Is there a risk of being infected by spyware if I don't use Internet Explorer? How does spyware get in?
Thanks

There is a somewhat greater risk of catching spyware using Internet Explorer (IE) than Firefox or one of the other browsers, but you can reduce the risk by "safe surfing"--staying away from "bad" sites offering porn, cracked software, "social networking," and peer-to-peer networking. This is primarily because IE commands a larger share of the browser market than the other brands of browsers. In practice, malware writers put their time/effort/malware where it will offer the greatest payoff, and that is the IE users. All browser work in a similar manner, and none is inherently safer than another.

Spyware can be "caught" in the same way that viruses and other malware is caught--by clicking on links in email from senders you don't know, by visiting Web sites that use exploits to take advantage of weaknesses in browsers, etc. A lot of spyware is voluntarily downloaded by users when they download software that pretends to be "security" software. Here's a link to a partial list of such software: https://kppfree.altervista.org/spylist.html on the Web. Such software is sometimes called "Smitfraud," and it takes advantage of our fear of malware. In selecting antispyware, and any security software, it is safer to stay with the established names and stay from the johnny-come-lately programs. There is some good free antispyware out there. Most of the free ansispyware doesn't check for spyware in real-time (as files are opened/downloaded), but you can schedule daily updates/scans to keep your computer clean or make manual updates/scans. Microsoft's Windows Defender is pretty good--it does scan real-time, and it doesn't conflict with most other security software. If you pair it with another free program (like LavaSoft's Ad-Aware), you will be protected against a lot of spyware.

In addition to virus/trojan signatures, Clam/ClamWin have some antispyware/aniphishing signatures that cover major spyware.

Regards,

Thanks, is Windows Defender the only real-time protection against spyware that is free of charge?

I believe the free Spyware Terminator offers real-time protection. You might also look into the antispyware product from PC Tools, but I don't know anything about it. Do some research because some of the free second-tier security software has had questionable practices in the past, or it became free because it wasn't as good as the competition. Windows Defender is decent, although it doesn't bother with cookies (most cookies are okay) and it isn't updated as often as the others. The free Spyware Blaster isn't a complete antispyware solution, but it is pretty good. It isn't real time, but it inoculates your browser against a lot of problems and doesn't use any resources. The free version of Lavasoft isn't real-time either, but it would be a good backup to Defender.

Regards,

Thanks!
I installed Spyware Terminator and found a few spyware threats on my computer. Spyware Terminator actually allows to run on-access ClamWin

I think Spybot S&D has a resident scanner for IE packaged in there somewhere too.