Spyware can be transmitted and installed in a computer in several different ways. But what is really common, and ironic I should say, that in most cases the victim himself downloads and installs the spyware in his own computer. How is that possible? Well, have you notice all those freebies offered online? Yes, those banners telling you that you won a prize but you just have to fill out a form with your information or you have to install a free tool bar. What about all that free music, videos and movies transferred from computer to computer for free? Those free files are very attractive for anybody, but they are also the most common way to become a victim of hackers.

These people looking for internet user that go around clicking on every single thing they see, just want to get into the systems to monitor the surfing preferences of the person, monitoring the keystrokes to get bank account information, personal passwords, and any other information useful for them to get money out of their victims directly or use their information in many other activities.

As in any other situation, prevention is the best way to combat hackers. Don´t wait until the computer is infected with spyware to start looking for a solution, after going through a painful situation such as identity theft. It´s recommended installing a spyware scanner software that monitors the computer for spyware attack. These programs can be set to scan the system at a specific date and time, during a period of time. Some of them offer the option to scan the computer weekly or monthly, but you still have the chance a manual scan whenever you want. Preventing spyware infection is better than looking for a tool that removes spyware later.