What is Adware?
Adware, the colloquial term for advertising supported software, refers to unwanted advertisements that pop up on your screen, most commonly by means of a web browser. It may simply appear on your screen, slide in from the left or the right, or attempt to interrupt whatever you’re busy with at the time. Regardless of where it comes from, adware functions to simply make money by sneakily gaining access to your computer without the proper permission.
Indeed, adware is different to other forms of online advertising in that it lures users into downloading it without realizing what it is. It may come as part of another program, imbedded in legitimate software and fooling you into allowing it access to your device. Alternatively, hackers may find a vulnerability in the software or operating system you’re using on your device – this may be manipulated to infect your device with malware, which may include adware too.
Often, you’ll know the difference between nefarious forms of adware and other forms of legitimate online advertising when you see it. When you’re dealing with the latter, you may come across an advertisement that is related to the website you’re browsing. These kinds of advertisements are legitimate, and they also tend to be less abrasive and more relevant to your interests. In the case of malicious versions of adware, however, you’re likely to be immediately bombarded by a plethora of advertisements popping up left, right, and center. They’ll be promoting things that are completely unrelated to what you’re busy with – things such as supposed dating websites and fake virus warnings are a few common examples. Regardless of what the ad is promoting and its original source, you’re dealing with a program that has gained access to your device and is showing you advertisements from web pages that you have not, or are not, visiting.
Adware can pose a serious cybersecurity risk. Sangfor offers cybersecurity solutions that can help you respond to adware. But first, let’s have a look at adware in a little more detail – how you get it, how you know you have it, how it works, who it targets, the different types, and the different ways in which you can protect yourself from it.
How do you Get Adware?
You can get adware in a few different ways, but there are two main methods:
- Sometimes, if you download software from the internet – most likely freeware and shareware – it may be embedded within it. Of course, you don’t know that it’s there, but by downloading the program that you want, you’re automatically downloading the unwanted adware too. Regardless of how annoying this may be, if you’ve willingly downloaded free software from the internet and it happens to come with a few irritating advertisements, it’s not necessarily illegal – just annoying!
- Conversely, what is illegal is if a third party installs malware on your device without consent. This means that somebody has accessed your device – whether it’s a phone, a laptop, or a tablet – and gone ahead and infected it with malicious software.
How do You Know You Have Adware?
It’s normally pretty clear when your device has been infected with adware, and the best thing to do is to contact professionals. However, there are some indications you can look out for:
- The home page of your web browser has changed without you doing anything.
- Websites that you’re used to visiting display differently to normal.
- Advertisements pop up all over, especially where they don’t normally.
- Your web browser is far slower than normal – it may even crash.
- Reduced internet speed.
- You may find odd new plugins, extensions, or tool bars on your browser.
- Websites may redirect to other sites you’re not used to – sometimes suspicious sites with NSFW (not safe for work – i.e., explicit) content.
How Does Adware Work?
Adware relies on operating behind the scenes and under the radar. Once it has gained access to your device in one of the above ways, it secretly installs itself quickly and quietly, hoping that you won’t notice it’s even there. The fact that you don’t know that it’s there is exactly what this kind of software relies on – essentially, the hope is that you’ll view mysterious adverts that are displayed to you and even click on them either accidentally or out of naïve curiosity.
The objective of the process is quite simple – to make money. Essentially, developers and distributing vendors earn money by subjecting unsuspecting victims to these types of adverts. There are a few different ways in which they can make money:
- Pay-per-view advertisements: they get paid whenever somebody views the ad.
- Pay-per-click advertisements: they get paid every time an ad is clicked on.
- Pay-per-install advertisements: every time the software in question is installed on a device.
Once you understand the ways in which adware can earn money, it becomes clear just how easy it can be to do so, and why it occurs the way that it does. Simply bombarding users with irritating ads, forcing them to see things they don’t want to or wouldn’t normally choose to view, is enough to earn money.
Another way that the process can earn money is by tracking your search and browser history. Once this has been recorded, this information can be sold to third party individuals – it may be used to bombard you with advertisements related to your supposed interests based on your search history. Indeed, the same may be done with your location information.
