Adware is a common type of malware that can be particularly annoying. Simply put, adware is unwanted software that displays advertisements on your screen. These ads can occur as pop-ups, on your internet browsers, as toolbars, or in any way that ads can be displayed.
Though don’t confuse this with genuine adverts that run on websites – those ads are legitimate and pay to be there. Adware is designed to place false adverts, sometimes over the top of web pages, to trick users into clicking on them.
How does it work?
- Adware, or advertising-supported software, is software that generates online advertisements in the user interface.
- These adverts may be implemented in a variety of ways such as a static box display, a banner display, a video, or a pop-up advert.
- These ads then make money for the creator of the adware, whilst being really annoying for the user – because who wants more ads?
How is Adware installed?
- Adware is most commonly installed by accident by a user as a secret add-on to the software/file they wanted to download.
- You could get it from installing pirated copies of software that have been downloaded from an unknown source, or even when installing legitimate software if the software vendor’s website has been compromised and the download tampered with.
What could it do to my computer or phone?
Other than being annoying, adware could mean:
- Web pages not displaying directly
- Slow device performance
- Devices crashing
- Reduced internet speeds
On phones and laptops, your battery may drain much quicker - On phones, there could be higher data use leading to a nasty bill
Worried your home or business isn’t well enough protected against the threat of malware? We can help – give us a call on 01553 692727 to talk to one of our engineers and find out how we can help!