Ask Joanne's eNews

Spyware, Adware and Pop-ups have become a huge problem,
particularly for Windows and Internet Explorer users.
Here are some things you can do about it.

Set your browser security to a higher level so that no softwarecan be installed without your permission. In Internet Explorer, go toTools > Internet Options > Security. Change settings to a higher levelof security.

Use a spyware removal program. What is spyware? "Spyware is programming that is put in someone's computer to secretly gather information about the user and relay it to advertisersor other interested parties." As such, spyware is cause for public concern about privacy on the Internet. (reach.ucf.edu/~coursdev/cdrom/html/help/glossary.html)

Use LavaSoft Ad-Aware SE -- BEWARE OF IMITATIONS!
I've done a little research and there appear to be several malicious
programs that have used a name similar to the real Lavasoft, USA's
Ad-Aware Program. Not only will these imitations NOT remove the
spyware, they actually can install additional problem software!

THE REAL DEAL: You can download the real LavaSoft Ad-Aware program for free at: http://www.lavasoftusa.com/ Click on the button that says Download.Com. Once you've downloaded it, run it to detect spyware and adware. After the scan runs, you will have the option to quarantine or delete the files.

More soon on Mozilla's Firefox, a new internet browser without all the security issues of Internet Explorer. I've just downloaded it today and am testing it. You can go to http://www.mozilla.org/products/ to download Firefox for free.

If you have questions or comments, please feel free to contact me.