by iakul

Created on: October 12, 2009

Spyware, at their best, are just annoying, and could be just annoying popups, or constant redirects to certain webpages. At their worst, they could create problems for your computer, and could be dangerous enough that they could cause damage to your hard drive or motherboard. There's also the risk that they could compromise your personal details like your passwords and credit card details.

To guard against spyware, you'll need two things. A good anti-virus software and a firewall. It's not enough just to have them though. You'll need to update them regularly, since spyware and other types of malware are constantly being developed, and you'll compromise your own security if you skip on those updates.

However, having the best software in the world won't help a user if he or she doesn't take certain precautions. Avoid downloading from dubious websites, since you never know if that file you are downloading really is what it is, or just a file that has been given a deceptive name. And by dubious websites, I also mean peer to peer file-sharing networks like Kazaa and Limewire.

If you are not the only one using the computer, and are sharing it with family members, be sure to impress on them the importance of this as well. If you are the one with adminstrator rights for the computer, you can also consider limiting the internet settings to higher security levels for other users. In some cases, your hands are tied when it comes to these matters, and you'll just have to clean up after them if the need arises.

Clear your temporary file regularly, and schedule regular sweeps of your computer. Software like Spybot Search and Destroy and Ad-Aware can be easily downloaded, and these do a reasonable job of clearing spyware from your computer.

To be certain that your computer is truly free from spyware though, the best way is to schedule regular reformats for your computer. The process may be daunting for those of you who have never reformatted your computer before, but most of the time, it stems from a fear of losing the data on your computer. Just be sure to backup all the files you need to an external storage device like an external hard drive and check to make sure that you haven't missed anything. Reformat your computer, reinstall all the programs and drivers you need (especially your anti-virus) and you now have a computer that is free from spyware.

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