CompTIA A_ Certification All-In-One Exam Guide, Seventh Edition - Michael Meyers [464]
Most Web browsers have features to prevent pop-up ads in the first place, but I’ve found that these types of applications are sometimes too thorough. That is, they tend to prevent all new browser windows from opening, even those you want to view. Still, they’re free to try, so have a look to see if they suit your needs. Applications such as AdSubtract control a variety of Internet annoyances, including pop-up windows, cookies, and Java applets, and are more configurable—you can specify what you want to allow on any particular domain address—but the fully functional versions usually cost at least something, and that much control is too confusing for most novice-level users.
Spyware Some types of spyware go considerably beyond the level of intrusion. They can use your computer’s resources to run distributed computing applications, capture your keystrokes to steal passwords, reconfigure your dial-up settings to use a different phone number at a much higher connection charge, or even use your Internet connection and e-mail address list to propagate itself to other computers in a virus-like fashion! Are you concerned yet?
Setting aside the legal and ethical issues—and there are many—you should at least appreciate that spyware can seriously impact your PC’s performance and cause problems with your Internet connection. The threat is real, so what practical steps can you take to protect yourself? Let’s look at how to prevent spyware installation and how to detect and remove any installed spyware.
How does this spyware get into your system in the first place? Obviously, sensible people don’t download and install something that they know is going to compromise their computers. Makers of spyware know this, so they bundle their software with some other program or utility that purports to give you some benefit.
What kind of benefit? How about free access to MP3 music files? A popular program called Kazaa does that. How about a handy e-wallet utility that remembers your many screen names, passwords, and even your credit-card numbers to make online purchases easier and faster? A program called Gator does that, and many other functions as well. How about browser enhancements, performance boosters, custom cursor effects, search utilities, buddy lists, file savers, or media players? The list goes on and on, yet they all share one thing: they’re simply window-dressing for the real purpose of the software. So you see, for the most part, spyware doesn’t need to force its way into your PC. Instead, it saunters calmly through the front door. If the graphic in Figure 26-15 looks familiar, you might have installed some of this software yourself.
Figure 26-15 Gator Corporation’s acknowledgment warning
Some spyware makers use more aggressive means to get you to install their software. Instead of offering you some sort of attractive utility, they instead use fear tactics and deception to try to trick you into installing their software. One popular method is to use pop-up browser windows crudely disguised as Windows’ own system warnings (Figure 26-16). When clicked, these may trigger a flood of other browser windows, or may even start a file download.
The lesson here is simple: Don’t install these programs! Careful reading of the software’s license agreement before you install a program is a good idea, but realistically, it does little to protect your PC. With that in mind, here are a couple of preventive measures you can take to keep parasitic software off of your system.
Figure 26-16 A spyware pop-up browser window, disguised as a Windows alert
If you visit a Web site and are prompted to install a third-party application or plugin that you’ve never heard of, don’t install it. Well-known and reputable plug-ins, such as Adobe’s Shockwave