Spyware is it a virus?

There are various discussions within the IT industry as to the classification of spyware, however the most common is as follows. Spyware is generally installed without your knowledge and comes from some software released by companies who are interested in giving you sponsored advertising or..

..target you with various information collection systems. The information gathered is usually unsolicited and is stealthy. It also can generate increased network traffic and may conflict with home or corporate software. Spyware has the ability to:

• Gather a user's private/personal information
• Steal copyrighted or confidential information
• Create irreparable system instability
• Damage or interfere with legitimate application operations
• Open a backdoor on infected systems
• Take over an infected system
• The biggest risk to companies and home users alike is the fact it creates security holes which enable the uncontrolled flow of data out of an computer into the internet.

Spyware Cleaning

The following free scanners will remove the majority of known Spyware. Windows Defender will be updated automatically via Windows Updates but Ad-aware and Spybot - Search and Destroy should be updated each week. CCleaner should be run before all the other scanners in order to save on scanning time.

Difficult to remove Spyware will require a more thorough scan in Safe Mode. The first time you run these scans it is highly recommended you download, install and update Ad-aware, Spybot Search and Destroy and Windows Defender, then run them all for the first time in Safe Mode (Press F8 during boot up).

CCleaner - Download - Homepage - is a freeware system optimisation and privacy tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. But the best part is that it's fast (normally taking less than 10 second to run) and contains NO Spyware or Adware!

Microsoft Windows Defender Download - Home Page
Microsoft Windows Defender is another free program that helps protect your computer against Spyware and other unwanted software. It features Real-Time Protection, which is a monitoring system that will recommend actions against Spyware when it's detected.

Instructions - Select "Scan Options", and "Full Scan". difficult to remove Spyware may require a more thorough scan. You will need to reboot your computer into safe mode by pressing the F8 key down during boot up and selecting "Safe Mode" from the Windows Advanced Options menu. When in safe mode you can do another scan and then remove the remaining Spyware infections.

 
Ad-aware SE - Download - Home Page
This Application from Lavasoft scans and removes Spyware, Adware, hijackers and other malicious software.

Instructions - Install, Update and Run. Select "Start", "Perform Full System Scan", "Next" and Remove any Spyware items. In order to select all items for removal right-click on each of the found items and left-click "Select All". difficult to remove Spyware may require a more thorough scan. Reboot your computer into safe mode by pressing the F8 key down during boot up and selecting "Safe Mode" from the Windows Advanced Options menu. Once in safe mode do another Ad-aware scan and remove the remaining Spyware infections.

 
Spybot - Search and Destroy - Download - Home Page
This application scans and removes Spyware, Adware, hijackers and other malicious software.

Instructions - Install Spybot, select "Update", "Search For Updates", tick the box next to each update and select "Download Updates" and then select "Search and Destroy", "Check for problems" once scanning is complete choose "Fix selected problems". Difficult to remove Spyware may require a more thorough scan. Reboot your computer into safe mode by pressing the F8 key down during boot up and selecting "Safe Mode" from the Windows Advanced Options menu. In safe mode carry out another Spybot scan and remove any remaining Spyware infections. 

Other names for the nasties... Malware & Grayware  - What do they mean?

They are all terminologies used in describing different types of rogue software which can have a detrimental effect on PC's. However, all are in their own specific family of nasties.

Malware

Malware, is always man made, it is designed to infiltrate and sometimes damage a target machine usually without the persons knowledge. Malware is a term used to describe a variety of hostile, intrusive, or annoying software or program code. Malware is written with an objective in mind, usually underhand or hostile to a system it is infecting.

Malware should not be confused with defective software, that is, software which has a legitimate purpose but contains harmful bugs.

Grayware

Grayware refers to various programs that can usually be regarded as undesirable. This might includes applications that can cause a load on network traffic or inappropriate traffic within a corporate environment.

Some Grayware can introduce security risks on to the system while others are purly malicious. Some people may refer to these applications as beneficial i.e. peer to peer applications.

Viruses, Trojans and Worms are not included under this classification but , adware, peer to peer applications as well as various browser helper objects and search redirectors are considered Grayware.