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Secure your computer system: malware

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Malware is malicious software that gets installed on your computer. Malware programs range:

from gathering information about your web browsing habits and then passing this information on to advertisers
to causing severe damage to your system, such as annoying pop-up advertisements, or viruses or worms that compromise your computer system.

The types of malware discussed here are adware, spyware, and browser hijacking software.

Adware

This is financially supported software (that is, paid ads). These programs display advertising banners while the program is running. They commonly contain code that tracks a user's personal information and passes it along to third parties without the user's consent or knowledge.

Spyware

This type of software secretly gathers information about a person or an organization and then passes this information on to interested groups. The type of information that can be gathered is websites you have visited and system information about your computer, including your IP address.

Browser Hijacking

This type of program modifies or alters your browser settings. For example, it can:

change your home page,
add search bars,
create shortcuts on your desktop, and
cause your computer to repeatedly display pop-up ads or new browser sessions.

Again, the basic two purposes of browser hijacking software is to collect your browsing information which is then sent to a database. The other is to generate revenue by making it appear that some company website is getting a lot more hits than it actually would under legitimate circumstances.

There are some steps you can take to specifically combat browser hijackings. For one — do not use Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Instead, use a browser like Mozilla's Firefox, BUT if this is not a viable choice, make the following Internet Explorer security configurations (one-time process) before using Internet Explorer:

OK, so what can I do to protect my computer from getting malware installed?

In most cases, you can prevent malware from affecting your computer by making sure you:

Keep your operating system updated with the latest available security patches.
Install antivirus software, and keep it updated.
Are cautious of what files or software you download.
Are cautious of what plug-ins you install.
Install and run Spybot Search & Destroy (S&D) on Windows computers, and keep it updated.

Do I have malware installed on my computer?

You can quickly check to see if there is any malware installed on your computer by using Webroots's Spy Audit for your Windows computer. It is a free web-based scanner; you can also download it and run it from your computer. After Spy Audit has finished scanning your computer, a list is displayed of what it has found, but nothing will be removed.

Webroot's Spy Audit

If Malware is found on your computer, make sure to install and run Spybot Search & Destroy (S&D) as mentioned above.