Fake Antispyware Software - Tips to Identify and Avoid

The Internet has made our lives easier but it comes with a few curses too. While the Internet has changed the way we do business and share things, it has also led to online frauds and crimes. When you download or purchase a product online, you can never be 100% percent certain of its authenticity until you actually use the product or service yourself. This is because the Internet has become the new frontier for criminals who find it easier to cheat people and cause damage to them due to its sheer reach to millions of users. One unique way of gaining illegal access to your computer that is used by cyber criminals is to create fake antispyware or antivirus programs that are actually malicious software.

To prevent yourself from becoming a victim of these rogue antispyware tools, it is essential for you to learn how to differentiate between a fake antispyware and a real antispyware program. Here are some useful tips to help you identify a fake antispyware program.

Uses Scare Tactics

A fake antispyware software displays fake spyware alerts on your computer and frightens you into purchasing its full version. These alerts claim that the only way to get rid of spyware from your system is to perform a full system scan using a paid version of the recommended fake spyware tool. Such rogue tools, also known as scareware, never provide any protection against spyware. What they actually do is scam you out of money and install additional spyware onto your computer.

Uses Pressure Marketing

If scaring you is not enough, the promoters of these fake antispyware programs also bombard you with aggressive marketing campaigns to force you into buying their protection software. The most aggressive rogue antispyware programs will hijack your web browser and force you to their associated websites and make it impossible for you to access any other websites.

Looks Similar to Genuine Antispyware Programs

To make it difficult for an innocent computer user to identify them, fake antispyware programs have an interface that looks quite similar to popular, legitimate, and well-known antispyware programs. In addition, these fake antispyware programs illegally use official Windows logos to make themselves look more legit. If you don't know how to distinguish between the two, you can easily fall into the rogue antispyware's malicious trap and cause damage to your computer.

Performs Extremely Poor Scanning and Reporting

If you fall prey to the tactics used by these tools and end up buying a fake antispyware software, you can immediately identify it to be a fake when it automatically scans your PC and displays the final results. First, a legitimate antispyware tool will never scan your system without your permission. Next, you will notice that the displayed results are quite general and do not give out any specific information related to the detected infections. Finally, you may notice that the software conveniently skips several essential files and folders from the scanning process.

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Top Anti Spyware Programs and Software

While many users seek out of free anti-spyware online, most people prefer the accountability inherent with paid security software. The belief that money spent equates to performance and support is not always proven true, so software reviews often influence the eventual purchase. PC Magazine, TopTenREVIEWS and CNET Reviews are trusted sources of product reviews and as such routinely offer their picks for the top retail security software.

Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus

The editors of PCMag.com rated Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus 4.5 out of 5 with the website's readership rating the software 4 out of 5. The software underwent a battery of tests during review and was declared excellent in identifying and removing spyware, rootkits and scareware. The software's weak area was in detecting keylogger programs where it only found 90 percent during testing. There was an issue where the software upset the computer's network settings, but the problem was easily fixed. In the end, the software earned a "very good" rating from editors and readers.

Spy Sweeper

Spy Sweeper by publisher Webroot was ranked in first place among the anti-spyware reviewed by TopTenREVIEWS. The software was praised for its thorough definitions database, frequent updates and free technical support. However, the software was found to conflict with other security software installed on the computer. Overall, TopTenREVIEWS declared that the scanning software and extensive database were more than enough to put Spy Sweeper at number one.

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The Best Way to Get Rid of Adware and Spyware

Adware" and "spyware" are terms that refer to programs that can cause damage to your computer. These programs can download and install on your computer without your knowledge, and make changes to your web browser's homepage, cause advertisement pop-ups to appear and spy on your computer activities. It's important to use an effective way of getting rid of these programs every so often, or they can seriously slow down and corrupt your computer's health.

1.Download Antispyware Software

2.The best way to get rid of adware and spyware is to first download and install antispyware programs that can deal with these problems (see Resources). This is the best option not only for those who don't have a lot of computer savvy, but also in general, since some of the best antispyware programs are free and are generally effective. Buying such a program from an online ad can be dangerous, as a lot of these are scams. The ones you can download for free, such as Spybot and Ad-Aware, are oftentimes just as good as store-bought programs.

3. Updating.

The first thing to do after installing is make sure your antispyware program has the most recent updates. There is usually a button marked "Update" that will let you download what you need. It's a good idea to stay away from programs that don't offer frequent updates, because spyware and adware are constantly changing and becoming more numerous. If your antispyware program doesn't have information on the latest spyware and adware, it could miss something on your computer.

4. Scan and Delete

After you've updated, it's a good idea to scan for spyware immediately. Turn off other programs while the scan is completing to make it more effective. Also, if you have a particularly hard-to-get-rid-of spyware program, it's a good idea to restart your computer in safe mode before doing a scan. After the scan completes, the threats should be listed, and there should be a button for removal. It's a good idea to do scans frequently, as you never know when a malicious program may install itself on your computer.

Anti Spyware Software - What is it and How Does it Work?

There are some excellent products available to detect spyware, stop spyware, and remove spyware from your computer. Anti spyware software is designed to do all this plus immunize your computer against the reinstallation of the spyware it destroys - spyware blocking. Although spyware and adware are not considered computer viruses (mainly because spyware and adware don't replicate themselves), anti spyware software works much like anti virus software works.

Anti spyware software scans and/or monitors your computer for known spyware and adware file characteristics and patterns. It compares its database of spyware definitions to the files on your PC, sending a trigger when it detects a match. Normally, anti spyware software alerts you whenever it finds spyware or other malicious software, and lets you know what it has found. Most good spyware removers provide you with some detailed information about the spyware that has been found, such as its name, origin, and what it is designed to do. You then have a choice to destroy the spyware or to keep it (rarely would you want to keep it - unless it has accidentally detected a known good program that it thinks is spyware - an extremely rare occurence).

The key to effective and efficient spyware detection and removal is in the spyware file definitions database that is provided by the software developer. As with anti virus software (which also requires updated definitions), if the anti spyware definitions data is not kept up to date, it cannot detect the newest spyware and adware. Most good anti spyware software includes an auto update feature, which will automatically retrieve and install new spyware characteristics on a regular basis. This makes the process of staying well protected extremely easy.

Most anti spyware software is purchased as a one year license, which assures you will get regular spyware file updates as well as product upgrades and enhancements. Normally the initial price of the software includes one year of updates. You can renew each year for a lesser price. Spyware removal software is relatively inexpensive, especially when you consider the amount of privacy protection you are getting. Since spyware can easily steal your personal information and send it to an unscrupulous thief on the other side of the world, investing $30 or so for protection against spyware is a small price to pay to stay safe.

Anti Spyware software will not protect you against computer viruses, and anti virus software will not protect you against spyware. You need both an antivirus and anti spyware product to protect yourself against both types of threats - which are very commonplace. Spyware poses a huge security threat to everyday internet users today, as the possibility of identity theft is so great.

"Everyone who uses the internet today should have anti spyware software installed on their computer - it's not worth the risk to not use it."

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