Today, many people that do not have home based access to the internet make use of public library computers. In many cases, libraries may rely on volunteer help, as well as employees that do not have the training required to manage spyware and related security issues. Therefore, regardless of whether you work in a library, or you use their computers, it is very important to know how to recognize spyware.
Advertisements and Financial Servers
If you visit certain websites, you should not see popups unless the webpage indicates you will be seeing them. For example, banking sites, and bill payment sites should not make use of popups to market any type of product. Therefore, if you are planning to use the site, it is best to look for a safer computer, rather than risk having to deal with identity theft. You should also inform the librarian that you suspect the presence of spyware.
Targeted Advertisements
After a few minutes of browsing on a specific topic, you may suddenly find all kinds of popups that are related to the materials you are looking for. These popups may have been generated by resident spyware, as opposed to coming from the website that you are visiting. If you see this kind of activity, it will be to your benefit to refrain from conducting financial transactions, or anything else that might transmit sensitive information.
As more public computer facilities gain access to high speed internet access, you cannot always rely on slow pageloads as a reliable means for knowing how to recognize spyware. You will need to pay attention to the subject matter of popups, and the nature of the site that you are visiting. It is also important to exercise caution when entering sensitive information.
