacy/privacy/ad-cookie/default.asp
Removing your e-mail, address and telephone numbers from
lists.
http://www.dmaconsumers.org/consumerassistance.html#mail
Anti-Spam Tools
http://www.webattack.com/freeware/comm/fwspam.shtml
BONUS: Opt-out of credit card marketing mail
The three big credit-reporting companies provide your
information to “resellers” or “vendors”.
To curtail this abuse, call toll free 888-567-8688. Listen
to all the options before hitting a key. #3 is the best
option to remove you "forever" (well till you
change your phone number). Remember to get your cell phone
number removed, too. Once you call them they will mail
you a confirmation letter for you to mail back to them.
© 2004 Maria Marsala, Business Growth Strategist.
Bringing women-owned service businesses our Wall Street
expertise. Your bottom line is NO accident. If your income
has been hovering or flat lining the past year or so,
if you are working more than 35 hours per week and have
no passive income stream, we need to talk. http://www.coachmaria.com
You have nothing to loose and everything to gain!
About The Author
Elevating Your Business. Since 1998, Maria Marsala, a
former Wall Street Trader, has worked more than 1000 women
(and men) who own service business to increase their profits,
save time, and live rich, fulfilling lives. Visit www.ElevatingYourBusiness.com
to request your 2 business reports and join our business
building newsletter or forum. |
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