To begin with, each of you has faced this challenge. Namely, the infestation with advertising: pop-up windows, banners on your screen left and right when you want to do your job or find the needed information in the browser. It comes from nowhere, and often when you click on it, even accidentally, more advertising windows or tabs appear. Sometimes this thing even changes the browser’s settings, replacing the search engine and changing the “home page.” The reason for all this is adware.
TAKEAWAY: adware is a malicious, undesirable program that displays ads. It reduces your browser activity. A click on this obsessive advertising takes you to websites you don’t know. You slow down your browser by clicking on the pop-ups produced by programs of this kind. It is most often designed for desktop computers, but it can sometimes be found on mobile devices or tablets. Therefore, you should be careful to find the first signs of an adware intrusion.
How Does Adware Work?
This program penetrates systems after users install untested software or accidentally follow malicious links. With every installation of such a program, its developers get a good profit. Providers of the banners, the adware developers’ business partners, are usually fraudsters. You’ve all seen them, and you know them; these are references to super fast slimming, big wins, fake fears about computer virus attacks, etc.
All these pop-ups are for you to click on them, follow their links and acquire even more similar malware. Spyware, for example. After entering your computer, it steals your data and sells it to a third party. No matter what browser you use. It can be Firefox, Opera, Chrome, and others – adware and spyware can target all of them.
Adware Attack Examples You Need to Know
There are many different malicious advertising programs. All of them in any way try to affect your computer. Below we will discuss the most famous examples of advertising software.
- Gator is a malicious ad that tries to run on your computer without your consent. It mostly comes as a browser extension. The most common way for Gator to get to your computer is to be downloaded legally or after an accidental click on a link. You can even download a different program, and it will already be infected with this virus.
- Fireball is an advertising software developed by Rechotech. It gained remarkable popularity in 2017 when Israeli developers discovered more than 250 million computers infected with this advertising software. Fireball can get to your computer through the app you downloaded. You can learn about it later when you let your guard down. This program hacks your browser after it gets into it. The browser starts working on Fireball, which modifies your search engine and the default home page. The bizarre thing about Fireball is that it has a legitimate digital certificate, and because of that, security often doesn’t notice it, thinking that it’s some completely harmless advertising software.
- Appearch – this adware works as a browser thief. Installed on your device with free programs, starts slowing down the browser, shows different advertising banners, appears when you watch videos, etc. It pops up every time you try to visit the browser.
- DeskAd is a piece of adware appearing on your screen in the form of banners. This program starts its work in your browser very slowly and carefully. Before it nests among your legitimate software, you will not notice it, and by the time you do, it almost fully subverts your browser. Take your personal information from there and use it for your purposes.
How to Detect Adware?
The infection with adware does not go unnoticed. If you see one of the following signs, you should think of using the Adware Removal Tool, through which you will be able to protect your PC from harm and the theft of your data.
So, you have a browser infected with advertising software, if:
- the browser appearance changes without your intervention;
- you have a lot of intrusive pop-ups and banners when browsing sites;
- a new toolbar appears;
- your PC starts installing apps without your command;
- browser download speed drops significantly.
How to Avoid Adware Today?
If you have adware on your PC, you should take appropriate counter-measures. How exactly you will get rid of adware depends not on the type of adware. You can remove some viral programs from your operating system easily. Some require the intervention of an antivirus program. To protect your PC from potential virus programs, we recommend that you use Adware Removal Tool, an antivirus program that will protect your data and computer.
How Does Adware Removal Tool Work?
Antivirus finds the source of pop-up windows, problems with browser speed, etc. After the antivirus program detects the adware, it will defuse it, so the ads will no longer annoy you. Install Gridinsoft Anti-Malware, which will disable adware, prevent further virus attacks, and put protection on your PC, thus protecting your personal data from intruders.
