Tuesday, October 23, 2007

The Growing Malware Epidemic

As more computer owners learn about spyware and its damaging effects on our PC’s, there is still a hidden threat that hasn’t made front-page news yet. Sure, some of us have heard of the growing ‘malware problem,’ but in order to prevent such an occurrence from affecting us, it’s vital to know the basics of this nasty, new PC predator.

· Malware is like a computer virus. They’re hard-to-find and at times, difficult to remove.

· It drastically slows down our PC speed-As a result of ad-buildup and tracking devices, your computer may run noticeably slower.

· File sharing is a huge source of harmful malware, especially in instances like illegal music downloading.

· Unintentionally visiting harmful websites masking as legitimate pages can increase your chances of picking up malware.

· Your Internet search habits can be recorded and distributed to unknown sources through the use of malware.

· If you surf to a site and notice you’re consistently being redirected, this is a symptom of malicious malware.

· Malware often tries to steal your personal information. For instance, Voice Over IP Provider Skype just reported a malware stunt whereby users were asked for log-on information on a phony sign-in screen.

In many ways, malware is like the big brother of spyware. It often bundles many unseen threats together, increasing your chances of being attacked. Installing an anti-spyware software program such as STOPzilla is one measure we can take to diminish the risk posed on our PC’s.
StarReviews cites that STOPzilla not only protects you from spyware, it blocks phishing attempts (those browser hijacks commonly associated with malware.)

Spyware Doctor provides comprehensive threat detection through their Spider Scanning Technology, a great feature. Many spyware removal programs offer great deals for you to save: such as 15% off on Spyware Doctor products as exclusively reported by StarReviews. Though research on malware and its effects are in the early stages, protecting your PC now is an action all computer owners should make.

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