How to thwart the Barbarian Spyware.

by: douchrti
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Word Count: 624

Today, on most internet user's computers, we have the
ability to employ software, along with our intelligence, to
prevent viruses and spyware.

To put this article about online safety into proper perspective,
we'll use Medieval defense tactics.

This is accomplished by 3 methods. First, a firewall...'The
Castle Moat' so to speak. A firewall can't see inside your
computer beforehand though, so if any viruses or spyware
were present before the firewall was installed then its of
no use. Of course, its extremely good at preventing new
attacks.

Second, a anti-virus program.... 'The Castle Drawbridge!
They will not provide much help with spyware, but good virus
protection is as desirable as one of Avaris's dreams!

One drawback can be the updates, of course. If you've just
updated Wednesday night and a virus hits the next day, then
you may not be protected till next Wednesday night, and by
then it may be too late. If you're smart, you will have
signed up for email alerts with the provider, or even
better, you'll have a anti-virus program that has a real
time update feature.

I get the tingles when I see that little pop-up saying a
update is available and click here. Its downloaded
,installed, and updated in about 20 seconds! A new virus or
Trojan or God forbid, a new keylogger can hit the internet
and spread in a matter of days, and I'm sure this must make
the definition writers lives a living hell.

I have great admiration for them as they could have been
wealthy doctors, but they have chosen to help us... the end
users. (moment of silence here)

Last, we have anti-spyware programs,'The Flaming oil'! (my
favorite). Their update features are like the anti-virus
programs, so you have to be as vigilant with this method of
defense too as you would be with the others.

I've heard there are people out there that don't even know
when their updates run, or even if its configured to do so!
I refuse to believe this sordid rumor!

So you've got your defenses set up, you're looking good. But
the best defense is a good offense, attack! That's what some
organizations do. They prowl the net looking for websites
that harbor drive-by downloads, URL Re-Directing and such.
When they find them, they shut them down, or report them so
effective protection can be manufactured.

These people have my sincere thanks for what they do. With
identity theft on the rise and Websense reporting that the
average computer has 28 items of Spyware on it, we need all
the help we can get.

Oh sure, you're saying not my computer !

Well, lets discuss those little boxes that you click "I
Agree" to when you download something. Do you read the
entire statement? This is one way spyware has become so
rampant, because so many downloads have extra software
included in them. These can be harmful to your computers
well being. KeyLoggers, popups, adware, malware...

Need I go on?

So my idea is that we need these shining knights from the
castle to journey forth on a quest. They will be little
robots or spiders like the search engines use. They will be
given absolute power over harmful programs they find. They
will be like Gort in the movie "The Day the Earth Stood
Still".

Dell recently reported that 12% of their calls were for
spyware damage, Microsoft says half of their reports of
system crashes are caused by spyware. These calls cost these
companies millions of dollars in revenue, which they then
pass the costs of onto us, the consumers.

Who knows, if viruses and spyware ever get controlled, the
average computer may only cost a dollar!

About the Author

About the Author: Doug Woodall has a website at http://www.spywarebiz.com There he provides free information and recommended products to combat Spyware, Viruses and other Online Nasties.

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