If you know how Spyware (malware that monitors and secretly sends your activities and information on PC) enters your computer, you can definitely try controlling it entries by making sure all its coming routes are blocked. The knowledge about how spyware attacks your PC will certainly help you in improving your computer security so that the spyware attacks at those points are stopped. Makes sense, Right?

If one knows from where the enemy (spyware in this case) will attack and harm us (PC's in this case), we can try our best to defend from those attack points.

Let me be very clear that Spyware is not a virus that spreads from one infected computer to another. Spyware gets downloaded and installed on your computer secretly without your intervention. It does not spread on its own by attaching like most of the virus does.

Here are the list of points that you should know and then work on if you want to stop spyware from attacking your computer. The ways Spyware enters your PC and the relevant ways to block it are:

1). Not Taking Absolute Care Of SW Installations

Well, this is one of the common mistakes that is done by most of us. I have also done this but not any more. When you are installing any new software of any kind on your computer - specially a popular freeware, take care of reading the Privacy and other digital agreements before the installation starts.

The common trick used by Spyware infectors is to make terms and conditions of the free software being installed too lengthy and difficult to understand with hidden and unclear inclusion of the unwanted software - spyware. Be careful and read the document carefully, even if it takes time and research about the additional software included with the main software.

The bad trick here is to deceive you by getting the spyware installed along with the free popular main software without you being aware that you are also secretly letting the spyware install on your PC too. So, most of the spyware is installed deceptively without user knowing about the installation - Dangerous! Isn't it?

This mixing of spyware along with free software happens either from the side of software developer or from the Spyware Developer by packaging spyware with the free software from their side.

Read the EULA (End User Licence Agreement) very carefully even if takes minutes and click on the Digital Agreement of Terms if you find it clear and without any spyware being included with it. Google or use your respective search engine for the SW and check reviews of spyware infection.

Don't forget to read the last few lines of these agreements as the spyware inclusion text is normally at the end of these terms.

One example of a popular freeware P2P (Peer to Peer) client to download/transfer files from/to other computers having usually spyware included with it is Kazaa. So be careful when installing file-sharing programs and free utilities, games and anything on your PC. Download them from reputed sources and not from any site. Oh! don't forget to watch your PC behaviour after such new application installations. If strange things start happening on to your PC, uninstall the new application immediately.

The same applies to downloading of torrents which can have main downloaded file infected with spyware.

2). Browsers Security Loopholes And Exploits

You use Internet browsers like Microsoft Internet Explorer, Firefox and Netscape etc. along with Sun MicroSystems Java and Microsoft IE ActiveX (plugins). Now during browsing, you go to a web page that is designed to exploit your PC based on your buggy browser and Java. Thus, the spyware software easily gets downloaded (if your used browser has bugs) and installed on your PC without you coming to know about it. In case of IE, Browser Help Objects (BHO) serves as a point for attaching spyware on to your PC by adding a toolbar or by redirecting traffic by modifying the browser behaviour by changing its settings.

So, download the latest patches of your browser, Java, OS (Operating System) and tighten your browser security for ActiveX. Also in Microsoft Internet Explorer, set the Security to the default one i.e., Medium (click on Tools --> Internet Options --> Security tab) and disable downloading of both signed and unsigned ActiveX controls.

In Netscape: Tools -> Options-> Spyware Protection: There are various settings that you can configure to secure your computer more. In Firefox: Tools -> Options: Enable "Block Pop-up Windows" and "Clear Private Data" settings.

3). Spyware Worm Infection

A Spyware worm installs Spyware on to your PC by sending it copies over the network without any user assistance without attaching like a virus. Example is W32.spybot.worm which uses pornographic information to infect the computer and then show ads on it. When you click on these ads the some part of money is paid to the spyware developer for bringing the traffic on to the respective porn site. This makes your PC slow as its resources are used for showing ads and surfing porn sites.

Having an updated antispyware, antivirus with real time traffic scanning plus a patched and updated Operating System would help you to avoid the Spyware worm infections.

4). Absence of A Firewall on Your PC

A firewall - free or paid one will prevent your PC from the hackers that try to install spyware programs on your PC remotely via Internet. A firewall after being configured properly will monitor the incoming and outgoing traffic to/from your PC and will give you alerts for new programs trying to access Internet or outside access to your PC. If you see an incoming request from an IP that is not making sense to you from your Firewall software, you can easily block that attempt.

