Spam and how it Interacts with your Email
By: Douglas Cobb
We all receive Spam. It’s an unfortunate fact of life. In fact, the onslaught of Spam we deal with every day the most annoying and interferes with our ability to read legitimate email. But how do these spammers get our email addresses in the first place?
Well, it should be obvious that if you give your email address to an online company, the company can then turn around and sell your information to other companies. Some of those companies might be spammers. What’s not obvious is how spyware is the reason you get on so many spam lists. If your computer has been infiltrated by spyware, the spyware scans the information on your hard drive. Eventually the spyware can find your email information.
When this happens the spyware can copy the contents of all your emails – including email addresses – the people you send email to, and spyware can also find password information. Spyware can even send out email from your PC – which means that your infected PC can be ‘sending’ spam – from you! That’s right, if your computer has spyware, you might be sending out spam to everyone you’ve ever sent email to.
You might think this disturbing situation couldn’t get much worse, but you’d be wrong. Spyware can have a negative impact you even if your computer is free of spyware and you have a great spyware blocker in place. What makes the interaction between spyware and email so problematic is that spyware can live, so to speak, on anyone’s computer – anyone who sends you email. If one person’s computer is infected, they could inadvertently spawn off a series of spam email to everyone they come in contact with via email. Spam can be made to look like it’s coming from anyone who is on the infected computer’s contact list… even you.
When you start thinking about how far-reaching this issue can truly be, you’ll come to realize why spyware is one of the most significant problems Internet users face today. Spyware is so prevalent and has become so invasive that the problems stemming from viruses pale in significance. In short, we’re facing a spyware epidemic, and everyone who uses email (and who doesn’t?) needs to defend their privacy and private information by using spyware removal software. Just as important, we also need to protect everyone we correspond with through email. To, if nothing else, maintain their trust.
We all need to use anti-spyware tools that detect and eradicate spyware on our computers and block potential future spyware invasions. The following tips can help protect your computer and email from being invaded by spyware: A large number of anti-spyware programs are available online. Some have an annual fee while others are free.
It’s pretty easy to find and remove spyware from your computer with spyware blockers – software that been built specifically to seek out and destroy spyware… just follow the software instructions carefully. For example, spyware removers usually advise you to close all your windows before running a spyware scan and you are normally asked to restart your computer after completing the removal. Some spyware removal tools recommend that you repeat the scan several times to ensure the complete disinfection of your system. So, pay close attention to the instructions.
Your most difficult task in removing spyware will be finding a reputable antivirus anti-spyware publisher. Do some research and look for a trustworthy vendor. I prefer well-established, reputable companies like Symantec, McAfee and PC Tools. Your research is a necessary precaution, because some free spyware removal tool downloads are, ironically, nothing but a vehicle for the distribution of disguised spyware. In other words, you’ll get spyware when you download these unethical “tools.”
After you’ve chosen and run your spyware fighter and your computer is clean as a whistle, keep protecting yourself from the maladies of spyware, adware, viruses and other malware by being smart. Never open or download suspicious-looking files or files from someone you don’t know and trust. If you see anything that looks even a little suspicious… think twice before you decide to download it!
Spyware is going to be around for a long time. It’s important that we all become cautious internet users as quickly as possible.
About the Author
Learn more about Spyware and your email at Spyware Blockers 911, your source for desktop security information.
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