Everybody has already heard of spyware and trojans somewhere, but most of us don't really know what is behind those terms and how harmful those malicious software can be.
The scope of this article is, to give you an idea of how spyware works and how you can protect your computer from unauthorized access.
Spyware is the general term for software, that is installed on your computer without your permission and is altering your system-setup in a way that your computer can be used to disperse advertisements or be the starting point for running attacks on other computers.
In the latter case the software gained total control over your system, such a software is called a trojan.
One of the crucial consequences of trojans is, that you are legally responsible for software that is running on your system.
So if a trojan, running on your computer, attacks another system or disperses spam you might have to bear the consequences.
Those consequences can be devastating and impact your financial situation drastically.
So investing a few bucks in a effective anti-spyware software before it is too late seems to be the better alternative.
To remove really every kind of spyware on your system, you shouldn't be using the protection-software, that comes with your system.
There is a very simple reason for that.
Since nearly everybody in the world is using exactly the same protection, programmers put much more effort in outsmarting that system than in any other.
Furthermore the spyware-protection-software you are using should automatically updated itself at least hourly, so it can react to the fast changes that are going on in the spyware-community.
To remove spyware thoroughly from your PC you should keep these simple rules in mind and you wont get into any trouble.