Q. I have tried Spybot, Spyware Xterminator and Ad-aware. They clear stuff out, but it always comes back. I have even run these in safe mode but the same story.
I am willing to live with the pop-ups, but I am worried about my privacy. Should I not shop via my computer anymore? I am thinking of applying for a loan online. Should I avoid this as well? Does persistent Ad-aware mean my personal information is at risk? Or, does it just mean that I have to put up with the annoyance?
A. I have yet to come across any Spyware/Malware that I could not remove with a bit of effort. Perhaps you could list the ones your having problems with and we will go from there. You do not have to live with pop ups. Do a search under Google and download a pop up blocker. One way of getting around all those tracking cookies is to go to Google and download the Internet browser Mozilla Firefox, and bet on Ad-aware not finding any more tracking cookies. Alternate between using Internet Explorer and Firefox.
Some of the Spyware might be flushed if you turn off your system, restore it, then turn it back on. If the bug is in the restore files, this will get rid of it. Some of the persistent Spyware can be cleaned by Ad-aware. If Ad-aware tells you that it needs to run at start-up to clean certain files, select OK and restart the computer.
Anti-virus programs remove some Spyware as well. Many times, Spyware is picked up again by visiting the very sites where it originated. Some of it is self-inflicted by downloading some fancy cursor or file sharing programs or free game. These have Spyware that regenerates itself at runtime. Removing the offending program usually enables cleaning this nuisance.
A big part of security is keeping your computer up to date. All the critical updates to the operating system should be installed. An anti-virus program with current virus signatures needs to be operating all the time. Sensitive data should be passed on secure web sites only. The closed lock in the lower right hand corner of some browsers can identify these. The address bar will also show the address of the site as "https:" rather than the usual "http:".
With current problems with Microsoft Internet Explorer, the security setting for this program should be set to its highest value to protect from exploits that may run on rogue web pages. Using a different browser would provide better protection, because the exploits tend to affect only Internet Explorer.
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