Apr 23, 2007 11:25 am US/Pacific
How To Protect Your Computer From Spyware
MINNEAPOLIS (CBS) ―
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Spyware cookies track every click and record information entered into non-encrypted online forms like e-mail, mailing addresses and birth dates. (File)
MGN
Most people can't imagine living without computers. The fact is most businesses can't either. Technology has allowed companies to gather information on consumers like never before, but some people may not be doing enough to protect their home computer.
Terri Gruca, from WCCO explains how cookies work.
Whether it's a casual surfer or a registered user, nearly every time you log onto a Web site, companies plant a cookie on the computer. Those cookies can tell companies a lot of things.
Ron Gabrielson works with the Geek Squad, the company that's made its name for finding and fixing what you can't see on your computer.
"What it does is it's keeping track of your online browsing habits. A lot of Web sites use it because it's very profitable," he said.
Most cookies help companies collect information about the computers user, like the time of day they visited a Web site, how long they stayed on the site, the types of products browsed or even the color choices that were made.
Some cookies can improve a shopping experience or even help those companies offer discounts. However, then there are the problem cookies that are planted by unscrupulous Web sites, called spyware cookies.
Spyware cookies track every click and record information entered into non-encrypted online forms like e-mail, mailing addresses and birth dates. They even try to steal passwords or credit card numbers.
"They're all leaching off system resources and slowing your computer down to a crawl," said Gabrielson.
It's when the cookies begin to pile on that they can really slow down the computer.
How to Check Cookies on Your Computer:
A quick check of your computer proves the point. Using your mouse, right click on the start function of your computer screen and then click search. Be sure you're searching the C drive of your computer then type in the word cookies.
There you'll find a folder that keeps all the cookies that have been planted. Don't be surprised if it's a lot because one search found more than 1500 on one computer.
You can delete these cookies. But remember, if you do that it means your favorite Web sites will no longer remember you without you needing to log on.
Here's the other thing to remember:
"When it comes to protecting your computer against spyware people do think that viruses, anti-virus software does the job and it just doesn't," said Gabrielson.
What's needed is anti-virus software, but one should also install a separate spyware program and be sure to keep those programs updated or it could be opening the computer up to all kinds of problems.
Gabrielson said stick with name brand programs. He said they are not all that expensive, probably around $30, and can be more reliable than some of the lesser known deals offered.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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