secureMYpc 2.5 - User Guide and FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions - secureMYpc

1. What is Adware?
   
   Adware have become more and more popular in the past few years. The term is a jargon for Advertising Supported Software and also known as 'Adbot' or 'Sponsor Software'.
   Adware, in most cases, is a piece of software that is bundled with other applications and displays advertising on your machine while it is running. The sponsors pay the developers that bundle its software a fee for each add displayed or clicked. The problem is that most adware are far from optimized in speed or stability, giving your system some unwanted side effects. These symptoms can range from slowdowns, instability, and even loss of data in the worst-case scenario. Most of this adware installs without your knowledge, and there is no option provided to uninstall it.
   
   
2. What is Spyware?
   
   Spyware is a general term that refers to a piece of software that can log personal information from the user. This software is potentially more dangerous than Adware and should be eliminated if possible.
   Spyware can log all kind of user information: keystrokes, web site history, user habits, emails received or sent, passwords, credit card numbers, all kind of sensitive info, and even take control of your computer without the user knowledge.
   
   
3. What is Malware?
   
   Malware is short for Malicious Software; software designed specifically to damage or disrupt a system, such as a Virus, a Worm, or a Trojan horse. These are the most dangerous species of them all. They are created with the solely purpose of disrupting your system, do damage, or steal sensitive information.
   Spyware often enters this category and some adware may as well be considered malware because of the way they are installed or prevents itself to be removed.
   Malware is often bundled with other software such as peer-to-peer programs. Others are installed by websites, asking you to accept them pretending to be needed software to view the site. Moreover, others even install themselves by exploiting bugs on your system or internet explorer without your intervention at all. However, the most majority must be installed by the user.
   
   
4. What Malware variations are out there?
   
   Trojan horse: is a harmful piece of software that is disguised as legitimate software. Trojan horses cannot replicate themselves, in contrast to viruses or worms. A programmer can deliberately attach a Trojan horse to otherwise useful software, or it can be spread by tricking users into believing that it is useful. Some Trojan Horses can spread or activate other Malaria, such as viruses. These programs are called 'droppers'.
   
   
5. How can I detect Spyware?
   
   You are probably suffering from Spyware, Malware, or Adware if you see any of these symptoms:
   Multiple pop-up advertising windows annoy you while surfing the net. Some adware are capable of doing this and it can be annoying. This ads are not even related to where are you surfing and may often be of objectionable content.
   You suffer from decreased download and upload speeds. Some spyware and adware download and upload content to your machine in the background while you use your computer. This can be translated to slow speed for your real applications.
   Your computer slows to a crawl even if no application is running. Some Spyware are poorly programmed. This means to you that you can suffer slowdowns while performing certain tasks, or even unexpected crashes.
   You see increased spam in you inbox. Spyware could be submitting your credentials including your mail address to several potential spam companies that you are unaware-of. This is a common practice among spammers. While your email address is submitted thru unscrupulous companies, you while see an increasing amount of spam in your inbox.
   Your browser settings seems to change without control, your start page cannot be changed or modifies itself, your search page is not what you set it to, or you see that there are new items among your favorites folder that you never set.
   You see new toolbars on Internet Explorer that you cannot remove despite your efforts and that you never installed. Some Hijackers use holes in your system to install themselves while you browse a seamlessly innocent website.
   
   
6. How can I prevent Spyware?
   
   Preventing Spyware is both a mater of precaution and common sense.
   Never install any application that you do not trust its source. If you are uncertain, try to search for it on Google.com and see what you find about it.
   Never click on accept without looking first on what you are accepting. If you are browsing a website that prompts you to install software to browse it, you are most likely accepting a Trojan or Spyware. There are indeed some plug-ins that you will need to install; for example Macromedia Flash Player, but do not permit the installation if you do not know what it is.
   Never answer unsolicited email (SPAM). If you do so, you will probably be receiving more spam in return since you will be confirming your address as valid. Install an Anti-Spam application instead. Even Outlook comes with Spam-Rules that you can use.
   Always have an antivirus running in the background. Most Antivirus solutions provide some level of protection against malware. Some last generation antivirus provides anti-popup, mail worm, and Trojan protection. Also, be sure to have the antivirus definitions updated! You cannot be safe if your definitions are out of date.
   Always use an anti-spyware solution from time to time. SecureMYpc? provides a secure way to detect and remove adware, spyware, and malware without the hassle of manual detection. Remember to keep it updated as well since new threats are discovered on daily basis.
   Use a Firewall. While most spyware needs the user intervention to install themselves and some are bundled with other software, there are others that can exploit holes on Windows to install without user intervention. This kind of stealth behavior can e prevented by installing any firewall product such as ZoneAlarm or Kerio Personal Firewall.
   Always update your software. Update your software on regular basis. Most applications an antivirus specifically include an autoupdate feature.