Security, Anti-virus and Firewalls

As if attacks from Viruses, Worms and Hacker activity weren't enough, the latest problem to confront our computers are insidious, small programs that are designed to track all your movements on the internet, feed you unwanted pop-up adds and potentially steal personal information. These AdWare/SpyWare programs are also becoming the number one causes of computer crashes and systems slowdowns.  Dell recently estimated that 12% of all service calls were SpyWare/AdWare related.

These programs sometimes come "secretly" attached to  software packages downloaded from the Internet.  Known vehicles include some peer-to-peer file sharing programs (often used to share music and videos),  Instant Messaging systems, screen savers, download utilities and browser plug-ins, to list just a few. They can also be secretly installed by rogue websites, especially if you are using an older, unpatched version of Microsoft's Internet Explorer.  The problem is getting so serious that some state and federal legislators are considering adware-spyware regulations, and Microsoft and anti-virus software makers have begun offering anti-spyware packages.

If you have noticed your computer acting sluggish lately, crashing frequently, taking much longer to boot up and an increase in pop-up/pop-under ads, there is a good chance you have been "infected" with one or more of these spy programs.  One way to combat these unwanted pests is to scan your systems with one or more of these free* anti-spy ware utilities:  SpyBot Search & Destroy, Ad-Aware Personal Edition, or Microsoft Defender.  These software packages act much in the same way as anti-virus programs.  They look for the tell-tale signatures of many known spy-ware programs, and include routines to safely eliminate them.

Uncertain on how to combat these pests?  Please feel free to contact us at MCR Technologies any time for up-to-date information, removal tools, or to schedule a visit so we can make a on-site diagnosis of your systems. We can help you eliminate these nasties from your systems, and show you how to "harden" them against future infections.  We also offer education seminars to explain to your employees how these spy-ware programs work, how they infect, and how to protect your systems. 

Call or write us-  we can help.

* Both SpyBot Search & Destroy and Ad-Aware Personal Edition are free for personal use.  Lavasoft (Ad-Aware) does charge a licensing fee for commercial, governmental or educational use.

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