Spyware is becoming more and more prevalent throughout the world today.
There are many risks associated with spyware and it's important to understand what they are so you can have a clear picture of how serious a problem is.
It will also help you to protect yourself by knowing signs to watch out for and things to avoid when you could be infected with spyware.
One of the early warning signs of having spyware on your computer is a slowdown in its speed and effectiveness.
Normal tasks like opening programs or running more than one program at a time may become bogged down.
If you suddenly notice this it would be a good time to immediately check your computer for spyware and to run some scans before things set in and get any worse.
After an initial slowing down period your computer can eventually cease to function altogether.
The processor may become overwhelmed with all of the unnecessary programs trying to run, or spyware and viruses may begin to shut down certain things.
Some spyware actually blocks the downloading, installation or use of virus protection programs and scanning services, which makes the process of cleaning up your computer extremely difficult once you're infected.
Or your access to the Internet can be blocked, which means you can't download or access any help.
This requires taking several complicated steps for trying to clean up your computer and it can become a real nightmare.
Some types of spyware are very dangerous because they can record your keystrokes and screenshots and in that way capture your credit card and banking numbers if you make any purchases or handle any banking online.
Therefore you always have to be sure you're computer is safe and secure when performing any kind of financial transaction on the Internet.
Another one of the major risks of spyware is that it could potentially hijack your entire computer, force you into doing certain things and prevent you from doing other things.
For example, some common viruses and spyware programs today send you constant popups that warn you about spyware.
These popups are extremely hard to get rid of, and when you click on them you get taken to some kind of sales page where they try to make you pay for some bogus spyware removal program.
Additionally, when you search for solutions to the problem on the Internet, the program rewrites the search results so that you can never get to a real web site and only get taken to their sales pages.
Clearly this can be a very frustrating and inconvenient situation for anyone who comes into contact with this kind of spyware.
These are just a few of the major risks associated with spyware.
Your computer can suffer a major slowdown and could eventually become completely unable to work.
Your financial information and passwords could be stolen, and your computer could even be hijacked, preventing you from doing certain things.
Don't underestimate spyware, because it's extremely common place and can have major consequences.