Everyone’s been there. You’re surfing the web, going to your favorite sites, maybe finding some new place you’ve never been when suddenly every new window pops up with an add. You’ve become the victim of adware, and now you’ve got to figure out how to get rid of it.
A Tale of Two Adwares
First off, not all adware is intentionally malicious. Many companies employ adware as alternative advertising in conjunction with free apps. They’ll pop up every so often during gameplay or browsing to inform you of sponsored content that allows free apps to remain so.
While these are generally harmless, there are other forms that have a more insidious purpose. Browser hijackers, for example, will change your homepage to take you to certain web content that displays single or many adds at once. When you attempt to change it back, your homepage will be decidedly stubborn and won’t budge.
Hidden Dangers
While some bad adware is somewhat benign and only guides your browser to certain web pages, other such malware can perform a variety of operations that intrinsically harm your computer or pose a significant threat, like:
- Decreasing computer speed
- Interrupting online and offline activity with pop-up ads
- Invading other computers in background processes
- Stealing information from websites you visit, like banking and email
- Logging keystrokes to learn passwords
- Installing additional viruses onto your computer and others
In addition, if you’ve found adware on your system that you don’t remember installing there is an excellent chance that your system has been invaded by other malware. At times, adware can be indicative of a Trojan Horse virus installing a host of other malicious programs you didn’t know about.
Spring Cleaning
The hardest part of malicious adware can be the removal. Viruses are meant to be difficult to get rid of, and often have sneaky ways to remain on your device long after you thought they’re gone. Some antivirus software only takes care of the immediate threat and misses hidden deep in file systems until reactivated.
Malicious adware is often designed to specifically avoid detection by antivirus software by posing as add-ons to other legitimate programs. Since they go unnoticed, they continue to plague your system with threats and slowdowns on a regular basis. As a result, many antivirus programs will simply delete the good and bad adware at the same time.
A Better Solution
A good antivirus system not only roots out malware, but it will also tell the difference between the good and bad kinds. This way, you can still enjoy apps and programs that utilize adware to remain cost-free while keeping your device safe from viruses that will cause harm to you or others.
If you believe your devices have been infected with malicious adware, contact us at Super Source GmbH. We understand the importance of internet security and are ready to help you secure your devices from current threats and ensure safe browsing in the future.