Technology Tip of the Week - July 19, 2007

What is Spyware?

Spyware, also known as adware, is any software that covertly gathers user information through the user's Internet connection without his or her knowledge, usually for advertising purposes. Spyware applications are typically bundled as a hidden component of freeware or shareware programs that can be downloaded from the Internet. Once installed, the spyware monitors user activity on the Internet and transmits that information in the background to someone else. Spyware can also gather information about e-mail addresses and even passwords and credit card numbers. Some symptoms of spyware include decreased PC performance, increase in popup advertising, unusually slow Internet access, hijacked homepage or bookmarks where you are constantly diverted to a different website, new toolbars and malfunctioning antivirus-antispyware programs.

Removing Spyware

If you suspect your PC may be infected with spyware there are several good programs that will help remove spyware and then protect against re-infection. This week's tip is going to look at one of the most popular (and free) antispyware program Spybot Search & Destroy. A list of other programs can be found on CCRI's Spyware FAQ page at: http://it.ccri.edu/helpdesk/spyware-faqs.shtml#removal-tools.

Using Spybot Search & Destroy

To utilize this free program to remove spyware from your computer:

  1. Download Spybot  Search & Destroy 4.1 from: http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html. Although this product is provided free there is a donation request to help defray the costs of the people constantly working on upgrading and maintaining the software. The developers suggest you download it and use it for awhile and if you like it, return to their site and give them a small donation.
  2. Go to http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html and scroll down under the Download options to the Spybot Search & Destroy 4.1 link. Double-click on the box icon to the right of the link to download a file called spybotsd14.exe (note where you are downloading the file to so you can find it, e.g. your desktop or your My Downloads folder).
  3. Double-click on the spybotsd14.exe file to install the software on your computer.  You can go with the default settings and just click your way through the installer by using the Next button.
  4. After the installation has finished, you will see a Spybot - Search & Destroy icon on your desktop and in your start menu. Click on the icon to start Spybot-S&D the first time.

The first time you start Spybot-S&D, it will display a Wizard, a small window helping you through the first steps. It gives you the possibility to add or remove the icons you have or haven't created during install, for example. Let's just say you want them and proceed to the next page.

  1. If you are using a proxy in Internet Explorer, Spybot-S&D will show you this proxy and a button will give you the opportunity to use it for Spybot-S&D, too.  (The major online services such as America Online, MSN and Yahoo, for example, use an array of proxy servers.) If the text field is blank, you don't need to do it, but in most cases this will show an Internet address, and you should import this proxy setting.
  2. The next page deals with updates. It is very important to keep your anti-spyware up-to-date. Using the two buttons this page offers will do the updates for you.
  3. The last page of the wizard will ask you to read the help file. The help file is always a good resource if you are unsure what to do, so please do at least read the first pages of it.

After the tutorial has finished, you may find yourself on the Settings or Update page. You can accept the default settings for now and do the first scan.

The left side of the program has a navigation bar that can lead you to all functions of the program. The first section there (the top-most button) is labeled Spybot-S&D and leads you to the main page. Right now, you will see only an empty list and a toolbar at the bottom. Click on the first button in this toolbar named Check for problems to start the scanning. Then just lean back and watch the scan progress. That's all there is to it!

Next week: Interpreting your results and removing threats.

For more information on Spybot please see their website at: http://www.safer-networking.org/en/home/index.html. For more information on spyware in general please see the CCRI Spyware FAQs at: http://it.ccri.edu/helpdesk/spyware-faqs.shtml.

For more help with this feature, please contact one of the IT Instructional Support team (Norm Grant, Gene Grande or Linda Beith) or faculty mentor Kathy Beauchene.

Website of the Week

Is There an E-pack for You?

E-packs are supplemental web-based content created by all the major publishers to accompany textbooks. E-packs vary in content and quality but  usually include course materials like chapter outlines and PowerPoint presentations; electronic test banks and self-tests; resource links; and interactive content such as animations, simulations, flash cards, discussion topics or games.  E-packs are usually built to work within a course management system and WebCT currentlyoffers approximately 3500 e-packs from a range of disciplines.  You can request and view an e-pack at no charge.  If you decide to adopt an e-pack there can be a charge to students for an access code or it can be totally free if the students purchase the textbook.  If there is an e-pack available for your textbook all you have to do is request it and the publisher or WebCT will forward the download information to Linda Beith, who will create a WebCT course for you and your students. This option provides a wealth of digital content for students and the best part is that you don't  have to create any of it! To see if your textbook has an e-pack or to register for one, please go to http://www.webct.com/content/viewpage?name=content_showcase.

For more information on e-packs please see: http://www.webct.com/content/viewpage?name=content_why_epacks

Feel free to post your thoughts or opinions of this article in the Teaching Forum message board.

These tips are provided by the Department of Information Technology instructional support team. If you have any questions on these tips, or wish to offer your own, please feel free to contact Linda Beith at lbeith@ccri.edu. View an archive of past technology tips at http://it.ccri.edu/Training/Tips/tip_week.shtml.
 

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