What is harmful about Spyware/Adware?

Spyware and Adware are harmful in many ways. While on the Internet, any information that is being transferred between your computer and a Web site may be recorded and sent to interested parties. This information can include names, social security numbers, credit card numbers, bank account information and passwords. Spyware also transmits Internet surfing habits and can cause advertisements to appear constantly when the user is online or even disrupt a user’s computer experience when offline and not connected to the Internet.

Adware affects the performance of your computer system. The pop-ups that are displayed when surfing the Internet can contribute to system overload, which slows connection speeds, Web page loading times and other aspects of computer performance. Both Spyware and Adware hinder computer performance and should be removed if significant interruptions in service are detected.