Recommendations
It's been a long four weeks since we started dealing with spyware. Now it's time to quickly review what you need to do to keep the stuff off of your PC.
1. Scan your system weekly with one (or all) of the spyware scanning products I've mentioned in previous weeks: Ad-Aware, Spybot Search & Destroy, and SpywareGuide's X-Cleaner.
2. Use SpywareBlaster. You can get it, and the other products I've mentioned, at the PC World Spyware Help Center.
3. Read Andy Brandt's "Security Tips: Keep Viruses, Worms, and Spyware Off Your PC," then take a screwdriver to IE's ActiveX settings. Or do as reader John Huntley from Australia recommends, switch to Mozilla Firefox. "I find it a great browser to use, but more importantly the security it offers is great. I ran AD-Aware yesterday after 30 days of online use--and guess what? NOT ONE piece of spyware was on my system."
4. Be suspicious and paranoid as you travel through the Web. Be wary of great-sounding Web site offers. And, geez, don't click on pop-ups.
5. Resist the temptation to visit risky sites--places you wouldn't want your kids going to. Those sites are likely to do harm to your system's well being.
6. If you missed any of my columns on the topic, you'll want to read them at PC World's Web site: "Spyware Primer," "More on Fighting Spyware," and "More Spyware Prevention and Removal."