Spyware can definitely wreak havoc on your computer system. Your computer could be working fine one day at peak performance and with no problems and then the very next day, suddenly you log on and it takes forever to load your basic operating system. When you finally get logged on and online, you notice how slow things seem to be moving. Pages on the web are taking forever to load and you're getting pop-up windows filled with advertisements. Your homepage is different and filled with more advertisements. You suddenly get a new pop up window with a pornographic image in it. You shake your head wondering what's going on. It's as if your computer has been taken over by someone else.

Well, it has. A spyware program has invaded your machine. It has snuck its' way into your system through several possibilities. Here are a few things it might be doing.

It might be scanning your computer cache for information such as websites you've visited and things you've purchased online so it can sell this information to marketing companies. It may be searching through instant messaging transcripts to find out personal information about you. It could be sending out copies of every file on your personal computer including family photographs and personal documents and e-mails you've written and received. If this isn't your home computer but a company computer, it could be sending out confidential information that your company has under non-disclosure. Spyware is resetting your homepage so that you'll hopefully click on one of the links on that page to earn the Spyware publisher some affiliate marketing money. The Spyware is waiting until you go online to check your bank balance or pay some bills so it can send your banking or credit card information to someone.

Spyware preys on computer users and uses the resources on your computer to do its' damage. What can you do about this problem? You can run an anti-spyware program such as spyblaster and eradicate that malicious software from your computer and stop future such programs from doing the same thing.

Why should you purchase anti-Spyware software when many programs exist for free? Some Spyware publishers disguise their programs as Anti-Spyware when really, they're just Spyware themselves. You're careful about your privacy in real life with locking doors, closing curtains on your window and other precautions. You need to be just as vigilant with your online activities.