One morning when I logged in to my computer to check my email, it seemed to be running slow. Sluggish would be more the word and as the kids had been using it the night before; I wondered if they had ebon somewhere that picked up a virus or something. A friend mentioned the word spyware that sounds scary. What is that?

There is something called spyware that, like viruses, you need to guard against. You need to take steps to ensure your computer is safe and remain vigilant.

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It’s easy to forget that the Internet is a two-way connection, like your telephone connection. In fact the chances are the Internet is coming into your computer via a phone line. So just as you can send email, you can receive it. The downside is that there is always the possibility that just as you can visit a Web site, your computer could also be “visited” by someone from outside.

What does that mean?
Every time you go online, the connection your computer makes with the Internet has a specific number called an Internet Protocol address. Think of it as if it were your phone number but your Internet phone number. It will be just a row of numbers like 210.85.1.2 which can identify which computer is accessing a Web address. It is what authorities use if they’re trying to track back someone who is accessing something unacceptable such as child porn. Every time you access any Web site, your computer tells that Web site that number and that Web site can record it. It may also record things like what sort of browser you are using, what Windows operating system you’re using and even the last Web site you visited before landing on this one. This information is used by Web sites for research gathering purposes so they find out which part of the world Web site visitors come from and also how they came across the Web site.

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What are cookies?
Cookies are obviously nothing to do with biscuits or things you eat. It is just the technical name for a file put on your system by a Web page while you’re visiting the site. It is not necessarily a bad thing. If you log into a site and have to use a password, such as a Web-based email program, that “cookie” file stores that information so if you go back to the site during your Internet session, the site “remembers” (thanks to the “cookie”) that you have already been there and don’t have to log in again.

So what’s the problem with this Internet Protocol address?
There are computer-savvy people out there who are unscrupulous enough to try to hack into computers. This means they detect that you’re using the Internet and are somehow able to also log into your screen and have a look around. This may be just a sick game by these people wanting to have a nosey around people’s computers or, more likely, is an attempt by criminals to see if they can access details stored on people’s computers such as their bank and credit card numbers. They do this by something called a port scan. This is best explained as being the technical equivalent of people walking up and down the street trying the door handles of parked cars in the hope someone has forgotten to lock their car door and so they can hop in and take it for a joy ride. In the case of the Internet, it is as if they are going up and down a radio station dial trying to find an Internet connection they can hook into.

This sounds frightening?
It would be wrong to worry that it happens a lot. This is about taking precautions. Just as you lock your house door at night in the unlikely occurrence a burglar would come by and try and get in, it’s important to also treat your computer in the same way. Not only is this to keep you safe for such hackers but you need to take precautions in case any unscrupulous Web sites also want to plant any sneaky things on your computer when you visit a Web site. This can happen if your children search for something in say Google and click on a site result, not realising that the site sounds dodgy and is in unsavoury when they land on it.

So what can these nasty sites do?
The sites may themselves plant a ‘cookie’ in your Web browser that continues to send back information about places you visit online even when you have left the site or try to gather other customer behaviour patterns, again as part of some sort of marketing research. These cookies may be programs that have got the collective name of either “adware” or “spyware.”At worst, it may try to plant some sort of virus on your machine.

Tell me more about spyware.
Spyware sounds like something spooky or illegal but while some of it is questionable, the laws haven’t yet caught up with outlawing it and there are arguments about whether it is something that should or could be outlawed. Spyware, as explained above, is those tracking files that can be placed into your computer when you visit a Web site but it can also be placed on your computer when you install some programs –especially if they are advertised as being free online. This is something you need to warn your children about. They might be excited at the prospect of downloading a free program they find online but there is often no such thing as a free lunch and the spyware may come with it. Adware is similar but may usually subjects you to pop-up advertisements –adverts that pop up on the screen while you are visiting sites – or similar advertisements.

So how I can get rid of it?
It is likely you won’t realise when this spyware arrives but you can download programs that help you get rid of it. The most popular programs are called Ad-aware and Spybot Search and Destroy. They are easy to download and are free online. Ad-aware is at www.lavasoftusa.com and Spybot can be downloaded from www.safer-networking.org

When you have been on the Internet, it is important to click on those programs or at least one of them and run them so it does a search on your computer to find those cookies. Don’t be alarmed if it returns a list of names of cookies it has found with names like DoubleClick

again these are not necessarily doing any damage and may be just research tools being used when you visit a site. Some reputable large sites that can otherwise be trusted place cookies and again these may be used for password purposes.

Make sure you, not your children use these tools. You need to do the check after your children have been online and if you get results with names like “AdultTracker” or “SexTracker,” the chances are your children have visited a site they shouldn’t have.

Is there anything else I can do?
Yes, you can also clear out some of this “junk” from your Web browser. If you use Internet Explorer, you can go to the top of your browser to “Tools” and then click on “Internet options” and click on the box that says “delete cookies” and “delete files.” If you are using the latest version of the Firefox browser, you go “tools” then “Clear private data” or just press control plus shift plus delete.

Remember it is important to also use this information to get an idea of your children’s surfing habits.

Do I need to do anything else with the software?
You need to keep it update. You will find with both Ad-aware and Spybot, the option to “check for updates” and , as long as you are connected ton the Internet at the time, it will go to the software site and search if there has been an update including protection against any new spyware. Remember this is a cat and mouse game and every time Spybot blocks something, the spyware makers will try and invent a new one that bypasses the protection so Spybot then comes up with protection for that. Spybot and Ad-aware both search for some of the same spyware but each also checks for spyware the other doesn’t protect against. It’s not necessary to run both each time but a good idea to alternate. You will also find an option to do a “smart” or quick scan of your computer and a more detailed check of your computer that takes longer. It is a good idea to do one of those say once a week.

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