Adware, Spyware, & Phishing

Computer users are continually talking about epidemics of hybrid viruses, worms and Trojan horses. Just when you thought it was safe to log on again, you should be aware of another diabolical plot to disturb your computing enjoyment. Here are some suggestions to protect your computer and ensure safe computing.

While the Internet is a powerful resource and provides users with many useful and often entertaining things to see and do, it also has its dark side.

Most people are familiar with freeware, shareware, cookies, media players, toolbars, interactive content, and file sharing. What they may not realize is that some of the aforementioned may contain code or components that allow the developers of these applications and tools to actually collect and disseminate information about those using them.

They can track your surfing habits, abuse your Internet connection by sending this data to a third party, profile your shopping preferences, hijack your browser start page or pages, alter important system files, and can do this without your knowledge or permission. The security and privacy implications of these exploits should be quite obvious and undesirable on any system or network!

It is recommended that you visit this website, http://www.malwarebytes.org, review the information provided, and download their free version of "Malwarebytes" for your personal use only.

Another program to check your computer for spyware: Spybot - Search & Destroy can detect and remove spyware of different kinds from your computer. Spyware is a relatively new kind of threat that common anti-virus applications are starting to add to their product lines. If you see new toolbars in your Internet Explorer that you didn't intentionally install, if your browser crashes, or if your browser start page has changed without your knowing, you most probably have spyware. But even if you don't see anything, you may be infected, because more and more spyware is emerging that is silently tracking your surfing behavior to create a marketing profile of you that will be sold to advertisement companies. Spybot-S&D is free, so there is no reason not to give it a try. Spybot-S&D can be downloaded at the following website:
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/mirrors/index.html
." 

These two free downloadable programs come highly recommended and, in fact, they are required if you want to connect to the University of Dubuque network. The first time you run either of them, you will be amazed at the number of instances of adware and spyware found on your computer. This is especially true if you have an "always connected" Internet Service Provider such as the UD network or Mediacom. Even if the spyware or adware does your computer no actual harm, it can drastically bog down its performance (and the entire UD network!).

Besides adware and spyware, one of the most recent threats in using the Internet is a criminal activity referred to as “phishing”. Phishing involves the attempt to fraudulently obtain sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy source. This is a form of identify theft. Typically, email or instant messaging is used and provides a link to a website for users to update their sensitive data. The website is actually fraudulent and is used for stealing the user’s information. PayPal, eBay, and online banks are frequently targeted.

Never use a link to a website that is provided by email or instant messaging to update personal information. If you need to update this information, use the address field of your browser and go to the known URL of the site desired.

Be safe, rather than sorry. Download both of the above-mentioned free programs today. Make sure that you also download the updates that go with the programs so that you are always protected against the most current risks. It is recommended to update and run these applications once per week to keep your computer safe and running smoothly.