 If
your computer starts to behave strangely
or displays any of the symptoms listed
below, you may have spyware or other
unwanted software (malware) installed on
your computer. |
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1. |
My
computer seems sluggish.
Spyware and other unwanted software is
not designed to be efficient. The
resources these programs use to track
your activities and deliver
advertisements can slow down your
computer and errors in the software
can make your computer crash. If you
notice a sudden increase in the number
of times a certain program crashes, or
if your computer is slower than normal
at performing routine tasks, you may
have spyware or other unwanted
software on your machine. |
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2. |
Home
page and search engine hijacking.
When a user's preferred home page
or search engine is changed to an
unknown site an unwary victim may be
exposed to an increased risk of
further malware or spyware infection.
It is not unusual for malware sites to
direct hijacked computers to other Web
sites that download and install even
more malware. There may also be an
increased risk of exposure to unwanted
or unsavory content such as gambling
or adult links via advertisements or
sponsored links. |
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3. |
I have
tool bars that appear out of nowhere.
Often such toolbars are search
engine based. Sometimes they cannot be
turned off permanently and reappear on
reboot, and sometimes they cannot be
turned off at all. Sometimes, as part
of their installation, they will
disable other toolbars that may
already be installed – for example, if
a reputable toolbar such as GoogleBar,
AltaVista's toolbar or Earthlink's
toolbar is installed the hijacker will
turn off those toolbars to remove
competition.
Search
results from hijacking toolbars may be
restricted to only sites that pay for
positioning, otherwise known as
"sponsored" results.
It is
important to understand the difference
between sponsored results and standard
search results. Standard search
results are most often created by "spidering."
Spidered pages earn a high ranking
over time. Community popularity plays
a big part when search engines
determine the ranking of sites that
appear in standard search results.
Things such as number of hits to a
site, or the number of other sites
that link to the page, affect ranking.
Sponsored links, on the other hand,
are there simply because they have
paid for the privilege. |
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4. |
My
settings have changed and I can't
change them back.
Some unwanted software have the
ability to change your home page or
search page settings. This means that
the page that opens first when you
start your Internet browser or the
page that appears when you select
"search" may be pages that you do not
recognize. Even if you know how to
adjust these settings, you may find
that they revert back every time you
restart your computer. |
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5. |
I see
pop-up advertisements all the time.
Pop-up advertisements can be very
intrusive. Sometimes they interfere
with Web browsing by taking over the
entire computer screen. They can be
difficult or impossible to close. In
bad cases, many windows will appear in
rapid succession, making the computer
virtually unusable.
Sometimes adware pop-ups are
deliberately deceptive. Examples where
the "no" or "cancel" buttons are
actually "yes" or "install" buttons.
Also pop-up windows with fake Close
buttons that when clicked trigger
malware installations, much to the
shock of their victims.
Some
unwanted software will bombard you
with pop-up ads that aren't related to
a particular Web site you're visiting.
These ads are often for adult or other
Web sites you may find objectionable.
If you see pop-up ads as soon as you
turn on your computer or when you're
not even browsing the Web, you
probably have spyware or other
unwanted software on your computer.
Pop-up windows can sometimes be
explicit and family-unfriendly. One example that we saw
on one of our own computers (while we
were testing a sponsor program bundled
with free software) was an
advertisement that trumpeted a warning
that our computer was infected with spyware. We can reassure you that it
was, not infected! Sadly, far too many
people are fooled by such BetrayWare
advertisements. |
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Do not
believe everything you read – the
computer was NOT infected |
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Note:
Don't be fooled, there aren't any
benevolent (good hearted) programs
roaming the Internet looking for
spyware, or at least that we know of.
If you see pop-ups, that look like one
above, you can be assured they are not
a Microsoft Windows based messages if
it has any offer to download a
program. That is not the way Microsoft
Operates. Never trust pop-ups that do
not apply to the application (program)
that you are currently using.
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Additional Symptoms of Infection |
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When you
start your computer, or when your
computer has been idle for many
minutes, your Internet browser opens
to display Web site advertisements. |
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When you
use your browser to view Web sites,
other browsers simultaneously open to
display advertisements. |
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Your Web
browser's home page unexpectedly
changes. |
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Web pages
are unexpectedly added to your
Favorites folder. |
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New
toolbars are unexpectedly added to
your Web browser. |
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You
cannot start certain programs. |
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When you
click a link in a program, the link
does not work. |
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Your Web
browser suddenly closes or stops
responding. |
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It takes
a much longer time to start or to
resume your computer. |
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Components of Windows or other
programs no longer work. |
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609-927-8489
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