Be Careful about Adware and Spyware During The Holidays
Adware and spyware make more problems during the holidays like Christmas. Internet users should make sure that their computers are adware and spyware free before they start shopping online for Christmas.
(PRWEB) November 28, 2006 -- According to Michael Greene, vice president of product strategy at PC Tools, fraudsters and malware writers are gearing up for a busy Christmas. He believes that 90 percent of holiday threats come from spyware rather than viruses, as hackers focus on looting vulnerable companies and stealing personal identities.
PC Tools advises users who suspect that they have been caught out by fraudsters to close suspected tampered bank accounts and file a police report. Users in the US should contact the Federal Trade Commission.
So it is a serious problem but most people underestimate it.
The security hazards of working with a computer that is contaminated with adware and spyware has become more severe, specially during the holidays like Christmas. The reason is clear. Identity thieves know that internet users make more orders through the internet during the holidays. So it is the best chance for them to steal more personal information.
Some of the spyware and adware can not make any serious problem but some of them report users' internet activates to identity thieves. They can report passwords and this will become a big problem when users login to their online banking, PayPal and ... accounts. So users have to be careful and make sure that their computers are clean and safe before they start making the Christmas orders through the internet.
Scammers and thieves are always ready to steal users' identity or login to their accounts and withdraw money. As soon as they do that it can be too late to remove the spyware from the PC. Adware and spyware can even report users' credit cards information to thieves when they order online. Spyware can enable its creators to have access to the users' computers even when they are offline.
One of the most effective ways to stop spyware and adware is the use of computer firewall protection. These programs eliminate incoming spyware and adware that are attached to the legitimate data that users download when surfing the web.
About three in four US online adults (74 percent) have not installed a hardware firewall, and about half (53 per cent) have neglected to install a software firewall. Only less than one in four (22 per cent) have installed a security software suite to protect against spyware and viruses.
The internet connection can also be important. Cables and high speed internet are more risky because they keep the computers connected to internet all the day and because of the high speed they have, they can infect your computer faster. However, users can not stop using high speed internet just because they help their computers to get infected faster. So users have to equip their computers to prevent spyware and adware to infect it:
http://www.pctools.com
http://www.planethomebiz.net
http://www.spywarekiller.net
If people like to keep their money in the bank and in the safeguard, they should keep their computers adware and spyware free specially before making any online order.
###
|
