Computer chores to prevent spyware attacks
There are three things you should think about when spring cleaning your computer, said Luke M. Ford, chief executive officer of My Computer Works, a company in Phoenix, that offers network support across the nation. Clean your equipment and your hard drive, then back up your files. Avoid Web sites you are not familiar with and be very careful about what you download, said Yates. Buried somewhere in the user agreements that most people check without reading can be permission to attach spyware. “When you (check the user agreement) the antivirus software lets it on through. There’s a lot of people that think the antivirus didn’t work, but you probably gave them permission to bypass it,” Yates said. You can buy software to remove spyware, but sometimes spyware has done so much damage the hard drive has to be wiped clean and reformatted. If that is the situation, contact a professional, said Yates.