Harness paranoia to avoid spyware infections

It's a sad fact, but the more suspicious and paranoid you are, the more likely you are to avoid a spyware infection. With a few wrong clicks, you can be completely forfeiting your privacy online. However, with just a little self-restraint, you can avoid most online threats.

Before you install anything, ask yourself this simple question: do I trust the makers of this software to have access to everything on my PC? Has someone I know and trust recommended this software, or did I just happen upon it through a banner ad? If you don't have a good reason to trust the software publisher, take a pass. It's not worth the risk.

If you're still entertaining the idea of installing something, read the license agreement and the company's privacy policy very carefully. Often, a company will divulge the spyware/adware aspects of its software in the fine print, assuming (quite rightly) that most people won't bother reading.

Of course, even the most cautious need a bit of insurance, and fortunately, there are outstanding tools available--for free.

• Spybot Search and Destroy will scan your system for practically all known spyware threats and remove them.
  
  
• ZoneAlarm not only protects your system from hackers and worms attacking from the outside, it lets you tightly control which applications on your computer are allowed to send data via the Internet, letting you stop spyware before it can "phone home" your personal data.