When adware
can't trick you into installing it, it often resorts
to a secretive invasion. Find out how to defend
yourself.
Adware Installation Stealth Tactic 1: Expensive Freebie
How it works: adware may get installed with so-called
free software without any mention of it being included
anywhere in the software's license or documentation.
Or any mention of the bundled software is buried deep
within a click-wrap licensing agreement.
How to protect yourself: It's become an endlessly
repeated cliché, but it's true: only install software
from developers you trust. That doesn't mean you
can never try any software from a new company.
Just familiarize yourself with the developer's reputation
before opening wide your hard drive. Search the
developer's name on search engines. If a dozen
anti-spyware advertisements are listed alongside the
search results, that's not a good sign.
How to fight back: If you've already downloaded
the expensive freebie, it's probably too late to simply
uninstall it. The bundled adware will likely stick
around on your computer long after the software that
came with it has been sent to the recycling bin.
Instead, you need to use an anti-spyware program, and
preferably two to be sure.
Tactic 2. Adware Drive-by
How it works: adware may hide in a website's
code and download itself automatically onto the site
visitor's hard drive. This is often called a "drive-by"
installation.
How to protect yourself: drive-by installations
of software tend to happen on obscure commercial websites,
rather than personal homepages, blogs, or the websites
of established businesses. If you can avoid surfing
in those kinds of rough waters, you'll be a lot safer
from adware attacks.
How to fight back: If you do suspect that a site
has downloaded software onto your computer, close it
immediately and fire up your anti-spyware and antivirus
software. You may also want to delete your browser's
cache and also any program downloads folders and temporary
internet folders, just in case the adware is a new kind
of adware that isn't in your anti-spyware software's
database yet.
Tactic 3: The Old-Fashioned Way: Email
How it works: you know the drill: just as with
viruses, adware may come as an email attachment.
The stealth part is that simply not opening attachments
may not be enough to protect you. The attachment
may not display an attachment icon and is set to auto-install
as soon as the message is opened.
How to protect yourself: make sure your email
software does not open attached files automatically.
With most new email software applications the option
to block automatic downloads of attached files is set
as the default. But to be really safe, you should
set your anti-spyware software to automatically monitor
all email.
How to fight back: delete the offending email
without opening it or the attachment (assuming that
hasn't happened already). Run a full scan of your
hard drive using anti-spyware and antivirus software.
About
the author: Joel Walsh writes for spyware-refuge about
spyware and adware removal: http://www.spyware-refuge.com/?%20spyware%20adware%20remover |
