Using your Firewall
Spyware is one of the most pressing problems facing the internet today. There are thousands of these programs out on the internet that are just waiting to leach onto their next us-suspecting victim and launch hundreds of annoying popups on the victim’s computer or worst steal the victims Identity.
There are some actions you can take to help minimize this risk. The most important thing you need to do is to keep the latest patches applied to your operating system. Spyware programs utilize known holes in operating systems and applications to install themselves on a victim’s computer. Keeping your system up to date is the best way to help stop this threat.
You should also employ a firewall on your internet connection to stop these programs form taking over your computer. A firewall is a piece of software code that monitors traffic going to and from your computer and it performs actions on that traffic depending upon the rules set up for the Firewall. A Firewall is very effective at stopping spyware installation and even if it does manage to become installed (because of a user action) you will be able to prevent the Spyware from communicating with it’s creators on the Internet.
Any computer connected to the internet should have at least on Firewall protecting it from threats such as Spyware. Most Broadband routers have a firewall built in. If you configure these devices to block incoming Active X controls and Java Applets then you can reduce your risk to becoming infected with Spyware. While Active X controls and Java Applets are required for some websites to adequately provide certain services. While not all of these controls are used a method for installing Spyware, they are used as the primary means. The bottom line is the benefits that Active X and Java Applets provide is not worth the risk they pose to internet users. It is best to just disable these applications from running.
