Application Scope: Security > Spyware

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What Is Spyware?

Spyware is some type of software that has been installed on computer without your awareness or consent. Spyware can pop up advertisement on your computer without your consent, collect personal information from your computer, or even change the configuration of your computer.

How Do You Know If Your Computer Is Affected by Spyware?

Your computer might be affected by spyware if you experience any of the following:

  • You see pop-up advertisements even when you're not on the Web.
  • The default page of your browser has changed without your knowledge.
  • When you click a link that you visit regularly, you're unexpectedly directed to a different web site.
  • You notice a new toolbar in your browser that you didn't want, and find it difficult to get rid of.
  • Your computer takes longer than usual to complete certain tasks.
  • Your computer tends to crash or freeze up more often that before.

Spyware typically get on your computer through Internet download or file sharing, including game, music, video, and other apparently harmless software. Whenever you are installing something on your computer, make sure you can trust the company that provides the software, and read all disclosures, license agreement, and privacy statement carefully. Sometimes the inclusion of unwanted software in a given software installation is documented, but it may appear at the end of a license agreement or privacy statement.

Clean Up Spyware

If your computer is infected with spyware, you need to get a tool to clean it up. If your computer is not yet infected with spyware, it's a good preventive measure to get a anti-spyware tool to protect your computer.

After having your anti-spyware tool installed,

  1. Run the tool to scan your computer for spyware and other unwanted software.
  2. Review the files discovered by the tool for spyware and other unwanted software.
  3. Select suspicious files for removal by following the tool's instructions.

You should run the anti-spyware tool regularly (daily, once every 2-3 days, once a week at least) to keep your computer clean.

Prevent Spyware

To prevent spyware, we recommend the following:

  1. Keep your Windows updated. Visit Windows Update to confirm that you have Automatic Updates turned on and that you've downloaded all the latest critical and security updates. You can find the Windows Update tool from the Tools menu of your Internet Explorer.
     
  2. Adjust Internet Explorer security settings. If you're running Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) and you use Internet Explorer to browse the Web, your browser security settings for the Internet zone are already set to Medium by default. Internet Explorer in Windows XP SP2 also includes a number of features to help protect against spyware and many other kinds of deceptive or unwanted software.

    To find out which Windows operating system you're using, go to "Start" > "Control Panel", and click on "System". You'll see a popup window like the following:



    If you have Windows XP, but not Service Pack 2, you can get it from the Windows Update web site by selecting "Windows Update" from the Tools menu of your Internet Explorer.

    To view your current Internet Explorer security settings, click Tools and then click Internet Options of your Internet Explorer. Select the Security tab. For a step-by-step guide to adjusting your settings without blocking content from sites that you trust, see Microsoft's page on Working with Internet Explorer 6 Security Settings at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/using/howto/security/settings.mspx
     
  3. Use a firewall. Even if your local network has a campus-wide firewall to protect the campus network, it adds to your security to have a personal firewall on your computer. Windows XP has a built-in firewall, but you need to have it turned on to protect your computer from possible hackers. To check out your personal firewall settings, go to "Start" > "Control Panel", click "Security Center", and then click "Windows Firewall".

    For your home computer(s), you should check with your Internet Service Provider and find out what kind of security protection is offered by your Service Provider. In addition, you can build your own firewall at home. If you're not using Windows XP, you can purchase Norton Personal Firewall from Symantec or ZomeAlarm from ZoneLabs.

    Additional resources on firewall:
     
  4. Surf and download more carefully. The best defense against spyware is not to download it in the first place. However, we all know that we cannot help but download some software from the Web from time to time. How do we guard ourselves then?
    • Only download programs from Web sites you trust. If you're not sure whether the software you want to download is safe or not, ask someone with the expertise.
    • Read all license agreements and statements that come with the software you download. Data collecting programs installed with the user's knowledge and consent do not, technically speaking, constitute spyware, provided the user fully understands what data they collect and with whom they share it. However, a growing number of legitimate software programs install additional components to collect data or distribute advertisement content without properly informing the user about the real nature of those programs.
    • Never click "agree" or "OK" to close a window. Instead, click the "x" button in the topright corner of the window or press the Alt + F4 buttons on your keyboard to close a window.
    • Be wary of "free" game, music and movie download.

Authors: DSU Web Support Team. Page last updated on 03/06/2006