All About Spyware Processes

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Fix Your Slow PC - Spyware Processe...

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In this video, Mahalo computer expert Sean Hewitt explains what you need to know about spyware processes.

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Previous lesson:

What You Need to Know About Spyware

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What You Need to Know About Malware

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What Is Spyware?

Spyware sits on your computer and collects your personal information, such as bank activity, social security number and other details your computer may contain. The spyware then sends this information to another user, which may be the person who put it there or someone else altogether. This process can cause your computer to slow down.

How to Locate It

If you're browsing the web and your computer is lagging or your internet speed is slow, you can check your computer's processes to see if you've picked up spyware.

Option 1: Process Monitor

Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc. This will show you all the processes running on your computer and how much memory each is using up.

Examine the processes and look for any applications you don't recognize. If you do find a name that seems foreign to your computer, use an internet search engine to find out what it is. Make sure you search for the exact ".exe" name of the application. Use this research to determine if the application is spyware or not.

Option 2: Resource Monitor

Search for "resource" on your computer and open the resource monitor. This monitor will contain the same information as the process monitor but also shows the hard drive and network usage. If you think someone is trying access your information through your network, this tool will show you all the processes using the network.

Again, if you find any unrecognizable items with a high level of traffic, you should research the name to determine if it is spyware.

Remember

This is only one section in a series of steps you can take to fix your slow PC. If your computer is still running slow, you can try some of the other suggested steps.