To many PC users spyware, adware and viruses has just been a necessary annoyance of being online. While most people are aware of the terms and most have implemented some sort of strategy to protect their PC from being infected there are just far to many people who are still complacent as to the potential harm and destructiveness that a spyware can create for a PC user.

We are finding that the perpetrators of spyware are becoming more and more sophisticated in how they are distributing them and to the extent to which they are utilized once infiltrated. The main target for spyware is to record or obtain your private information so that they can be used maliciously without your consent. Right at the top of the list is obviously financial institutions.

With more and more users gravitating towards using online banking because of its ease and convenience so to have we seen a proportionate increase in spyware targeting at obtaining your information and using it to infiltrate you bank accounts. Some of the major banks have been targeted to the likes of Citibank and Deutsche Bank in recent years.

Spyware these days aren't just hidden inside free shareware software downloads and the like, they are now also being downloaded through pop up ads. The unsuspecting user then goes and visits there online bank and the information has now been captured.

These pop-up ads aren't just located in your niche sites, they are being found more and more in your popular sites like Ebay.

The problem is getting so large that today it is rare to find many PC's which are connected and using the internet to not contain some spyware. So how do you protect yourself from being a victim of spyware phishing.

Some clues that you may be infected include a sluggish computer, pop-up ad inundation, hijacked home pages or redirection to unintended sites. Standard anti-virus and security software offers limited protection.

So how do you avoid being another victim of spyware phishing. The simple answer to that is to install a spyware removal software and keep it updated. You will want to be running a scan on your computer on a regular basis, cause even though a scan will clean existing spyware if you visit the same site that the original spyware was downloaded from you can often find you are infected again practically the same day.