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Many times people realize that their computer is acting slower than usual, or that they have gotten an excessive amount of
popups. Most of the time these people are completeley oblivious to the fact that they are infected with spyware.
I have heard that 9 out of 10 computers that are hooked up to the internet have spyware. The easy way out would be to
tell these people to reformat their hard disk, but this is rarely feasible due to the amount of time it takes to reinstall
their OS.
Spyware (A.K.A. adware, malware, trackware, scumware, thiefware, snoopware, and sneakware) are hidden programs that run
in the background to make money for their publisher (who usually offers cheap software or freeware) by reporting how you surf
the web and sometimes going so far as to send back personal information without you knowing what is happening.
Often times freeware will contain a type of spyware called 'adware', which generates popups onto your computer. Spyware
can be 'caught' from opening up a spam email, from downloading on an insecure connection, or from peer-to-peer programs such
as WinMX, Kazaa, or iMesh.
In addition to being a massive violaton of privacy and breach of personal security, these spyware programs use up your
CPU cycles when they operate to hijack your browser with porn tools, change your homepage, or bother you with popups.
Now it's time to get rid of your spyware!
ON TO PART 2: DESTROY SPYWARE
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