Lavasoft Ad-Aware 5

...available from a company called Lavasoft and their site is at http://www.lavasoftusa.com/aaw.html. The application runs in a normal window. To quote their spiel it states -" Ad-aware is a free multi spyware removal utility, that scans your memory, registry and hard drives for known spyware!" components and lets you remove them safely

When opened there are three main buttons:

· Scan Now - Clicking the button ...
...hard drive as long as you have ticked the relevant boxes. The settings you first pick will be remembered for any other sessions you do.

· Backups - This can manage, restore and delete formerly created backups.

· Configuration - This final button brings up a new window where you can set additional properties and manage your exclude (adverts you do not want deleted) list of safety options.

There are also ... more

Have you ever felt like you are being watched? A feeling that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up? Do you constantly feel the desire to look over your shoulder? Most people are not paranoid enough to worry about such questions, but would you be if I was to tell you that YOU ARE BEING WATCHED!

Yes, you! Sitting there in front of your screen, reading this. As you read you are being monitored and my guess is that it is not just one nor even two. I would guess there are five or more that could be noting everything you do and every key you press.

Who is Watching
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It is not so much who is watching but where. Every time you enter the Internet, information is being grabbed from your computer. It is no accident that your System Properties include your registration. If you want to see what your registration is go to your ‘My Computer’ Icon on your desktop and right click on it. A little while ago I set up a web site and we had tracking software installed on that so that we could tell where the client was from, their ISP address, what software they used and how they navigated the site! We could even pop up a dialogue box and talk to them if we wanted to if they were looking at a specific item. That is how closely you can be monitored.

The worst offender or offenders are those companies that use spyware, which is also known as adware (Advertising Supported software). What are these you may well be asking? Well to simplify the answer, they are both the same thing, software that has been placed on your computer, mostly unknown to you that sneakily performs activities behind your back and then transmits the information back to the Internet advertisers at the very first opportunity. It normally installs itself unbeknown to you and gathers information on what you are doing or what you have on your computer.

By knowing where you go when surfing the net, they can target you with specific advertisements (spam). Have you ever wondered why you seem to get an ad, about something you were only just searching for, pop up in your e-mails? My guess would be that you have software hidden on your computer that is helping the installers to target you specifically. They can monitor your activities, download files onto your computer, run programmes on it, change your system settings or even get information about others to target and pass itself on to.

Like all good spies it hides itself well. If you were able to see it easily, I am sure most of you would remove it. So it will hide what its real intentions are and might well come in a "FREE" piece of software. We should all know by now that you ‘Don’t get anything for free’.

OK, here is a rundown of Spyware:
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· Shareware authors make revenue by this means. Allowing it to be placed on their software. They keep it as free software and earn money from the advertising. You can normally get the adverts removed by paying a fee.
· It sits on your computer without your knowledge or even your consent and collects information from your computer.
· It will transmit a code that is unique to your computer and you. This is so that it can track your activities on the Internet (yes ALL of them). This is again without your consent or knowledge.
· Transmits information about what is on your computer and updates you may make or need without your consent or knowledge.
· Without your prior consent it installs itself secretly on your computer. It places itself in a hard to find place normally hidden within another programme.
· Keeps reinstalling itself over and over again without your knowledge!
· Performs other activities that none of us are aware of. These can be as sinister as both you and I can imagine.
· Ever clicked on a Banner? This information would have been sent to the advertiser and in turn sent on to Radiate (an adware company)or one of the other adware companies. Radiate use a software program called Aureate, which is installed at the same time as the free software you are downloading.
· Read the notices! ZDNet Downloads now post notices on any applications they know of that use spyware.
· When you are unsure read the licensing agreement and registration information.

Some free software comes with and without the spyware! GoZilla is a prime example! Make sure you download the correct version. I cannot express strongly enough that you actually read the registration form! Ensure they wont pass your information over to third parties. If it is passed on the chances are 99% it will be to an adware company. Why else do you think they ask for your household income and ages of other people in your home. What you do for employment. Do you think they want to know your hobbies and interests because they like you? No it is to target you in areas they think you are likely to BUY from! These forms should inform you that your information will be passed to advertisers but in practice they often hide this statement in a link somewhere so it would pay you to click the links and have a look.

