What to do with Spyware and Adware

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What to do with Spyware and Adware
Created by Justin Leung
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Table of Contents

• Introduction
• What is Spyware?
• What is Adware?
• How does Spyware and Adware work?
• How to detect if your computer has Spyware/Adware
• What programs are there to help get rid of them?
• Rating of the Programs
• Recommendations

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Introduction

• Welcome to the What to do with Spyware and Adware
  Powerpoint presentation!
• This presentation will talk about
• What is Spyware and Adware
• How can you detect symptoms of these programs on
  your computer
• Rating of selected Spyware and Adware killing
  programs
• Recommendations by the technicians.

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What is Spyware and Adware?

• They are independent programs that can be
  automatically installed when you surf throughout
  the internet or when you install free software.

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What is Spyware?

• Advertising companies uses spyware to mine data
  to further help them advertise better.
• Uses your Internet connection and reports
  statistical data about you and your surfing
  habits a 3rd party
• Violating your privacy.
• And is a completely LEGAL program!

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What is Adware?

• Adware are created by advertising companies
• Comes in the form of popups, unexplained
  advertising programs on your computer desktop
  like Casino Night.
• Advertising companies hope to generate money from
  customers who receive the popups or unexplained
  programs on their computers.
• Also a LEGAL program!

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How was Spyware/Adware work?

• Spyware and Adware programs have a tendency to
  hide as cookie or temporary internet files
• Adware startup has the tendency to hide itself in
  the register keys as normal program.

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How to detect you computer has spyware or adware

• Continuous popups
• Persistent change in your homepage.
• Slower computer processing, takes the computer
  longer to process or startup.

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Extreme symptoms of spyware or adware

• Internet browser does not start up.
• Parts of your computer you cannot access without
  freezing.
• Major core data is lost or changed.

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What programs are there to help get rid of those
programs?

• Out of many programs out in the internet that
  were created to detecting spyware/adware, four
  programs were chosen for this presentation.. They
  are
• Spybot Search and Destroy
• Ad-aware 6.0
• Symantec AntiVirus
• Spysweeper

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Rating Topics

• I gave each program a rating for
• Detecting and destroying spyware/adware
• Additional features to protect the computer
• User Friendly (How easy is it for an average Joe
  to use?)
• Updates in their spyware/adware definitions
• Cost to buy this product
• Recommendations from the technicians here at
  Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories.
• Rating is from 1( Very poor) to 5 (Very good).
• Note Each program tested detected certain
  programs that the other 3 had not discovered. The
  rating for Detecting and destroying
  spyware/adware is judged by the number of
  spyware/adware programs that were detected in
  comparison to the others.

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Spybot Search and Destroy

• Type Spyware Killer
• Rating
• Detect/Destroy 3
• Additional Features 3
• User Friendly 5
• Updates 2
• Cost 5 (Free)
• Recommendations 3
• Advantages
• Has a Recovery feature that allows you to restore
  any files you may be deleted infected with
  spyware
• Has an Immunity feature that protects you from
  already known spywares
• Disadvantages
• Infrequent updates cause spywares to slip past
  scans and immunity
• Comments
• Good program, but because of slow updates of
  spyware definitions, it renders the program not
  as useful

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Spy Sweeper

• Type Spyware/ Adware (Free Version)
• Rating
• Detect/Destroy 4
• Additional Features 4
• User Friendly 5
• Updates 1 (Free version)
• Cost 3 (29.95)
• Recommendations 4
• Advantages
• Has a immunity shield that blocks known spywares.
• Disadvantages
• Takes a while to scan.
• Unless you pay for the Spy-Sweeper, it does not
  come with definition updates.
• Comments
• Effective program, only backdraw is the payment
  you need to make yearly to keep the program
  updated.

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Norton Symantec AntiVirus

• Type Virus/ Spyware/ Adware
• Rating
• Detect/Destroy 1
• Additional Features 5
• User Friendly 1
• Updates 5
• Cost 1 (69.95)
• Recommendations 1
• Advantages
• Can detect viruses, hacking programs, spyware
  programs, adware programs, joke programs etc.
• Comes with a firewall.
• Disadvantages
• Detects very few adware/spyware programs
• Very confusing to use.
• Comments
• Norton Symantec still has ways to go in detecting
  adware/spyware programs

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Ad-aware 6.0

• Type Adware
• Rating
• Detect/Destroy 4
• Additional Features 2
• User Friendly 5
• Updates 5
• Cost 2 (39.95)
• Recommendations 5
• Advantages
• Easy to use scanning.
• Detailed logs of where the adware and spyware
  programs are hidden.
• Disadvantages
• Ad-aware was built was adware, so its ability to
  catch spyware is restricted
• Comments
• Effective Program. A bit on the costly side but
  its well worth it.

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Recommendations

• Preventing spyware and adware from getting onto
  your computer is your first step!
• Do not download unnecessary software from the
  internet, especially free ones because they most
  likely have adware or spyware inside them.
• If a download screen appears, asking you to
  confirm your download, click no if you not trying
  to install anything.
• Avoid clicking advertised popups especially ones
  that mention free stuff if possible.

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Recommendations

• Technical Recommendations
• Some adware/spyware files like to hide in the
  temporary internet folders.
• Disable saving of temporary files by going to
  Program Files, Control Panel, Network and
  Internet Connections, Internet Options, Temporary
  Internet Files Settings, Check Never under Check
  for Newer Version of Stored Pages.
• Constantly delete old temporary files and cookies
  by going to Program Files, Control Panel, Network
  and Internet Connections, Internet Options,
  Delete Cookies and Delete Temporary Files.
• Remember though, adware and spyware can be
  tricky, no matter how cautious you are, there are
  bound to be adware or spyware programs that
  install into your computer.
• Always constantly scan your computer for adware
  and spyware and keep your Adware/Spyware killer
  programs fully updated at all times.

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Recommendations

• Recommended Spyware/ Adware Killers without any
  restraints
• The Tri-Killer combination
• Ad-aware 6.0 Professional Edition Primary
  scanner
• Spy-sweeper paid version Primary scanner and use
  their immune guards.
• Spybot Free Edition Scan for any spyware
  Spy-Sweeper may have missed.
• Recommended Spyware/ Adware Killers with a price
  restraints
• Ad-aware 6.0 Free Edition Primary Scanner
• Spy-Sweeper paid version Primary Scanner
• Spybot Free Edition Scan for any spyware
  Spy-Sweeper may have missed
• Recommended Spyware/ Adware Killers with a time
  restraints (not
  recommended)
• Ad-aware 6.0 Free Edition Primary Scanner Fast
  Scan Mode
• Spybot Free Edition
• Suggestion Spyware/ Adware killers are suppose
  to take time to scan, if you have time
  restraints, turn on the scanners, leave them
  running and go do something.

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References
For those interesting more in this topic, here
are some links

• http//www.symantecstore.com/dr/sat1/ec_Main.Entry
  ?SP10007SID27674CID0DSP0CUR840PGRP0CAC
  HE_ID39910
• http//www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/
• http//www.webroot.com/wb/products/spysweeper/inde
  x.php
• http//www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html