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Frequently Asked Questions
Question
What is Spyware and why
is it dangerous?
Answer
There is an abundance of software programs available for
download that are "free". The trouble with these downloads is that
they also load software that gathers information from your
computer. This software is called "Spyware" and it poses a threat
to security.
The most threatening of them are "keystroke loggers", which
are used to track what you type on your keyboard. User ID's and
passwords can be easily intercepted, making encryption and
password-protected areas of Web sites useless. But besides leaving
you prone to having your most guarded information intercepted,
Spyware eats memory and bandwidth, which causes your system to
slow down and crash more often. AND -- this is a big one --
Spyware is not picked up by most anti-virus software.
How does spyware get into your computer?
Just as cookies are planted behind-the-scenes by the Web
sites you visit, software you install, and Internet sites you
browse leave behind Spyware. In fact, some popular music sharing
services -- including KaZaA -- have recently caused a stir because
it was discovered they were planting spyware. But don't worry. You
can protect yourself and your system.
There are programs such as Ad-Aware SE Personal that will look over your hard
drive and remove Spyware.
Click on this link and download Ad-Aware SE Personal if you think you have
downloaded programs that have Spyware.
http://www.lavasoft.com/products/ad-aware_se_personal.php
Another good spyware removal software is Spybot.
Click on this link to download Spybot.
http://www.tucows.com/preview/310138.html
If you are not comfortable with downloading, please call the
Helpdesk (399) and we will provide assistance. Off campus UHV
computer users will need to bring your computer in to either the
University of Houston Victoria
or
University of Houston System at Sugar
Land campus.
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