Virus & Security Information
Spyware/Adware Tools
Spyware, adware and pop ups - you've probably heard the terms, but do you know what they are and what they may be doing on your computer?
Adware is software in which advertising banners are displayed while the program is running. The authors include the code that delivers the ads through pop-up windows or through a bar that appears on a computer screen. This is usually found in "free" or "trial" software.
Spyware is basically adware that includes code that tracks a user's personal information and passes it on to third parties, without the user's authorization or knowledge. It uses your Internet connection in the background without your knowledge or explicit permission.
Both of these types of software raise privacy and security issues. What information are they sending? What are they doing with the information?
Additionally, these programs are resource hogs, and can cause web browser and system instability. We have seen many cases where spyware caused browsers (Internet Explorer or Netscape) to quit functioning properly on the UMD network. SpywareGuide.com lists over 2100 products in its list of known spyware. Many computers that we have checked on campus have literally hundreds of these spyware/adware programs running on them, making them almost unusable.
Most adware and spyware is included with other "free" software that you download from the Internet. To find and remove it from your computer, there are a number of products available. A few of these are:
- Windows Defender (beta) - free for all Windows computers
- SpyBot - free for use on all computers
- Ad-Aware - free for use on personal (not University) computers
- Spyware Doctor - free trial, paid full version
An important note: While the paid versions of anti-spyware can be set to update and scan automatically, most free versions require the user to manually download updates and run scans. Installing these free versions without running the updates or scans will not protect your computer.