If you don't have a firewall installed on your PC then it's open to all kind of hacker attacks including the spyware installation by them.

5). No Antispyware Installed

An Antispyware is a software that detects, stops and removes existing spyware on your PC. If your PC is not having an antispyware then spyware infection chances are much more.

Free or paid one, install the antispyware software right now. It's a must have tool in today's Interent world for security of your PC. Which antispyware is best will be discussed in one of the coming post.

6). Tricking To Secretly Download and Install Spyware To Complete An Operation

You want to download an important application - free one from Net and you are instructed to complete one download before you can download your freeware. You cannot download the freeware without downloading the additional software. If this or similar thing is happening, then you are being possibly tricked for downloading spyware on to your PC.

7). Clicking On Ok Or Cancel Instead Of X On Advertisement Popup Window

While surfing the Net, you reach a spyware installing site that makes a popup window appears that looks like a genuine Windows alert message to you. The fake popup window has three options of clicking - either OK, Cancel or on X. Click on X as clicking on Cancel will still install spyware software on your PC.

Or, with fake Windows alert window active on your screen (at the top of the screen), press Alt+F4 key (With Alt key pressed, press F4). Sometimes, even this may not help. Either click on Ok of the fake Windows alert window and cancel the download Or terminate the browser program via Task manager.

To not receive popup ads, install Ad blocking software or configure your browser to block popups. One example of Ad blocking software is Google toolbar that has Ad Blocking Tool.

8). Not Alert And Careful On/For Your PC If you are allowing anyone to work on your PC, then you are definitely increasing the chances of spyware attacks on your PC. When you are working on your PC, take care of where you are clicking and which sites you are visiting. Do not visit sites that will infect malware on your computer, you come to know about the same from Google search too (Google Safe Browsing feature).

Do not open emails from unknown persons and never ever download and open attachments from the parties you are not aware of.

9). Don't Have Any WatchDog Tool For Monitoring The New Unsolicited SW Installations On Your PC

Programs including spyware can be installed on to your PC secretly without your permission. Have a free program such as WinPatrol which can sniff the installation of any new program on your PC and alert you for your permission for that program to be run on your PC. This way you will come to know of any new programs being installed and trying to be included in registry of your Windows PC.

10). Don't Have A Tool To Assist You In Finding Trust Factor Of Sites

Coming to know about an online site merely by looking at it is not possible. Ok, you may start getting too many popups wanting to be displayed or AcitveX to be enabled and other warnings, but these signs are not sufficient to tell you that the site is trustworthy or not. You need a tool that can show you red or green signal based on site being safe for browsing or not.

This can be done by using an online database such as Web Of Trust (WOT) site ratings by installing the freeware for Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox. After WOT has been installed in your browser, it will integrate with your browser and would show the safety level of the visited site based on primary factor of causing malware infection or not. If the level shown by WOT for the visited site is red, then that site has been rated as dangerous by Web Of Trust. There are other parameters that WOT judges a site in addition to malware infection and these are trustworthiness, child safety etc.

Well, WOT can sometimes give false alarms (Red for a safe site) but still it works almost fine in most of the cases. It is better to have WOT rather than not having it.

In the above ten points, I have covered those points that lets Spyware attack your PC and the relevant corrective actions to stop spyware attacks. I am sure that if you implement and take action on the above listed points you will definitely minimise spyware attacks on your PC. One more tip that I would like to mention over here, though it is not directly related to the topic but would still help you in saving time, effort and headaches due to spyware infections.

The tip is to use a normal Windows user account instead of Administrator account for day to day tasks. In case, your user account gets infected with spyware (chances are low if you follow the above tips), then you can still use the Administrator account till you restore the normal user account back.

Spyware attacks are really dangerous. Well everyone knows the same but continues to ignore this fact. Become knowledgeable in fighting spyware, keep yourself updated and take regular actions to stop spyware.

Don't forget to install and update a firewall, anti virus, anti spyware, increase browser security and avoid installing software from unknown online resources. Keep a watch on Windows Explorer tasks available in the Task Manager.

Don't delay and take the above listed actions right now to stop spyware from entering your computer!

Hope that these posts would definitely help you to stop spyware.

As usual, let me know your comments!

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