• You hop on the Internet for just a few minutes to visit web sites.
• You download freeware and/or shareware applications.
• You swap or share music or photos with other users.
• You open spam email messages, or messages or attachments sent from someone you don't recognize.
• Other people use your computer.

 In other words, spyware touches virtually anyone with an Internet connection, infecting 90% of PCs.

Does your computer have a spyware infection?

Before you reformat your hard drive, or toss out your computer, read this! If your computer is sluggish or your Internet connection is slower than usual (even with broadband), your PC may have a spyware problem. You may want to consider spyware removal software if your computer displays any of the symptoms listed below.

Symptoms include:

Different default homepage.

Homepage hijacker spyware resets your homepage so each time you launch Internet Explorer (your browser), you land on that site. Until you remove it, this type of spyware application will not let you change your default homepage to a more desirable address.

Unusually slow Internet access.

Spyware clogs bandwidth because it is importing information (like pop-up ads) while sending out information (user activity, screenshots, bank account numbers, keystroke logs).

Reduced computer productivity.

Even a small amount of spyware on a system can slow down a PC because it operates in the background, sapping hard drive resources. Other spyware applications store advertising on a computer's hard drive. Some applications, like Buddylinks, turn computers into spyware drones, where an infected PC joins an army of others that all work together to distribute a certain strain of spyware.

More frequent pop-up ads.

Adware tracking cookies trigger the most benign form of pop-up ads. Cookies that reside on your PC serve up pop-up ads related to the site you are visiting, your personal information or online activities. The more cookies you have on your PC, the more pop-ups you'll see. A more malignant type of pop up won't stop appearing until you allow it to download spyware software. Sometimes, even the "close" or "cancel" buttons mean yes. A slightly different pop-up, which mimics a Windows Messenger Service window, is also a ploy to download spyware onto your PC.

New or different search toolbars.

Spyware-riddled applications often install a new search toolbar on a system with the intention of hijacking searches for search terms. Depending on the legitimacy of the toolbar, searches may end up on a pay-per-click site, and some of those sites load additional spyware onto your PC via drive-by download.

Anti-spyware or anti-virus software is turned off, or malfunctioning.

As a survival tactic, spyware sometimes targets the software designed to find and remove it.

Unidentified toll charges on your phone bill.

A dialer can initiate outgoing calls from your PC to 900 numbers with the sole intention of generating large phone bills charged to that phone line. Dialers can also change your dial-up settings to an international or 900 number, instead of your local Internet dial-up number.

Is your PC infected with spyware? Find out now with Spy Sweeper

Article From WebRoot.com