Who Does Adware Target?
While it has the potential to be harmful or cause damage, such as if your browser history or location information is shared, adware is generally not the most dangerous form of cyber-attack. Indeed, that’s usually not its intended purpose. Thus, it tends to target individuals rather than businesses. That is, your average Joe, so to speak, may be more at risk than high-profile businessmen or successful companies.
Adware operates on a model colloquially referred to as the “too good to be true” model, and it’s rather self-explanatory. By preying on ordinary people’s wants and desires, the advertisements tend to offer people things that they almost certainly would be interested in – such as something free, a successful dating experience, or something along those lines. Who would say no to that? By creating advertisements that are eye-catching and tempting, the idea is that they’ll be able to target unsuspecting people who may genuinely think the offers are real – perhaps those who are not particularly tech savvy or just a little too trusting.
However, even those who understand the concept of adware may be susceptible to this trap. This may happen if is the advertisements are a little more subtle or if users are simply tricked into clicking on them by accident. For instance, we all know how frustrating it is when an advert pops up but the exit button is deliberately positioned somewhere that is difficult to click on. In this way, the pop up ads will be viewed and possibly clicked on by somebody who may be fully aware of the situation.
What are the Different Types of Adware?
As we’ve mentioned, adware comes in different forms – some are legal and more annoying than anything else, while others are simply illegal types of malware – and it’s important to know the difference. The two main types are legitimate as opposed to Potentially Unwanted Applications (PUAs).
Legitimate advertising software
When you are given the opportunity to decide whether or not you are interested in consenting to advertisements and software promotions, this is a legitimate form of adware. It allows developers to make a little extra money to cover their costs so that they are able to offer consumers their software for free. In cases like this, users will then knowingly and consensually download the advertising software in order to claim the free product that was promised as the reward. Sometimes this process includes sharing contact details for marketing purposes which may actually be desirable for the consumer.
However, there are other cases of legitimate and legal advertising software that is still a little bit shady and not completely above board.
- Legal Deceptive Adware: This is when developers intentionally make it difficult to avoid downloading third-party software. While it can be frustrating, it’s not necessarily illegal unless the creator knowingly includes malware. However, just because they haven’t inserted it themselves doesn’t mean it isn’t there. There may still be disguised malware-tainted adverts.
- Legal Abusive Adware: Ranging from harmless content to potentially explicit pornography, this method simply aims to flood you with advertisements. Once again, while they may contain adverts that are embedded with malware, as long as the creator didn’t knowingly do this, the legal burden doesn’t fall on them.
So there are legitimate, legal forms of advertising software that are acceptable as well as others that exist in a bit of a gray area, but are still technically illegal. However, in addition to these, there are also forms of adware that are simply illegal.
Potentially Unwanted Applications (PUAs)
Potentially on the verge of breaching the law, while sometimes just straight up illegal, a Potentially Unwanted Application (PUA), or Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP), is a program that are installed on your device without you providing consent or allowing access. The question of legality relies on the developer’s objective and the intended purpose of the software.
In the case of Illegal Malicious Adware PUA, profits are made by means of malicious parties distributing malware such as viruses or spyware through of advertising. This is illegal when the malware is intentionally disguised by advertising software and is done so knowingly by the distributers and creators of the adware, often using threatening methods to achieve their goals.
How do I Protect Myself from Adware?
The process of protecting yourself from adware infection is twofold – maintaining awareness of your online activity and what you’re exposing yourself to as well as using cybersecurity software for additional protection.
To achieve the former, there are a few things to look out for and be aware of:
- Think twice before downloading new software.
- Always read terms and conditions.
- Don’t open applications from unknown sources.
- Exit the download if it seems to start asking for permission to load adware.
- Avoid torrent sites and illegal downloads.
Of course, in addition to being careful, we suggest that you find a reputable adware cybersecurity system to do the work for you, and Sangfor has plenty to offer you. Contact Sangfor today to find a cybersecurity solution that works for you.
