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Adware and Spyware Programs The following is provided to inform users and provide instructions to remove Spyware/Adware for your computer if it becomes infected with these programs. Removing Spyware/Aware successfully is difficult enough, but preventing it in the first place is a PRIORITY. Spyware: Spyware is software that sends your personal information to a third party without your permission or knowledge. Spyware covertly gathers confidential and private information, and monitors system activity without the user's knowledge. Spyware can record your keystrokes as you type them, obtaining passwords and credit card numbers, tracking where you surf, and logging chat sessions, and can even take random screenshots of your activity. Basically, whatever you do on the computer is completely viewable by the spy. Spyware is often sold as a spouse monitor, child monitor, surveillance tool, or simply as a tool to spy on users that gain unauthorized access to your PC. Unscrupulous companies often use this data to send you unsolicited targeted advertisements. Adware: Adware is software that displays advertisements on your computer. These are ads that inexplicably "Pop Up" on your display screen, even if you're not browsing the Internet. Some companies provide "FREE" software in exchange for advertising on your display. It is sometimes installed with "Freeware or Shareware" which has been download from the Internet, and provides one more channels for advertisers to reach you. Some adware will also track your files, Internet usage, and software which reports that information back to advertisers to help them channel relevant ads to you. It's how they make their money. To read more about Adware and Spyware go to the following website. Check out the Adware and Spyware list. Spyware Guide Unauthorized adware and spyware usually install on your computer covertly by using one of two methods: Method One: Tricking you into clicking a link that installs it. Links to spyware can be deceptive. For example, a Web site that's trying to push spyware onto your computer might open a window that looks like a Windows dialog box, and then trick you by installing when you click a Cancel button to close the dialog box. Sometimes, spyware pushers will put a fake title bar in an empty window, and then install spyware when you try closing the window. Method Two: Installing freeware that includes it. For example, you might install a free file-sharing program that surreptitiously installs spyware on your computer. File-sharing programs can be a major conveyor of adware. Once installed, spyware can transmit your personal information and download advertisements 24 hours a day. It can also hijack your browser settings, such as your home page or search page. Other programs that contain Spyware/Adware programs are: Webshots, Comet Cursor, Gator, Bargin Buddy, Date manager, Any type of Web searches, Percision Time, Weather Bug, Bonzi Buddy, and Hotbars toolbar. This is NOT a conclusive list, but are the most common types of Spyware/Adware programs. Other Spyware/Adware Effects: It can also compromise your privacy, providing outsiders with information about your computer habits. If a spyware program installs a keylogger, it can capture your keystrokes and send it to a third party. This can potentially expose your user IDs and passwords to thieves. Some spyware programs are trojans, which allows someone to log into your computer remotely and use it for their own purposes like sending spam or launching malicious attacks on other computers on the Internet making it look like it was you. Most people notice with either kind of program is that they cause performance issues with their computers. These programs hog precious system resources, memory and hard disk space. For example, Internet Explorer might not work properly any more, your computer might hang more frequently, or your computer might slow down significantly. To assist in the removal and take measure against Spyware and Adware: These instructions explain how to download, install, and run Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition. This program is not endorsed by Methodist University and is to be installed at the users own risk. Adware SE Personal Edition is not a cure all for Adware/Spyware programs, but will assist in keeping most computers from being infected. I: Downloading and Installing Ad-Aware To obtain Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition, you can download it for free. 1. Go to: Lavasoft Web Site 2. On the right side of the screen click on "Download.com", under the Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition. Click "Download Now" Note: When prompted to open or save the file you are downloading, choose the option to save it to your Desktop. Then when the download is complete, click on Close. 3. Locate the "aawsepersonal.exe" file on your desktop and double click on it to start the installation process. 4. Accept the Terms of the Agreement and follow the defaults settings when prompted. After the program finishes installing, a window containing 3 options will appear: 5. By default, each of the boxes has a checkmark. Instructions for updating the definition file and performing a full system scan are provided below. Click on the checkmark to deselect any option you choose, and then click on Finish to complete the installation process. II. Performing a System Scan 1. Click on the Ad-Aware SE Personal shortcut icon on your desktop. 2. If a screen appears prompting you to Check for Updates, click on Ok and follow the instructions. 3. Since new spyware programs frequently come into existence, it is important to always make sure you have the most current updates before scanning your computer. To check for updates: a) On the main Ad-Aware screen, click on Check for Updates now. b) Click on Connect. c) If updates are available, click on OK to download and install the new definitions file. Then, click on Finish. 4. To scan your computer for Spyware, on the main Ad-Aware screen, click on Start. 5. On the Preparing System Scan screen, select Perform Full System Scan and click on Next. Ad-Aware will begin scanning your computer. The scan may take approximately 15 - 25 minutes. 6. Once the scan is complete, you may see a Blinking "RED" Bug icon indicating that spyware was found on your computer. Click on the Next button to continue. If you do not see a Blinking "RED" Bug your computer is probably not infected with Adware. 7. A list of all the critical objects found on your computer will appear. 8. Computer Services recommends selecting all the objects. You can select either individual objects or all objects to be removed but not recommended. To do this, right-click on any object and choose "Select All Objects". Then click on Next. 9. When prompted to verify that you want remove the objects, click on OK. 10. Once the objects have been removed, you can close Ad-Aware. 11. You may have Spyware/Adware programs that are "In Use" at the time of your scan. Adware SE may tell you that you will have to reboot in order to remove these items. If so, do so. Adware SE will start automatically to attempt to remove the files that were in use at the time of the orginal scan. Also, depending on how much/many Spyware/Adware programs are located on your computer, you may have to run Adware SE a couple of times to get rid of some Spyware/Adware files. For questions or suggestions about this CD ROM email |
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