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In this day and age, internet usage is growing at an alarming rate. With this growth has come the advent of adware and spyware. While seemingly harmless at first, both adware and spyware slowly eat away at both your computer and personal information. By collecting your personal information and distributing it to numerous entities, adware and spyware effectively declothe you of the robe of privacy which every internet user should be entitled to.

Differences between Spyware and Adware

Most internet users are unable to pinpoint the main difference between spyware and adware applications. Spyware applications, in accomplishing their intended purpose, intrude on your privacy. They use your personal information as a means to defraud you. Most spyware applications syndicate your personal information to their developers. In return, the developers can use the information to gain access to your online accounts (ie. e-mail accounts or online banking accounts). An information leak of such magnitudes can wreak havoc on one’s life.

Adware applications differ from spyware applications in the fact that some don’t intrude on your privacy. They simply deliver ads linked to the developers’ affiliate accounts. When users interact with these ads, the developers stand to make money. Since their introduction, adware applications have grown more sophisticated. Many now monitor your browsing habits to deliver ads tailored towards your interests. Adware applications which actively monitor your computer habits are considered spyware, as they infringe on your privacy.

Sources of Spyware and Adware

If you ask those whose computers have been infected with spyware where the spyware originated from, chances are they’ll stare at you with a blank gaze. This is natural given the lack of knowledge which exists among typical computer users. Spyware typically originates from software secretly bundled with “extras.” These extras are typically pieces of spyware that automatically install themselves on your computer. Once installed, they start collecting your personal information. Many freeware applications come bundled with spyware and adware, for their developers hope to gain some profit at your expense.

Adware finds its way to you computer in a similar fashion to spyware. You download some sort of free program which comes bundled with the software, and thus it installs itself on your computer. Once installed, it begins to syndicate bothersome ads on your computer. To better target these ads, some adware programs monitor your surfing habits. Adware programs which monitor your web activity are typically classified as spyware programs.

Preventing/Eliminating Adware and Spyware

Fortunately, preventing and eliminating spyware is not as much a monumental task as some would think. It’s important to remember that prevention is key in dealing with spyware and adware. There are a countless number of programs that block access to websites known to host spyware and adware programs. These applications warn you when a site attempts to run a script that could infect your computer with malicious software. We suggest you utilize Javacool’s SpywareBlaster in combating spyware infestation. This is a free program that protects your preferred web browser from executing scripts that could cause harm to your computer.

Other noteworthy prevention and removal applications include Lavasoft’s Ad-aware, as well as Safer Networking’s Spybot Search & Destroy. These applications work to safeguard your computer against infestations and are also capable of removing existing infections.

Computer users need be diligent in ensuring their anti-spyware and adware applications are updated. The software developers behind these applications often release updated definition files that are meant to properly equip the software in defending you against the latest threats posed by spyware and adware applications.