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Spyware is
any software
which takes
information
from your system
without your
knowledge or
consent.
There are multiple
types of spyware
available including
Trojans, Web
Bugs, Advertiser
software, and
Computer Monitoring
software.
Trojans are
programs which
are placed on
your system
by tricking
you, similar
to the story
of the trojan
horse in Troy.
Web Bugs are
ActiveX controls
or cookies that
track what you
do online from
web sites.
Advertiser software
is software
installed with
certain ad-supported
programs which
watches what
you do online
in order to
send you targeted
advertising.
Computer monitoring
software is
software sold
for use by bosses,
spouses, private
investigators,
identity thieves,
X's and others
for one purpose:
to record everything
you do on your
computer.
This is the
type that SpyCop
protects you
from. |
So
should I use other
scanners in addition
to SpyCop?
YES! For
Web Bugs and Advertiser
spyware, we recommend
Ad-Aware or SpyBlocker.
To keep your system
anonymous while on
the Internet, we recommend
a service such as
Anonymizer.
To protect yourself
from viruses, we recommend
AntiVir. For
a good firewall, we
recommend Agnitum
Outpost. And
of course, use SpyCop
from http://www.NetEspion.com
to protect yourself
from computer monitoring
spy programs.
Some of these programs
overlap a bit.
For example, SpyCop
finds only the most
popular advertiser
spies, but not all
of them. To
protect your privacy
as much as possible,
we recommend the use
of all of these
programs.
What
types of computer
monitoring spy programs
are available?
There are simple ones
known as keyloggers
which record your
keystrokes for later
viewing on the same
PC and then there
are the totally insidious
type which can record
your screen as a slide
show and Email the
recording to someone
else. Of course,
there is everything
in between.
Why
is this so dangerous?
Reading the information
above should make
this obvious.
Anyone who may want
to keep an eye on
you, including your
Boss, Spouse, Company
Employees, X-lover,
hackers and criminals
can easily learn more
about you then you
would ever want.
Spy software makes
it easy for anybody
to get your financial
information, credit
card numbers, and
web site passwords!
SpyCop will search
your system for these
programs and optionally
disable them for you.
Why
haven't I heard about
this before?
The widespread use
of spy software is
a somewhat recent
phenomenon.
There were keyloggers
and the such in the
early computing days
of DOS, but nothing
nearly as invasive
as the ones available
today. More
and more people are
using spy programs
to spy on each other's
computer usage.
Programs advertised
as software to keep
your child's Internet
activities in check
are being used by
spouses and bosses.
Some companies are
advertising that their
software can be useful
for catching your
spouse cheating online.
The scary part of
this is that companies
advertising this way
are making the largest
number of sales!
Why
can't I just clean
my registry or delete
startup items?
Most of the more advanced
spy programs run completely
hidden. This
means they are not
visible in the task
list, are not shown
in your registry and
are not shown in the
standard startup areas.
Instead, these spy
programs are placed
in another area of
Windows startup which
"startup cleaners"
don't usually look
at, and once they
are running, they
run in "stealth" mode.
SpyCop can find them
all, even if the person
who installed then
renamed the files
themselves!
I'm
a business owner;
why do I have to be
concerned with this?
Just like Bosses can
spy on their employees,
employees can spy
on their bosses.
An angry employee
can simply swipe credit
card numbers from
the bank they work
at, or this software
can be used for a
new form of corporate
espionage. The
fact of the matter
is that these types
of activities are
occurring at this
very moment within
the business world!
Is YOUR business safe?
Is
spying in this way
legal?
Spy software itself
is legal. It
is perfectly legal
for an employer to
install it on computers
they own and it is
legal to install the
software on other's
computers with their
consent. It
is illegal for a person
to install software
on another person's
computer without permission.
Despite this, illegal
spy software installation
occurs quite frequently
in the real world.
What
can I do about it?
Install SpyCop on
your computer.
SpyCop will search
your system for computer
monitoring spy programs
and optionally disable
them so the spying
stops. If spy
software is present
on your system, the
next step is to figure
who would want to
spy on you and confront
them about it.