Can Freeware have Spyware?
A lot of people opt for freeware software rather than paid software. Any software that can be downloaded from internet and installed to provide functionality to the user, for free is termed as freeware. It does not take a lot of effort to download or install a freeware. Freeware come with simple read me files and user friendly wizards.
There is another side to the story as well. If you are not careful about the authenticity and credibility of the freeware, it could download Spyware with it. There is nothing worse to having a Spyware on your computer. A Spyware can leak all your important information to the web. It is therefore recommended that you take good amount of care before downloading and installing any available freeware. Below are listed some of the very good tips to stay away from this dangerous software.
If the freeware manufacturing company is reputed and reliable, you could safely download it. You must therefore do a serious research about the company. Check out the previous track record and market image of the company. A good company with good market image is certain to develop reliable and authentic freeware.
A thorough research on the freeware itself is also very important. Many more people must have downloaded and installed this freeware before. Check various forums and Blogs to see if they have shared their experiences. You must also not draw any conclusions from just one or two good reviews. Rather, you must gather significant amount of information before deciding whether to download the freeware or not.
Visiting reputed website that offers software download is another good idea. Check to see if the website has listed the freeware you are interested in. A good and reputed website would not list a freeware that is malicious. If you manage to find the freeware on one or more such websites, you get a green signal. However, if you do not find it anywhere, the freeware could be suspicious and you may need to survey more.
Another important thing to do is to read the terms and conditions page very carefully. This page can give you a fair idea about the manufacturer and its credibility. Although one can not take these pages for granted, they can still give you a reasonable idea about the company.
Before you have finally decided to download the freeware, you must ensure that your computer has an anti Spyware installed into it. An anti Spyware can protect your computer just in case you happen to invite a Spyware to your PC. An older version of Spyware would not be able to identify a new Spyware. You must therefore keep your anti Spyware up to date.
On the whole, there is no harm installing a freeware if you can be careful doing it. Be smart enough to download only authentic freeware and you will always be on the safer side.
Susan Reynolds is the webmaster for a leading Spyware Removal Software brand. For more information visit: http://www.spywareremovaldoc.com
categories: Spyware Removal,Computers,Software,Internet,anti-spyware