| FACT: Chances are your machine is hosting | | | | have view your favorites list and you have |
| spyware. There are currently over 78,000 | | | | favorite sites in their that you did not put in |
| Spyware and Adware programs on the Internet | | | | yourself and have found that other sites you put |
| that can affect your PC. | | | | there are no longer found. You delete these items |
| Here are 9 warning signs you should be aware of, | | | | but they always show up again in your favorites. |
| if any of them pertain to you then your PC is | | | | Your system begins to run slower than normal. If |
| most likely infected: | | | | you are a updated Windows OS user you pull up |
| If you start you Internet browser and the | | | | your task manager system information screen |
| homepage that pops up is not the one that has | | | | and see that your system is running at 100%, |
| been set by you. You then change it back to | | | | then you are infected with spyware because your |
| what you want and then it goes back to | | | | system always needs a little free space in order |
| something you didn't set again. This is one of the | | | | to process information, which is why your system |
| more common features and ways to tell that you | | | | slows down when you have spyware on it. |
| have been taken over by some sort of spyware | | | | At a time when you are not doing anything online, |
| and that you should rid your system of it | | | | the send or receive lights on your dial-up or |
| immediately. | | | | broadband modem blink just as wildly and lively as |
| If you get pop-ups that have been personalized | | | | when you are online downloading a file or surfing |
| with your name on them or you begin to receive | | | | the Internet. Also, your network icon on your |
| pop up ads while you are not even connected to | | | | screen will be flashing rapidly showing you that |
| the Internet or don't have a browser open. This is | | | | you are working on receiving and sending |
| one of the more annoying ways that your | | | | information from your system at a very rapid |
| system will let you know that you have | | | | rate. This is the job of spyware here to send and |
| something other than normal operating in your | | | | receive information to your system without telling |
| system. | | | | you. |
| You start receiving very expensive phone bills | | | | A search toolbar or other browser toolbar |
| that have you placing many calls to 900 numbers | | | | appears even though you didn't request it or install |
| that you never heard and ones that have hefty | | | | it. Your attempts to remove it fail, or it comes |
| per-minute rates. Spyware takes over your | | | | back after removal. Parts of spyware registry |
| phone line due to the connection that you have in | | | | files hide themselves in your system under aliases |
| conjunction with that phone service, whether | | | | and unless you find all of them and remove them, |
| dial-up or broadband. | | | | then they will never leave your system, causing |
| You enter a searchable item into your required | | | | them to show up over and over again. |
| Internet toolbar or address bar and then all of | | | | And the final sign is: Everything appears to be |
| sudden an unapproved searching system handles | | | | running normal but the most deceptive and |
| your search. More infamous items are infected | | | | devious spyware leaves no tracking information |
| with stuff such as Mysearch Bar and other | | | | for you to find it anyway. This is the sure way to |
| spyware type search engines that only take you | | | | get you to check your system on a routine and |
| to their approved sites. | | | | regular basis so that you are sure you have no |
| Another sure fire way to know that you have | | | | signs of an infection. |
| spyware operating on your system is that you | | | | |