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Spyware is a general term for a program that surreptitiously monitors your
actions. Spyware is a type of malicious software that is widely used by
less-than-reputable software companies to gather data about customers.
However, it can also be used to capture important personal data, such as
credit card and bank account information. This data can be acquired in a number
of ways, most of which involve installing a program on your computer that will
communicate that data back to the spyware source.
Adware is considered to go beyond the reasonable advertising that one might
expect from freeware or shareware. Adware, which is a separate program that is
installed at the same time as a shareware or similar program, will usually
continue to generate advertising, in the form of annoying pop-ups, even when
the user is not running the originally desired program.
There are a number of programs that will search your computer and remove
spyware programs. They operate similarly to Symantec AntiVirus in that
there are definition files that must be downloaded on a regular basis to
maintain an “inoculated" status on your computer. It is important to note
that an antivirus program, such as Symantec Antivirus, on its own is
not protection enough from these program types.
We recommend
three software programs to protect you and your personal information, and
strongly urge you to install one or all of them.
In some circumstances, spyware and adware can disable the base
functionality of your computer as the system struggles to handle requests,
making every day tasks such as e-mail or Web browsing impossible.
If you believe your computer may be compromised by spyware or adware
software and running the recommended programs does not solve your problem, or
you would like additional information about a removal program, please contact
the Computing Help Desk at 646-2999 and select from the options provided, send
electronic mail to help@dartmouth.edu,
or call your department's
computing support office.
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