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Spyware is a deceptive program that downloads itself onto a PC system and tracks the online behavior of whoever uses the computer. You can unknowingly download Spyware by going to a questionable website, or even by executing another program that you think is okay. One way spyware launches itself in your PC when you don’t even know it is by “piggybacking” on a good program so the spyware starts secretly when you run something you like on your computer. Make no mistake that spyware and virus software is a threat and we should all be careful to run software that protects our computers against this clever threat and protects us from web sites that download spyware to our systems. But how do you know if your PC has spyware in it? The scary part is that the worst thing spyware does which is to conduct identity theft and transmit your internet activity to someone to record happens and you can’t even tell it is going on. But there are some symptoms it is going on you should be aware of. One sign of spyware activity is that your computer is running badly. A sudden sluggish response and poor performance is a good sign your PC has been infected. Your computer isn’t really sick but it is running slower because the spyware is running fast collecting data about you and sending it to its “mother ship” or by even downloading and installing even more nasty programs on your machine. A good time to think about running your spyware and virus protection software is when you notice that your computer has suddenly slowed down for no reason. A good software package, and there are several on the market, will quickly let you know if you are infected and what to do about it. Another bothersome trick spyware does is to force your internet browser to take you to web sites you don’t want to be on. Usually the spyware “hijacks” your browser to take you to an advertiser’s site on the theory that this will make you want to buy their nasty and sometimes illegal goods or services. If you wonder why people use spyware on us, it’s to make money. So one way to strike back is to NEVER patronize vendors who use spyware. And above all, ALWAYS scan your computer if it is acting funny to shut down any spyware that is already there. The very idea that the people behind spyware can actually capture all of your internet activity is pretty darn upsetting because of how it can victimize us. Because if they can capture your keystrokes of how you surf the net, they can also get your private financial data which can be used for fraud and identity theft. That threat alone makes it worth the effort of guarding against spyware. One of the reasons identify theft has become such an epidemic is because of how spyware can capture information about us while we are online. Just as we make our kids be careful online, we should too because the internet can be a hazardous place. Spyware is getting craftier all the time and some of it actually resists being removed and requires extensive work even at the computer registry level to get rid of it. So be on guard for the signs in your computer of spyware and get rid of it fast before it takes over your PC and really makes your online life miserable.