Dealing With Spyware and Adware
What are Spyware and Adware?
Spyware is malware that sends personal information such as browsing history or usernames back to a third party without the users permission. The presence of SpyWare may also slow down connection speeds considerably.
Adware often comes packaged with other software. It causes advertisements to be displayed on the users computer after the software has been installed or while it's in use. Software that brings Adware along with it installs Spyware as well.
For extra information on both, here is a good article "SPYWARE: THEY CAME FROM CYBERSPACE" - by DWIGHT SILVERMAN Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle. *Note* You may have to sign up for a free account to view the article.
Tools available for locating and removing Spyware and Adware
- Malwarebytes -- http://www.malwarebytes.org/
- Windows Security -- https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/stay-protected-with-windows-security-2ae0363d-0ada-c064-8b56-6a39afb6a963
- Total Defense -- https://www.totaldefense.com/
SpySweeper
SpySweeper is software for Windows computers that scans, removes, protect from "spyware". It is purchased by the College for computers on campus.
Note: SpySweeper is NOT to be installed on computers running Windows Vista or higher, or on any Mac.
To determine what operating system you're running, see What Version of Windows am I Running?
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