Overview

Recently, the onslaught of "spyware," "adware," and "pop-ups" has blasted the Internet community. People all over the world are being affected by these nuisances. To better serve our customers, we have put together some tips to help you avoid these problems. Also, we will direct you toward some useful software to help remove these programs from your computer.

Definition

First, before we can attempt to solve this problem, we need to identify the types of software that qualify as nuisances. Below are some simple definitions about what these programs are and what they do.

• Spyware: any software that covertly gathers information about a user while he/she navigates the Internet and transmits the information to an individual or company that uses it for marketing or other purposes.
• Adware: any software that delivers commercial content to a user's computer in the form of pop-up windows, homepage redirection, or bookmark manipuation.
• Content Delivery Software: any software that creates or induces the mass creation of "pop-up" windows containing advertisements or other undesireable content.

The Law

The US House of Representatives passed "The Internet Spyware Prevention Act" that imposes serious fines and jail sentences on creators or distributors of spyware and adware based programs. It also allocated up to $10 million for the Justice department to crack down on offenders. Along with major corporations such as Microsoft Corp., Dell Corporation, America Online, and AT&T, the federal government has finally recognized your rights to use the Internet without being constantly badgered by illegal software.

Prevention

Below are some suggestions to help prevent you from falling victim to illegal spyware, adware, and pop-up software:

• Avoid illegitimate websites and Internet locations
• Don't click on anything that you haven't initiated
• Avoid playing online "banner" games such as "shoot the duck"
• Make sure you read the entire End User License Agreement (EULA) for any software you install - secret software may be included and your consent given with these agreements
• Run and use antivirus and firewall software
• Avoid software used for illegal purposes such as KaZaA or eDonkey
• Don't click on advertisements unless they are legitimate

By following these guidelines, you can better prevent yourself from being a victim of spyware and adware.

Solutions

Spyware and adware is often very difficult to remove from your computer. Typically, you can't simply go to the control panel and remove the program. Instead, these programs manifest themselves inside your computer's information database, called the registry. It is advised that you DO NOT attempt to edit the registry unless you have appropriate training. However, there are some programs available (free and charge) that will search your computer for spyware and attempt to remove it:

• Ad-aware by Lavasoft - http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/
• Spybot Search and Destroy - http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html
• BPS SpyWare/Adware Remover - http://www.bulletproofsoft.com/

Disclaimer: Mobius Communications does not endorse these products nor is Mobius responsible for any problems caused by this software.

Also, if you are interested in learning more about spyware and adware issues and how to take preventive measures against these increasing problems, please visit these websites:

• GetNetWise - http://www.getnetwise.org/
• PCHELP - http://www.pchelp.com/support/spyware.shtml
• Microsoft Support - http://www.microsoft.com/
• Dell Computer Support - http://support.dell.com/

The Final Word

The waters that are the Internet are full of sharks and, unless measures are taken to prevent and detere violation of the law, this problem will continue to grow. The NCSA (National Cyber Security Alliance) has confirmed the following to be true of the Internet and spyware:

* 80% of Home Computers Infected with Spyware/Adware

* 49% of Broadband Users Lack Any Firewall Protection

* The average infected user has 93 spyware/adware components on their computer, and the most components found on a single computer during the scan was 1,059.

* Majority of users (89%) who were infected with spyware/adware said they didn’t know the programs were on their computer.

* Nine in ten infected users (90%) said they don’t know what the programs are or do.

Protect yourself from this threat and your Internet experience will be quicker and more enjoyable. This is a service provided by Mobius Communications Company to our customers so that subscribers can fully utilize the power of information.