Spyware, Spam and Virus are a reality of modern computing.  Fortunately, Red Rock Technology Partners can help free your computer of these intruders.  Give us a call to find out more.

Spyware
You may know spyware by one of its many names; adware, malware, trackware, scumware, thiefware, snoopware, sneakware.  Because of its stealthy nature, most Internet users are more familiar with the symptoms of spyware infection:
° Poor PC performance
° Increased pop-up ads
° Unexpected homepage change
° Odd search results. 

For virtually everyone surfing the Internet, malware and adware are a nuisance, but if you do not detect spyware on your PC, it can lead to much more serious consequences like identity theft. Because of the threats that malware pose, a spyware remover installed on your PC is essential. Gathering spyware info also helps protect yourself from malicious attacks by adware or malware.

SPAM
Spam is E-mail that is not requested. Also known as "unsolicited commercial e-mail" (UCE), "unsolicited bulk e-mail" (UBE), "gray mail" and just plain "junk mail," the term is both a noun (the e-mail message) and a verb (to send it). Spam is used to advertise products or to broadcast some political or social commentary.

Like viruses, spam has become a scourge on the Internet as hundreds of millions of unwanted messages are transmitted daily to almost every e-mail recipient as well as to newsgroups. Unfortunately for users and fortunately for spammers, as an advertising medium, spam does produce results. Even if only an infinitesimal number of users reply, it is still cost effective since e-mail is a very inexpensive way to reach people.

Viruses
A computer virus is typically a short program designed to disperse copies of itself to other computers and disrupt those computers' normal operations. A computer virus usually attaches or inserts itself to or in an executable file or the boot sector (the area that contains the first instructions executed by a computer when it is started or restarted) of a disk; those that infect both files and boot records are called bimodal viruses. Although some viruses are merely disruptive, others can destroy or corrupt data or cause an operating system or applications program to malfunction. Computer viruses are spread via floppy disks, networks, or on-line services. Several thousand computer viruses are known, and on average three to five new strains are discovered every day.