Anyone who has pop-ups on their computer and finds it annoying may simply view the interruptions simply as a troublesome pest. Some people simply download a temporary fix in the form of an evaluation or trial package to rid themselves of the Adware on their computer or restore their Windows XP to a few days ago when the program didn't exist.

The pop-ups slow down your computer, annoy you with advertisements or flashing banners but are they really that bad or harmful to your computer?

Yes, they are. More than simply slowing down your computer and flooding your screen with advertisements, Adware, also referred to as Spyware or Badware is a name for programs that sneak onto your computer through other downloads or as Trojan horses and change the settings on your system. This may be as seemingly harmless as changing your homepage or installing unwanted toolbars but in reality it can be quite malicious.

These programs can steal your personal information including each and every keystroke you type and forward the details to someone. Potential threats include identity theft and illegal activities using your online credentials. Individuals who use the Internet should protect their system at all times. Just because you log into a website that says it is secure, doesn't mean that there's not something on your side of the firewall that's recording your activities, passwords and personal identification (pin) numbers.

While pop-ups are a symptom of Adware or Spyware, they are not the only cause for concern. Any unusual activities should be treated as suspect including:

-pop-up windows

-Advertising banners

-system errors that try to appear that they are your computer's internal warning system but suggest you download a program to fix the problem

-Redirected homepages that continue to reset each time you log in despite your efforts to overwrite that URL to your original homepage

Running spyware software that continues to battle this issue is the only way to protect yourself. Use a program to eradicate your system of the spyware, adware or badware that is there (and there may be multiple threats on your system) and use a software package that will continually update to fight new threats. New spyware programs are written and sprinkled throughout the Internet on a daily basis so fighting this problem with professional grade software is the only option for ensuring your online privacy and safety of your personal information.