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How You Can Protect Your Network from Spyware and Adware

Security

Adware and spyware are applications that are surreptitiously downloaded onto a user's system to collect data. It's essential to protect your network from them, because they are, in essence, viruses that affect the performance and stability of your systems. They can also transmit personal information without your knowledge to companies that will use it to steal your identity or bombard you with advertisements.

You may not be aware that you have downloaded these applications, but there are several key indications that your system has become infected. You may find that your computer slows down to a crawl, especially when performing Internet-related tasks. You may be plagued by popup ads. And your homepage setting may have changed, or you may notice new icons on your desktop.

There are four key ways to protect your data and your network from being hijacked by this software.

1. The best ways to protect your network from spyware and adware are to avoid opening strange email attachments and run virus-filtering software on your email server. There are many companies that sell products that remove known viruses and spyware.

2. Avoid downloading and installing ad-supported software. These applications may load adware or spyware on your computer during installation. Often this software will download automatically from sketchy sites that proffer "free" downloads of some sort or from peer-to-peer sites — such as the music site Kazaa — that readily acknowledge they bundle adware with their products but hide it in the fine print of their licensing agreements.

3. Be sure that the virus definition file (the virus dictionary) of your virus protection program is set to automatically update itself every day.

4. If you use Internet Explorer, make sure you have your browser security settings set to Medium. Most of these programs are set to take advantage of users whose IE security options are set to Low.

If your system is already overrun with these applications, try Spybot Search and Destroy or Ad-aware. These programs are designed to identify and remove adware and spyware from your computer. Both are available from Download.com.