Lab 12 Computer Security Basics

Part F: Scanning and Removing Spyware

Spyware is a common problem for Windows computers. Similar to a virus, spyware is software that has been installed onto your system without your knowledge. Unlike a virus, spyware is less overtly destructive; and, therefore, it is much less obvious when your computer is infected by spyware. In truth, many problems that Windows users have with their programs and computers may be traced back to spyware. This software often uses up system resources such as memory and processor time and can corrupt files. While some antivirus software now has the ability to look for and remove spyware, the best spyware detectors and removers are not the best antivirus programs. Therefore, we will focus on scanning and removing spyware with specialized antispyware tools.

For this part of the lab we will use Windows Defender, a (currently) free spyware scanner from Microsoft. You can also download Defender to use at home from the link below.

Note that the installer page for Defender requires you to install a browser plugin in order to validate your copy of Windows. This is more complicated in Firefox and Mozilla than for Internet Explorer. We recommend that you use IE to download Defender in this section.

Visit the Windows Defender homepage (please use Internet Explorer).
Click "DOWNLOAD IT HERE!" and follow the instructions to download Defender. If you are asked to validate your Windows installation, choose Yes. This step is designed to ensure that you are using a legal copy of Windows.
Download the installer file (WindowsDefender.msi) to your Desktop.
Once Defender has finished downloading, double-click the file WindowsDefender.msi to install it.
Walk through the installation steps. When asked, choose to iuse the recommended update settings.

Choose a complete install.
When installation is finished, it will ask you if you want to perform a definitions update and a scan. Check the box to do so. Defender will open, but may not be able to update if you are using a lab machine.
Once the update is completed, click the Scan button to scan your system for spyware. (If Defender did not open in the last step, right-click the castle icon in the system tray to open the console.)

Answer question 10 in the Lab 12 Catalyst quiz online.