Secure your PC from online threats.

Author: Raymond Johansen

Article:
In this article I will try to explain how to secure yourself and
your computer from the threats that exists online today. I guess
you have heard of computer viruses. Well, these threats surely
exists, but today there are a new breed of threats that takes
the internet by storm. And in real numbers, viruses pale in
comparison. What I am talking about is spyware. Read more to
learn how to protect yourself from these parasites.

You have most likely been one of the many victims of spyware.
There are several thousands of them online today, and still
growing at an incredible rate. They are designed to spy on what
you do online, which pages you visit, what information you send,
or even to steal the codes for your bank accounts or other
accounts. Some of them will only spy on you to be able to target
pop-up ads on your computer screen. If you have installed a
pop-up blocker, they won'y bother you. But some are using a new
type of pop-up called "pop-under". These ads slips through a
pop-up blocking software because they are not a small pop-up
window, but a new full-blown webpage that lays over everything
that is on your computerscreen.

So, if you are experiencing that your computer is running slow
or hanging, even after you have installed a fresh operating
system, then you should try to check for spyware. They infect
you from suspicious sites, especially porn sites and
warez(pirate) sites. Very often you are asked to install a codec
to play a video or something. You go ahead and install it, but
no video appears, and nothing seems to happen at all. This is
when you propably have to look for spyware again. To find these
creeps, you will need a spyware detector. There are many good
ones, but there are also many that isn't that great. So you will
need to read some reviews and tests to find the one best
suitable for your needs. This brings me over to another type
that I urge you to be aware of. They are really sly, and you
might not believe it when you read this, but I assure you that
these things exist.

Again I talk about a new breed of threats. But this kind is very
tricky to get rid of. Maybe you have noticed that a security
warning from "security center". It claims that you have a
serious problem with your system, and you need to fix it right
away. You are asked to click on the button to fix it
immediately, or to fix it later by closing the warning. No
matter which button you push, you are sent to a website which is
offering you some fantastic anti-spyware software. Be aware.
This is nothing but spyware that has infected your system, and
the only problem you will get rid of with this software is the
spyware they have created themselves. It won't fix anything
else. For most people this security warning looks pretty scary,
and they will go ahead and purchase this so-called anti-spyware
software. Well, you will most likely get rid of the warnings
that pops up constantly. But remember that the problem was
created by the same people that offers you the fix. I don't
think they deserve any money at all.

I hear a question coming up now; how to get rid of the
disturbing warnings without paying? I have a solution that has
worked for me all the times I have been infected. That is to
format the harddrive and reinstall the OS(operating system). But
this is no method that I prefer, since it takes a lot of time,
and you have to set up your computer again. We are talking about
several hours of work here. So, before you go ahead and do this,
I recommend that you scan your computer with every piece of
anti-spyware and anti-virus software that you posess. Maybe you
are lucky and get rid of it, but in most cases it is stuck.
Anyway, it is well worth a try. Or ofcourse, you could pay the
thirty bucks, or whatever it costs, and you very easily solve
the problem. Again, this is nothing I recommend.

Just to mention it, these warnings is more a disturbance than a
real threat. If you decide to reinstall your system, you
absolutely have time to take backups. They are relatively
harmless, but very annoying. So in time you want to get rid of
it. Which method you choose is up to you ofcourse. If you'd like
to know more about computer security, I recommend that you visit
the website described below.



About the author:
About the Author: Raymond Johansen is a writer for Free Pc
Assistance. A website dedicated to computer safety. Click here if your
computer is slow