Spyware – A Growing Threat

Spyware reached epidemic proportions more than two decades ago, and since then it has only gotten worse. Spyware has joined viruses and hackers as a daily threat to the functioning of your computer. It slows down your system, bombards you with pop-up advertising, and hijacks your Internet experience, taking you to websites you never wanted to visit.

What is Spyware?

Spyware refers to a general class of programs placed on your computer by unethical Internet companies without your permission or through deceptive means. The benefit to them is to display advertising, building marketing data, or take you to websites for services they want you to buy.

• Even though spyware is not a virus and is not designed to harm your computer, it does so because:
• Programs created for unethical purposes are rarely tested for safety.
• Over time, hundreds of these unwanted programs build up, and your computer pays attention to them instead of to you, slowing your computer to a crawl.

Badly infected machines cannot be repaired using the best available anti-spyware programs and may require technician time to remediate.

How Can I Avoid Spyware?

If your computer is on the Internet, it is vulnerable to spyware. Some common sense things you can do are:

• Be careful of what you download. Some spyware is even disguised and marketed as an anti-spyware service.
• Beware of Internet error messages that look like Windows errors, or the many pop-up ads that offer a variety of cool, free downloads. Unless you have done your homework to research the product, you should assume it is harmful.
• Read those long, boring license agreements that come with the programs you purchase online. You may be agreeing to share your hard drive space and CPU time with strangers all over the Internet.

2023’s Best Anti-Spyware

Just as Spyware evolves and changes over the years, so does the best software to help you fight the bad guys. PC Magazine has a list of the most effective anti-spyware solutions for 2023.

https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-spyware-protection-security-software

How do I know which anti-spyware solution is best?

Determining which anti-spyware solution is easiest to manage for your business environment and works best with your network, workstations, server, and operating systems is exactly what your Shiloh Service representatives are trained to determine. Let Shiloh take the worry out of a threatening Internet world and give you the peace of mind you deserve to get on with business. Call 724-863-0190 and just hit “0” and ask to speak to your account manager.