Spyware

With special software for spying personal data, called Spyware, hackers and unfair companies can get full access to personal data on your computer without your permission and knowledge. The most harmless variant of such Spyware only note your buying habits. Whereas Programs such as Keylogger are more dangerous. Key Logger are running in the background, recording all your keystrokes to a file. Once keystrokes are logged, they are hidden on your computer for later evaluations.The most dangerous representatives of their kind even note registrations of certain services as well as web pages you visited and store this information for later evaluations in addition to send data to third parties. So third parties are able to identity your passwords, credit card numbers and similar sensitive data, as for example passwords of online-auctions they use for criminal intents.

How do you get Spyware ?

Nevertheless, Spyware reaches your computer in many different ways, sometimes even with your permission, though mostly while hiding behind other programs. Before Spyware is installed, you normally have to click an object on the Internet or to open a program. In the following you can see a listing of all the ways Spyware primarily reaches your PC:

• Opening spam mails with malicious files...
• Visiting corrupted websites like warez download pages...
• Clicking popups...
• Using file-sharing programs...
• Downloading spam toolbars...

How do you recognize that your system is already infected with Spyware ?

More than 90% of all computers connected to the Internet are infected with Spyware nowadays. The following behaviors suggest that your PC is infected with Spyware:

• The start page deposited by you on your Internet browser was replaced by another start page and cannot be removed...
• You notice that your system and your Internet connection becomes increasingly slower...
• There are more and more icons in the taskbar you cannot identify with your programs...
• If you reboot your system, the start lasts unusually long...
• Even though you are offline, popup windows are opened...
• Your browser favorites were modified or they are unknown so far...
• Your browser does not open the Internet address you entered and the website has other contents...
• Your PC wants to connect with the Internet by itself ...
• Your Firewall (if installed) informs you frequently about program trying to connect to the Internet...
• Contrary to custom your PC starts to reboot...