It used to be that the worst thing you could catch from going online to places where you shouldn't be was a computer virus. Computer anti-virus products have been around for so long now that it's pretty much standard dress to have one on before venturing out onto the Internet. But today, there's so much bad stuff out there just waiting to find you and your poor little computer, having only just an anti-virus program is tantamount to venturing out into the Amazonian jungle with just a can of insect repellent.

You're going to need more to survive. A lot more.

One of the biggest threats to you going online now is something called "Identity Theft." No longer do they just want to mess around with your computer. They want to mess around with you personally. And the best way to do that is to steal anything and everything that makes you who you are.

All of your personal information such as your credit card numbers, Social Security number, banking account information, and anything else that might help them to gain access to your personal data such as passwords, Swiss bank account numbers and the like, are all up for grabs. Anything that will give the bad guys access to anything of value is fair game. And unfortunately, so much of that personal data can be found on or accessed through your personal computer. Fortunately, there's some very good protection available to you such as the one from PC Tools Software called Spyware Doctor.

If you have to classify Spyware Doctor, it would be called anti-spyware.

Spyware comes in all kinds of shapes and forms and Spyware Doctor keeps up with the best of them. As with computer viruses, new types of spyware are constantly being devised. And Spyware Doctor is constantly being updated to stay ahead of the game.

Unlike most anti-spyware products out there that detects something after you are infected, Spyware Doctor is also a preventative move. It blocks as well as detects and removes all types of spyware out there. For example, just browsing on over to a website can infect your computer with spyware. With Spyware Doctor in place, you will be warned that the website you are about to view is trying to install something bad and it will prevent you from being infected right there, at that moment.

Spyware Doctor has anti-phishing built in as well. Ever get one of those emails that claims your password on PayPal or eBay is about to expire? In that email is a link on which you are asked to click. Don't do it. But if you do, it brings you to a website that looks like a PayPal or eBay screen.

It asks you for your old password and to re-enter a new one, along with some other confidential data. Of course, it's not a real PayPal or eBay screen.

It's a thief trying to steal your private information. If you are so inclined to be fooled by this phishing ploy, your copy of Spyware Doctor won't be. It won't let you even go to that website and will alert you to the impending disaster.

Spyware Doctor is also capable of catching keyloggers. These are little programs that have been surreptitiously planted on your computer. Their purpose is to capture every keystroke you make. When it gets enough of them, the keylogger will transmit every keystroke you made to the pirate's location which can be really nasty. But you can feel safe with Spyware Doctor watching every move the bad guys try to make against you. If you want a list of just about everything Spyware Doctor protects against, that would be Spyware, Adware, Spyware Trojans, Keyloggers, Identity Theft, Hijackers, Tracking Threats, Rogue Anti-Spyware, Unwanted Software, Phishing, Popups and Bad Websites. The defensive list keeps growing because the list of bad things keeps growing.

Installation of Spyware Doctor is a breeze and its OnGuard technology only alerts you to a true spyware detection. False positives can be distracting and interfere with your productivity. Most everything Spyware Doctor does happens in the background so that you can continue your work without any interruptions.

Spyware Doctor has been downloaded literally millions of times and has won numerous awards from recognized publications such as PC Magazine's Editor's Choice and Best of the Year awards.

You can try Spyware Doctor for 30 days before making the purchase of $29.95 that includes one year of updates and customer support. You can download Spyware Doctor from the PC Tools website or purchase the boxed copy at the same price form their website as well as technology stores everywhere. An enterprise version is available for large organizations too. For Windows only. I used to say that going online without and anti-virus program was like playing Russian Roulette with all the chambers loaded. I'm expanding that advice to include going online without spyware protection. Give Spyware Doctor a try. Your identity will be glad you did.

www.pctools.com