What is Adware?
Are all online Adverts adware?
There is nothing more annoying than seeing unwanted advertisement pop-ups while watching your favourite show, playing a game online either on your computer or your laptop. Adverts ranging from how to be a millionaire in seven days, to how to burn belly fat overnight, and a lot of unseemly possible and unending adverts.
What Is Adware?
It is advertising-supported software that displays ads on both computers and mobile devices. It targets both businesses and individuals but more individuals than businesses usually offering too good to be true deals.
It is usually gotten in two ways either by:
- Users unintentionally download free programs (called freeware or shareware) that contain adware.
- Users visiting websites infected with adware that takes advantage of the vulnerabilities within browsers, downloading adware in files.
Note: Adware is not a virus rather It is a PUP ( potentially unwanted program). It tracks data and sells it to third parties. Think of it like a potential online stalker, that gets your information and sells it to others for targeted advertisement. So creepy.
Here are the signs to know if you have adware on your devices:
- Slow computer and browser.
- Getting a lot of Advertisement
- Crashing and Freezing of devices
- Change to your browser’s homepage
How to prevent adware?
- Scan your device regularly: Ensure you have a reliable Antivirus software with adware detection and removal capability. A manual scan can be initiated to check your device for adware presence. A scheduled and recurring scan can also be configured, so you can do
- Pay close attention before you initiate any download: In the fast-paced world of today, we hardly pay attention to our actions, and this sole weakness is leveraged by malicious users either to defraud or invade our privacy in the case of Adware. It’s very important we examine our activities, especially the links, pictures and videos we click.
- Keep your Operating System (OS) updated: Vulnerabilities are always discovered on operating systems, and patches are released to prevent successful exploits. It’s important to ensure that your device operating system is always up-to-date, this ensures that unwanted programs like adware does not cause harm.
Hope you have learnt something? Drop a comment
