Spying programs
Spyware is programs that steal personal or confidential information without the user's knowledge or permission.
Among the known activities of spyware are displaying advertisements, collecting information, and changing computer settings.
One of the most famous sources of entry of such programs into computers is by installing free programs (Freeware), or experimental (Shareware); The spyware is included with these programs, and the spyware usually hides in the system programs.
Spyware is different from tracking software; The latter is used for the purpose of controlling computers from misuse.
Such programs may be installed on the computers of workers in companies, or on home computers to monitor parents for their children while using the computer, and track their activity on the Internet.
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| How to delete spy files |
How to remove spyware from your computer
There are some steps that can be followed to remove spyware from the computer, and these steps may require downloading some software from the Internet; In the event that the infected device is full of malicious software, it is possible to resort to another non-infected device to download this software, and then transfer it to the affected device via a CD or USB memory.
Among the solutions that can be tried to get rid of spyware, the following are:
- disconnect the device from the Internet; This can be done by disconnecting the Ethernet connection from the computer or closing the wireless network.
- Attempting to delete the malicious program in the traditional way; There may be some of these programs that enable the user to delete them through the program deleting interface called Add/Remove Programs, and they can be accessed through the Control Panel in the Windows operating system, the malicious program is selected from the list of programs, and then the option to remove is clicked. After deleting the program from the device, it is highly recommended to restart it, even if the system does not require it.
- After doing the previous two steps to no avail, it is then possible to perform a scan using anti-virus software, provided that it is updated to the latest available update, and it is preferable to scan and system in safe mode.
- One of the preferred programs that it is recommended to use to scan for spyware is the anti-malware software from Malwarebytes, which is available in a free version; This software has received good reviews from several technical magazines.
- In the event that the anti-virus program fails to detect the spyware, it can try to access and delete the malicious programs manually and to do this, the user may be asked to access the files through a system that can be run and booted from it by means of the CD, as many developers provide Anti-virus programs have such systems.
- Take the necessary measures to ensure that malicious programs do not re-enter the device when it is reconnected to the Internet, including the following:
- Reset your web browser settings and check the start page as well as the list of trusted sites.
- Verify the validity of the (HOSTS) file located in the system files, which contains the IP addresses for the sites they represent. This file can be accessed by going to the Windows system files folder, and then to the (System32) folder. After that, go to the (Drivers) folder, then the (Etc) folder.
Prevent spyware from entering your device
There are some behaviors that must be followed to ensure the safety of the computer and to avoid spyware from entering it, and Symantec, which specializes in providing information security solutions, shows some of these behaviors that must be followed or avoided when using the computer:
- Be very careful when downloading files from the Internet, and download software only from a trusted party, and caution must be taken when dealing with sites that rely on Active X software; It can be used to install spy files without the user's knowledge or permission. Active X can be disabled via your web browser settings.
- The user may accept the installation of a spy file on his device when he installs certain software without his knowledge, by accepting the terms of use or licensing this software without reading it. He wants to install it on his device.
- There are many fake anti-spyware programs on the Internet; As such software does not actually rid the device of any type of spyware or protect it in any way, and some of these programs may require the user to perform a free spyware scan, and the scanning results may show the presence of many malicious programs on the device so that the user must purchase the software to remove these programs, which may not be any of them on the device from the original, so it is advised not to fall for these fake software scams.
- Beware of ads that require the user to click on them, and you should avoid adware; Your device activity may be monitored when you click on such ads.