Fighting Spyware

How can internet users fight back?  There is no single answer, but there are many measures that can be taken.

Become aware and educated about spyware.  I come in contact with people on a regular basis that have only a vague notion of what spyware is and how it can affect them.  A lot remain uneducated about spyware until they get hit with it.  They may notice a gradual decrease in performance of their shiny new computer.  It becomes slower and slower and unexpected things happen.  They become overwhelmed with pop-ups and one day their usual homepage changes to something totally unfamiliar.  They might find their searches going to strange sites or that another search page has taken over.  In severe case, the computer may become nearly unusable. 

Get angry about spyware and spread the word.  Help educate your neighbors, friends and family. 

The next step is protection.  Become armed and dangerous. A well protected computer is a threat to the spyware pushers because they can't invade it and make money.

I don't get infected unless I'm deliberately doing so in VMware or Shadowmode.  I don't use p2p, I don't surf unsavory sites and I don't download anything from unfamiliar sites.  I don't click on links or attachments in email. 

How do you become safe and protected?  It takes a multi-faceted approach, including for some, changing their online behavior.

It doesn't take a lot of money, or any money for that matter, to be protected.  Absolute musts:  a software firewall and an antivirus program.  There are free ones that work very quite well.   All the new computers I've seen recently come with a trial of a security suite or antivirus software and some with an anti-spyware app. For someone who doesn't want to research apps, I'd say when the free trial expires purchase a subscription as long as the applications are not causing any problems. The Windows firewall is better than nothing but it doesn't monitor outbound connections to the internet (although that will change ) , and I always recommend a software firewall, even if you have a router, which also does not monitor outbound traffic.

The most important thing users need to do is keep Windows updated, no matter which version. 

Other measures:  Use an alternative browser and lock down Internet Explorer. Yes, even if you use Firefox or Opera,  you still need to lock down Internet Explorer because some applications launch IE and the alternative browsers can be exploited as well.

keep in mind that every time you prevent a spyware installation, you are fighting back and the bad guys are losing money.  The time you spend protecting your computer and maintaining that protection is an investment in your future, preventing lost time, productivity and possibly loss of money if you had pay someone to clean up your computer.  Think of it as preventive medicine.