Are free spyware removal tools really effective? Do they keep your computer clean and protected from spyware?
Unfortunately, the answer is yes. Dedicated anti-spyware programs are better than nothing, but free tools can still provide you with an excellent high quality protection against spyware. The problem is that most free tools are not only no good, they are dangerous as well. Considering how much money is being made from selling unwanted spyware software, it is no wonder these programs are being marketed heavily by spyware creators. You have to do your homework and do a little research before you decide which free spyware tool to get.
By now, it is pretty well understood that you should not download any free spyware programs because of the great danger they pose to your computer. But there is a new statistic that tells us how many free spyware tools are actually outdated or full of security holes. According to recent figures, almost half of all PCs are infected by spyware. Of those computers having free spyware tools, more than 75% of them have serious vulnerabilities which can be easily exploited by malicious users.
For example, Worms are software programs that reside on a user’s computer and network and replicate themselves. They usually target PCs that are connected to the infected network. Once on the system, a worm allows other malicious programs to infect the PC. It can be used for malicious purposes by an external user, such as sending spam orandise.
There are several types of Worms- the kind that spreads via network. There are:
The kind that resides on a user’s computer and exploits security vulnerabilities in the target computer.
The kind that resides on an compromised computer and exploits weaknesses in the operating system and software applications.
The kind that copies itself to send itself to another machine by using the host machine as a channel.
And the kind that deactivates all non-standard protocol states, and allows the user to manipulate the computer as if it were a service on another machine.
Denial of service or DoS attacks are common methods used by attackers to temporarily or permanently overload a server. The source of the attack usually comes from within the compromised network, through legitimate user activity or through a hole in the operating system that is exploited by the attacker.
Common methods of attacking computers are:
The most well-known DoS attack is the Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack. The attacker sends a source IP address (the IP address of the server of the target device) a large number of requests, causing the target machine to respond to all requests and thus forcing it to shut down for the moment. It usually only takes a few minutes to bring a target to its knees, and it can’t be repaired once it comes back online. It’s over when the first victim finds that their machine has been hacked.
But that’s not all. Those 75 million new victims this year were just the tip of the iceberg. Criminal agencies across the world are going after all forms of digital crime – hacking, copying, counterfeiting and fraud. They are gaining power and confidence with each passing day, and with law enforcement agencies having little competence when it comes to fighting cyber crime.
The race against cyber crime is not difficult to understand. Less than ten years ago, it was just another thing for the big boys to prove they had the might to beat the little guy. Now, though, the battle lines have been drawn and it looks like the big boys are going to win this one.