The term spyware refers to programs of various sorts which are snuck onto your computer by unscrupulous and unethical marketers. Sometimes that's the best thing that can be said about them. Other times, carried to the extreme, these programs are installed on your computer by people who hope to steal everything that you have. Their game plan is to learn anything and everything about you and their goal is to destroy you financially. You simply must defend your self against spyware if you are going to be using your computer to access the Internet.

To make the spyware problem even worse is to realize that frequently these programs can be on your computer and you have no idea that they are even present. It is a recently revealed fact that nearly 9 out of 10 computers taken in for service or repair contained 10 or more spyware programs on their hard drives. In the majority of cases the spyware programs were present yet the computer owners had no clue that they were there.

Spyware can be a minor irritation or a major problem. When the problems are minor you may not experience anything other than your computer running slower than what you are used to enjoying. When they are major problems they can actually shut down your computer when the software does not function as the designer had originally intended. And, there's no one for you to complain to either.

One of the frequent ways that we first become aware of spyware in our computer is, for instance, when we go to our favorite search engine and type in a search phrase then suddenly to our surprise one or more ads may pop up in separate windows advertising products that have something in common with the search phrase that we have just entered into the search engine. This is a sure tip-off that your computer is infected with at least one spyware program.

Another danger from spyware is that it may contain what are referred to as Trojans. Trojans are programs that load themselves onto your computer and are not only aware of everything that you are typing into your computer but also have the ability to change the operation of your computer itself. For instance, they are sometimes considered to be practical jokes and people install them on someone else's computer and then at various times the Trojan will open and close the CD drawer of the computer or pop funny pictures up on the screen at random. Unfortunately, they can also be used by strangers to spy on everything that you do.

In a worst-case situation Trojans and spyware can be easily used to steal your identity. Passwords to your checking account and credit cards suddenly become easily assessable. People that would honestly describe themselves as incapable of doing you physical harm for some reason think it is perfectly okay to steal your money and your identity.

It is important that you take steps now to protect yourself. At the very minimum you should consider Internet Defender from Microsoft and installing it on your computer. It is free from Microsoft and does an adequate job of protecting your computer. However, if you have a lot of sensitive information on your computer it would be a very wise move to spend $30-$40 and purchase commercial strength anti-spyware programs to run on your computer. Not only will these programs protect you from spyware but they will also examine your computer for existing spyware and if it finds any neutralize it for you. Most of them will even offer free initial scans for your computer. The most important thing for you though is to just do something to protect your computer from spyware. And, do it today.