1. Spyware! THE BAD, THE WORSE, AND THE Ugly … ARE ALL INDICATIONS THAT SPYWARE MAY BE TAKING OVER YOUR COMPUTER!

2. SO WHAT IS SPYWARE? SPYWARE IS A TERM USED TO DESCRIBE ANY TYPE OF SOFTWARE ON A COMPUTER SYSTEM THAT PERFORMS MALICIOUS BEHAVIOR. SPYWARE CAN RESULT IN UNWANTED ADVERTISTING, COLLECTING OF PERSONAL INFORMATION, AND THE CHANGING OF COMPUTER CONFIGURATION WITHOUT YOUR CONSENT. SPYWARE IS USUALLY SECRETLY INSTALLED ONTO COMPUTER SYSTEMS WITHOUT THE PERSON USING THE COMPUTER KNOWING SO. CLICKING BUTTONS ON POP-UPS AND INSTALLING PROGRAMS ARE THE TOW MOST COMMON WAYS TO GET SYPWARE. Spyware runs in the background of your computer as soon as you power it on. It changes your homepage therefore, every time you access your homepage, it displays an ad. Once in your browser, spyware produces excessive pop-ups causing your browser to stop running properly.

3. Some computer applications will install spyware as part of their standard install. These deal particularly with peer-to- peer file sharing clients. Programs like Kazaa and Limewire, which provide free music downloads to people, are the main sites that install spyware onto a computer. This is known as the “piggybacked software installation.” Spyware can be added on a computer through software to help make a web browser better. Examples of this type of spyware include adding a toolbar, an animated pal, or another search box can get spyware on a computer. These applications, known as “browser hijackers” are spread deeply throughout a computer and are very hard to get rid of.

4. Some computer applications may try to download spyware applications automatically onto the computer. A warning that one may receive when this happens is when it tells the person what the name of the program is and if its okay to install on their computer. Many times, however, the warning will not appear. This is one of the most common types of spyware. This software convinces many people that it is an anti- spyware device. However, when it says that it is clean from all spyware, it really just added more spyware software onto your computer.

5. Four Ways To Help Prevent Spyware K eep your windows software updated U se computer firewall protection B e careful what you download I nstall spyware protection software

6. Keep Your Windows Software Updated This is one of the easiest ways to prevent spyware and adware from getting into your computer. Always make sure your operating system is up to date (this can be done automatically). The less up to date, the more vulnerable your computer is. Use Computer Firewall Protection Computer firewalls put up barriers to keep any harmful programs from being downloaded without your knowledge when you surf Internet. Computer firewall protection monitors everything going in and out of your computer. This acts as a protective shield allowing good data through while blocking the bad data from entering your computer.

7. Be Careful What You Download Many File-sharing programs used to trade music, free games, screen savers, and even smiley face packages have been a problem because many of these programs contain adware. Many free programs usually generate revenue from pop up ads or can even hijack your browser to take you to web sites you did not want to go to. TIP : Always click the red “x” never any button on the pop up such as “cancel.” Install Spyware Protection Software This is the easiest way to prevent and remove spyware from your computer. Free spyware cleaners are good programs to get rid of spyware viruses you already have on your computer. But many spyware programs automatically reinstall themselves even after they are removed. For this reason free spyware cleaners are not a permanent solution to solve spyware problems. Spyware protection software is designed to find all hidden programs and disable them before they have a chance to work. TIP : If you’re computer randomly starts slowing down and crashing you most likely have spyware on the machine.

8. Presented By: Tanya Miller Pasquale Crociata Andrew Fishstein