HOW DO I FIND OUT IF THERE’S SPYWARE ON MY COMPUTER?

If your computer is currently being monitored it may be dangerous to try to research spyware or use anti-spyware scanners. If your computer is compromised, spyware will log all of this research activity and alert the perpetrator.

If you suspect that someone has installed spyware to monitor your activities, talk to a victim advocate before attempting to remove the spyware. Law enforcement or a computer forensics expert may be able to assist you if you want to preserve evidence that may be needed for a criminal investigation.

Spyware typically runs in stealth mode using disguised file names so it can be extraordinarily difficult to detect spyware programs that are already on your computer.

While your computer is being monitored by Spyware there might be no noticeable changes in the way your computer operates (i.e. your computer won't necessarily slow down or freeze up). Also, like computer viruses, there are hundreds of Spyware programs. So while some are created by large software companies, other spyware programs are written by individual “hackers”.

There are a variety of programs marketed as Anti-Spyware detectors that primarily identify Adware and Malware, but may not discover surveillance Spyware.Additionally, anti-spyware detection programs typically does not detect hardware, like keystroke loggers.

If you think there may be spyware on your computer, consider the tips below: