One in a hundred websites that you visit may be infected and infested with spyware!
One thing that you can do to stop things like this form happening is by not going to the
websites that have black backgrounds, (Ones that you don't know at least.
)
Here I'll explain some types of viruses and how to avoid and remove each one individually.
1. Tracking viruses. These are viruses that you may pick up and never know. They may be
attatched to a file, and they'll install on your computer, with the program that you wanted
basically acting as a decoy. They will track your movements on the web or a more advanced
one may log everything you do. Sometimes it's to sell you products, but sometimes they
want very important information such as your bank or credit card numbers. There are several
types of tracking viruses, and here are a couple:
A. Keylogger. The revered virus that records every keystroke you make. You'll never even know
it's there until you find all of your passwords changed.
B. Tracking Cookie. This is a web-based virus that usally records all of your web movements, yet
some may go further than that.
2. Hidden Installations: Sometimes, if you click a popup or ad, (Not always a wise thing to do),
something may install on your computer, and you'll find it later. Sometimes this runaway program
is spyware, sometimes it's a real program that the producers want everyone to know about. Sometimes
the program may be disguised as a popular program, or hidden literally inside one of your currently
installed programs. Though this type of "Virus" is logically classified a legal, it can still be just
as harmful if not more than a tracking virus.
Well, that's a couple of the more major types of viruses, the first being a form of spyware, and the
second being a bit of everything depending on what type of program gets installed. Now you may
be wondering how to inform and protect yourself against such viruses. There are some great programs.
Windows Firewall is very trusted and accepted by computer users, yet it's just an off and on thing,
it doesn't have much of a user interface or any advanced options that many computerers like to use.
Here are a few great programs that I amoung many like to use.
1. AVG Antivirus Pro- This is an extremely trusted computer scan and antivirus program. Featuring
many options, you can do a whole computer scan or scan any specified file. While right-clicking on
one of your files in "My documents" or almost any file, than an option will show up to scan that
specific file. Since AVG updates almost every day, it keeps up with almost all viruses.
2. Comodo Firewall Pro- About ten times better than the Windows Firewall, this firewall picks out
just about every computer attack there is. You can switch defence off and on, because while
using or installing programs, it may pester you with things like this. "Pivot.exe is trying to connect
to the Internet". It may do this endlessly until you give it permission. Luckily you can turn that off.
Comodo will detect websites that are trying to access or harness your computer, and programs
that are trying to report to the Internet. Ones that do that may be viruses.
Well, I hope all of this information helps, and we should all be educated on the downsides of computers
of this day in age, and how to stop their effects.
Subject: Beware! 
Sat Jun 06, 2009 7:50 am
