Spywares have been infecting millions of computers world wide. These computer security threats have the ability to slow down computer applications, collect personal information, track user activity and destroy computer softwares. Pop - up advertisements and deceptive pop - up windows lead users to unknowingly install more spywares. There are available spyware search downloads on the net to look for spywares and delete these before it cause harm to the computer.

There are a lot of anti-spyware software programs that performs spyware search, detection and deletion. The free anti-spywares usually detects spyware that are already installed into the computer. The scan should be done manually in a regular basis to ensure that the computer is always clear of infections. A quick scan digs through folders and files that have been earlier infected with spyware. These folders are usually the temporary Internet file folder and other executable files that are prone to spyware attacks. A full scan digs through all the folders and files, and takes a longer time to complete, but this ensures that the entire computer is swept clean.

Advanced versions of spyware search and detection provide real time protection, where security threats can be detected before it is installed in the computer. This type of anti-spyware package is usually no longer free, and is usually used by large companies. Free anti-spyware downloads can be used as a test to assess whether or not the premium package will be purchased.

Free spyware search downloads should be updated regularly for its spyware definition, since spyware developers come up with a different variety every time, and anti-spyware softwares have to catchup with these changes. It is possible that one runs a scan and no spywares are detected, but the computer has been infected by a new variety already. Free updates are available online but should be manually installed.

Users, however, should be wary of fake anti-spyware programs that have been spreading. There is an available list in the Internet of these fake anti-spyware links. These usually appear as pop - up windows that shows a warning that your computer has been infected, and that you should download this particular anti - spyware immediately. Unknowingly, a naïve user will have installed the actual spyware, and not an anti - spyware program. Some of the identified fake anti-spyware programs as provided in Wikipedia are: AntiVirus Gold, Errorsafe, MacSweeper, PAL Spyware Remover, SpywareStrike, UltimateCleaner, WinFixer and WorldAntiSpy. There are a lot of pop - ups that appear to be a Windows menu but is actually a spyware.

To further protect against spyware, aside from spyware search softwares, one can use other web browsers which are less prone to spyware attacks and have pop-up blockers, such as Mozilla Firefox and Opera. Firewalls and proxies also help limit access to websites that are known to "distribute" spyware. Users should also access and download files only from known safe websites. Instant messaging, video and audio streaming should be limited to reputable sites. Users should also be vigilant in giving out personal information on the web. Online shopping should be done with companies of good reputation. Social networking sites that ask for your email password should be avoided.