The main problem we have as consumers is that the software companies DO NOT have to tell you that spyware is attached. If the software has banner advertising, you can bet it has spyware. If you click on a banner be aware that if spyware is on your computer, information on the ads you clicked and the duration of your visit will be sent to the advertisers and they in turn will send out adverts to your email address.
What really annoys me about it going to my e-mail address is that the adware companies insist they do not take any information from your system that identifies you! If this is the case how do they so easily target your email with this spam?
Now you are all worried and rushing to get the offending software off your computers by using the add/remove programs or the supplied uninstall. Guess what? It will remove the software but not the offending spyware, often in your Windows System Registry.

Really the only question is do you value your privacy? If the answer is yes then you need to do something to ensure that your computer is safe from the intrusion of these advertisers. Only they know how much information they are taking! They also seem to know how upset we the consumer would be because it is all done secretly as if they have something to be ashamed of! My youngest son (he’s 3) sneaks away and hides when he is being naughty and I get the same feeling here. It really does make me wonder whether the Data Protection Act is being flagrantly ignored by these companies. Why and this is a BIG why, do our governments allow it to continue? Are they in some way privy to the information? Is there a hidden agenda?

To be honest I can see no reason for anyone to be able to put anything onto your computer without asking you! They may well say they did ask you and point to page 37, paragraph 6, sub-section 3219. I would insist that they ask you in bold letters on the main page and give you the option to tick yes or no before they have any right to put the bloody thing on your computer.

An excellent piece of software that can help protect your privacy is called Ad-Aware 5.0 (actual release is 5.62). This application is available from a company called Lavasoft and their site is at http://www.lavasoftusa.com/aaw.html. The application runs in a normal window. To quote their spiel it states -" Ad-aware is a free multi spyware removal utility, that scans your memory, registry and hard drives for known spyware!" components and lets you remove them safely

When opened there are three main buttons:

· Scan Now - Clicking the button starts the application and it checks all areas on your hard drive as long as you have ticked the relevant boxes. The settings you first pick will be remembered for any other sessions you do.

· Backups - This can manage, restore and delete formerly created backups.

· Configuration - This final button brings up a new window where you can set additional properties and manage your exclude (adverts you do not want deleted) list of safety options.

There are also two buttons at the bottom. One opens up "help" and the other says "Scan now".

When you start the scan it scans your registry and shows the scanning in progress. It also does a deep scan showing the running progress, as well as scanning your C Drive and files. At any time it gives you the opportunity to abort but I can see no reason to do this.

I ran Ad-Aware again just now to aid me in writing this and it came up with another 4 new components that had been added to my computer. Cookies placed there unknown to me! I was given the option to exclude any of them from being deleted but since I wanted them gone I just continued. It prompts asking if I was sure I wanted them deleted and on pressing yes the cleaning was finished.

It was simple and I could be sure that when I next went on-line I was not going to have my information sent to anyone!

Ad -Aware scans your memory, hard drives and registry for various spyware, without causing any notable problems and I would suggest you ALL download it and try it once just so that you can see exactly how many people or companies are watching you! In my opinion it is probably the best software you will download! The file size is just 880kb

As my own personal survey I ask that if you are going to download the software, you do not comment on this opinion until afterwards. Could you then tell me and everyone else exactly how many were watching? I would just be interested in knowing? Ugh OH, am I snooping?

Perhaps I should just have put on spyware and checked myself……………..

http://www.lavasoftusa.com/aaw.html - Also has forum and Question and Answer pages.
Mirror sites are: www.lurkhere.com and www.nlcomputers.com

Following text is taken directly from download page for your information:

1. Ad-aware scans your memory, Registry, and hard drives for software components from Alexa (through 5.0), Aureate (1.0, 2.0, and 3.0), Comet Cursor (through 3.0), Cydoor, Doubleclick, DSSAgent,EzUla, Expedioware, EverAd, Flyswat, Gator, Gratisware, HotBar, OnFlow, TimeSink (through 5.0), Transponder, Web3000, Webhancer, and more.
2. Ad-aware then displays a list of detected spyware modules, Registry keys, files, and folders, and allows you to remove them from your system selectively.
3. This update supports removal of EzUla, Expedioware, and Transponder modules, and features an "exclude" option to ignore modules you want to keep.

 

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