Spyware

What is spyware?

Spyware is a general term used to describe software that performs certain behaviours, generally without appropriately obtaining your consent, such as:

• Advertising

• collect personal data

• Change your computer settings

Spyware is often associated with software that displays advertisements (called adware) or software that tracks personal or sensitive information.

Not all tracking software is bad

This does not mean all software which provides ads or tracks your online activities is bad. For example, you can join a free music service, but you “pay” for the service by agreeing to receive targeted ads. If you understand the terms and accept them, you may have decided it’s a trade off. You can also accept that the company track your online activities to determine which ads to show you.

What does spyware actually do?

Spyware programmes make changes to your computer, which can be annoying and can cause your computer to slow down or crash.

These programs can change your home page web browser or a search page, or add additional components to your browser you do not need or want. They also allow very difficult for you to change your settings to how you had.

Always be aware of what you re installing

You should always understand the software that you are installing especially the optional tick boxes; this can become a problem when more than one person uses a computer, and more than one person install software.

The general method is to secretly install the software during the installation of other software you want such as music or video file sharing program.

When you install a program on your computer, be sure to carefully read all information, including the license agreement and privacy statement. Sometimes the inclusion of unwanted software in a given software installation is documented, but it seems that the end of a license agreement or privacy statement.

There are any number of unwanted spyware software, and any number of ways of installing it.

How to you prevent spyware getting on your computer because Spyware and other unwanted software can

• invade your privacy

• bombard you with pop-ups

• Reduce the speed of your computer

• Does your computer crashes

Here are several ways to protect your computer from spyware and other malicious software.

• Use a firewall Eset Smart Security has it all, Firewall, Antivirus, Antispam
• ESET Smart Security is the most effective protection you can use to combat today’s huge volumes of Internet and email threats. It combines ESET’s award-winning NOD32® proactive antivirus and antispyware protection with a powerful yet easy–to-use firewall and robust antispam technology.

The majority of spyware and other unwanted software comes with other programs or originate from unscrupulous sites; a small amount of spyware can actually be your computer remotely by hackers. Installing a firewall or using the firewall built into Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP is a useful protection against hackers.

• Upgrade your software

Visit Microsoft Update to confirm that you have automatic updates enabled and that you have downloaded and installed all critical updates and security updates.

• Adjust Internet Explorer security settings

You can adjust your Internet Explorer browser security to determine how much or how little data you want to accept from a website.

Microsoft recommends that you set the security settings for the Internet zone to Medium or higher. (For Windows 7, Windows Vista or Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP3) and Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox or Google chrome to surf the Web,
Please Note: the security settings for the Internet zone is set to Medium by default.)

Change Internet Explorer 9 security settings
You can change Windows Internet Explorer 9 security settings. Here’s how:
1. Open Internet Explorer by clicking the Start button . In the search box, type Internet Explorer, and then, in the list of results, click Internet Explorer.
2. Click the Tools button , and then click Internet options.
3. Click the Security tab, and then do one or more of the following:
o To change settings for a security zone, click the zone icon, and then move the slider to the security level that you want for that zone.
o To create your own security settings for a zone, click the zone icon, and then click Custom level.
o To restore all security levels to their original settings, click the Reset all zones to default level button.

Mozilla Firefox – Options window – Security panel
This document explains all of the options available in the Security panel of the Options window of Mozilla Firefox. For other panels, see Options window.
The Security panel contains options related to keeping your web browsing safe.
Table of Contents
• Security settings
• Passwords
Security settings

• Warn me when sites try to install add-ons: Firefox will always ask you to confirm installations of add-ons. To prevent unrequested installation prompts which may lead to accidental installations, Firefox warns you when a website tries to install an add-on and blocks the installation prompt. To allow installations from a specific site, click Exceptions…, enter the site name, and click Allow. Uncheck this to disable the warning for all sites.
• Block reported attack sites: Check this if you want Firefox to check whether the site you are visiting may be an attempt to interfere with normal computer functions or send personal data about you to unauthorized parties over the Internet.
o Note that the absence of a warning does not guarantee that a site is trustworthy.
• Block reported web forgeries: Check this if you want Firefox to actively check whether the site you are visiting may be an attempt to mislead you into providing personal information (this is often referred to as phishing).
o Note that the absence of a warning does not guarantee that a site is trustworthy

Passwords
• Remember passwords for sites: Firefox can securely save passwords you enter in web forms to make it easier to log on to websites. Clear this checkbox to prevent Firefox from remembering your passwords.
o Even with this checked, however, you’ll still be asked whether to save passwords for a site when you first visit it. If you select Never for This Site, that site will be added to an exceptions list. To access that list or to remove sites from it, click the Exceptions… button.
• Use a master password: Firefox can protect sensitive information such as saved passwords and certificates by encrypting them using a master password. If you create a master password, each time you start Firefox, it will ask you to enter the password the first time it needs to access a certificate or stored password. You can set, change, or remove the master password by checking or un checking this option or by clicking the Change Master Password… button. If a master password is already set, you will need to enter it in order to change or remove the master password.

