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Resources
and Tips
Anti-spyware
and anti-virus programs
Trusted programs
There are many reputed, legitimate anti-spyware and
anti-virus programs available for you to choose from.
Many high-quality programs are available for free, trial
basis or paid. When choosing a program, you should only
consider programs with a proven track record, and a
strong reputation. Always be aware of anti-spyware programs
that are heavily and aggressively advertised online
– these are often suspect programs that come bundled
with their own adware or malware.
ZEDO recommends these
quality products:
Suspect Programs
If there are several choices of high-quality, well-known
anti-spyware products for you to choose from, there
are
thousands of unknown, poor-quality adware packages that
look and act like anti-spyware software. Suspicious
antispyware programs are known to use inadequate detection
techniques, false positives to coerce users to pay for
upgrades, provide insufficient information about the
company, contain unacceptable End User License Agreement
(EULA) terms. These suspicious programs are also often
distributed maliciously through aggressive, confusing
advertising, spam emails, and sometimes installed directly
in free software, adware, often without user knowledge
or consent.
ZEDO is not a software
review company and does not conduct major software reviews
of any sort. The following products are known to be
suspicious and are rampantly reported to cause user
problems:
- PSGuard
- RazeSpy
- WinSpyControl
- SpySheriff
- Internet Browsing
How
to protect your computer against spyware
The best defense for your computer against spyware and
other malicious software is your own vigilance.
Install and Run Security Software
- Install and run the appropriate security for your
computer, including antispyware and antivirus software,
and a personal firewall. If you have children in your
household, use parental control software to block
inappropriate downloads.
- Set your antispyware and antivirus software to
automatically update so that the software recognizes
new threats.
- Before purchasing security software, check to see
if your computer manufacturer has already provided
this software. If not, check with your Internet service
provider to determine if these programs are provided
with your Internet service.
Maintain Your Computer
- Regularly check for security updates for your operating
system and other software; download and install patches
immediately. Set your software to automatically install
updates.
- Run a full spyware and virus scan of your computer
whenever you suspect that you might be infected with
spyware and never less than once per week. Symptoms
of spyware infections include: unexpected popups,
a home page change, random error messages, and slower
computer performance.
- Adjust the security and privacy settings on your
Internet browser and operating system to control what
software is installed on your computer.
Be Cautious When You Are Online
- When surfing the Internet, only visit web sites
that you are familiar with and trust.
- Carefully read any operating system or Internet
browser warnings. To close a window or dialog box,
consider the options provided by your operating system
or Web browser, such as closing the window with the
“x” mark in the upper corner.
- Be wary of “free” software; it could
include extra software you may not want. Be especially
cautious with free filesharing programs, screensavers,
wallpaper, and smileys because these almost always
come with extra software. If you’re not sure
about a program, enter the name of the software into
a search engine to see what others say about it.
- Always read the licensing agreements and privacy
statements for any software. Many of the potentially
unwanted behaviors are only revealed in the “fine
print.”
- Pay close attention to the information that appears
on your screen when you are installing software. The
installation program may use vague or confusing language
to trick you into saying “yes” when you
want to say “no.”
Information
courtesy: CDT
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