Google Chrome Malware Protection Settings
The Google Chrome web browser comes with a Safe Browsing feature. That feature help to increase Google Chrome security against malware. It’s enabled when you select the ‘Enable phishing and malware detection’ option and is designed to protect your computer and your privacy. By default your Google Chrome web browser has already enabled this feature but you can disable or enable this feature as you wish. The following steps show you how.
Step 1:
Once you open the web browser, Click “Customize and Control Google Chrome” menu.

Step 2:
Click “Options” button.

Step 3:
Under “Google Chrome Options” window select ‘Under the Hood” tab.

Step 4:
Under Security section if you want to enable this feature put a tick mark for “Enable phishing and malware protection”.

If you want to disable this feature remove tick mark in “Enable phishing and malware protection”.

Google Chrome Pop ups Settings
Pop-up ads or popups are a form of online advertising on the World Wide Web intended to attract web traffic or capture email addresses. It works when certain web sites open a new web browser window to display advertisements. Some pop-ups messages are used to get viruses onto your computer. They will cause to harm your Google Chrome browser and computer settings. So by default Google Chrome blocks pop-ups. When you visit a web site which wants to display a pop up, Google Chrome will notify to you that there is a pop up message. You can choose to remove this notify message if you would rather not see it.
Step 1:
Click “Customize and Control Google Chrome” menu.

Step 2:
Click “Options” button.

Step 3:
Under “Google Chrome Options” window select ‘Under the Hood” tab.

Step 4:
Under the “Web Content” section remove the tick mark at the beginning of “Notify me when a pop-up is blocked”.

Google Chrome Password Manage Settings
Google Chrome can save user names and passwords for websites you sign into. It can then autofill the sign-in fields when you next visit these websites. To save your user name and password Google Chrome asks you after you submit a user name and password to a site.

If you click “Save password” button in the message, your password is saved. But the important thing to remember is if you are saving your passwords, other people can easily access your accounts. If you press “Never for this site” button in the message your password is not saved and you will not be asked again. If you want to remove this message so it never shows in the future, you can follow these steps.
Step 1:
Click “Customize and Control Google Chrome” menu.

Step 2:
Click “Options” button.

Step 3:
Under “Google Chrome Options” window select “Minor Tweaks” tab.

Step 4:
Under Passwords section put a tick mark for “Never save passwords” section. Finally click the close button.

Google Chrome Cookies Settings
Cookies are files created by websites you’ve visited in order to store browsing information, such as your preferences for the website or profile information. It’s important to be aware of your cookie settings because cookies can allow websites to track your navigation during your visit to the website and can decrease Google Chrome security. The Google Chrome web browser can adjust the level of permission for cookies from websites you visit, by following these steps:
Step 1:
Click “Customize and Control Google Chrome” menu.

Step 2:
Click “Options” button.

Step 3:
Under “Google Chrome Options” window select ‘Under the Hood” tab.

Step 4:
Under the “Under the Hood” tab you will find a security section. Now you can see ‘Cookie settings’ drop-down menu where you can select one of the following:
• ‘Allow all cookies’: This is the default setting in Google Chrome cookies. This option lets first-party and third-party websites set and receive cookies on web pages you visit. First-party cookies are set by the website you’re visiting. Third-party cookies are set by websites that have items embedded in the website you’re visiting, such as advertisements, pictures, or videos. When you next visit the website, first-party and third-party cookie information is sent back to the respective websites.
• ‘Restrict how third-party cookies can be used’: First-party and third-party Google Chrome cookies can be set by the website you’re visiting and websites that have items embedded in the website you’re visiting. But when you next visit the website, only first-party cookie information is sent to the website. Third-party Google Chrome cookies information isn’t sent back to the websites that originally set the third-party cookies.
• ‘Block all cookies’: Prevent all Google Chrome cookies from being set by first-party and third-party websites. This will prevent most websites that require you to sign in from working.

Step 5:
Finally click the close button.

Internet Explorer also includes a number of features that help protect against spyware and other forms of deceptive or unwanted software.

Step 4: Download and install antispyware protection
• ESET Smart Security is the most effective protection you can use to combat today’s huge volumes of Internet and email threats. It combines ESET’s award-winning NOD32® proactive antivirus and antispyware protection with a powerful yet easy–to-use firewall and robust antispam technology.

Step 5: Surf and download safely

The best defence against spyware and other unwanted software is to download them first. Here are some tips that may prevent you from downloading software you do not want:

• Only download programs from sites you trust. If you are unsure whether to trust a program you plan to download, enter the program name in your favourite search engine to see if anyone else has said it contains spyware.

• Read all security warnings, license agreements and privacy statements associated with the downloaded software.

• Never click “agree” or “OK” to close a window. Instead, click the red “x” in the corner of the window or press Alt + F4 on your keyboard to close a window.

• Pay attention to popular music “free” file-sharing programs and movies, and make sure you understand all of the software packaged in such programs.

• Use a standard user account instead of an administrator account.