All About Adware

In a previous article, titled All About Spyware, I detailed exactly what spyware was, how it can harm you and your computer and ways to avoid getting spyware on your computer. Now I want to turn my attention to adware.

Many describe adware as the lesser of the two evils compared to spyware. And for the most part, that is general true. However, many forms of adware are just as destructive as spyware, and can cause you a great deal of time and aggravation trying to get rid of it.

Like my article on spyware, I want to start off by defining exactly what spyware is. According to McAfee Inc., the leader in spyware and adware protection solutions:

Adware is software whose primary function is to make revenue through advertising that is targeted at the person using the computer on which the adware is installed. This revenue can be made by the vendor or partners of the vendor. This does not imply that any personal information is captured or transmitted as part of the software's functioning, though that is often the case.

A better but much longer (and my personal favorite) definition of adware comes from geekpatroloncall.com. They define adware as:

Adware, also known as an Adbot, can do a number of things from profile your online surfing and spending habits to popping up annoying ad windows as you surf. In some cases Adware has been bundled (i.e. peer-to-peer file swapping products) with other software without the user's knowledge or slipped in the fine print of a EULA (End User License Agreement). Not all Adware is bad, but often users are annoyed by adware's intrusive behavior. Keep in mind that by removing Adware sometimes the program it came bundled with for free may stop functioning. Some Adware, dubbed a "BackDoor Santa" may not perform any activity other then profile a user's surfing activity for study. AdWare can be obnoxious in that it performs "drive-by downloads". Drive-by downloads are accomplished by providing a misleading dialogue box or other methods of stealth installation. Many times users have no idea they have installed the application. Often Adware makers make their application difficult to uninstall. A "EULA" or End User License Agreement is the agreement you accept when you click "OK" or "Continue" when you are installing software. Many users never bother to read the EULA. It is imperative to actually read this agreement before you install any software. No matter how tedious the EULA, you should be able to find out the intent BEFORE you install the software. If you have questions about the EULA- e-mail the company and ask them for clarification.

As you can see from these two definitions, adware is just as bad as spyware.

I offered five great tips previously on how to protect you from spyware. So here are five tips to protect your self from adware:

1. Buy a good, comprehensive software program that protects your computer. For this, I have to recommend the products that I use. I use McAfee Internet Security Suite and XoftSpy, which is a malware scanner. These products can stop spyware and adware dead in its tracks. If you already have adware or spyware on your computer, these products can find it and delete it for good (http://www.delete4good.com).

2. There is no such thing as a free lunch. When you download freeware or shareware, chances are that you are downloading adware with it. Many programmers will offer a "free" trial of their software that you can use. However, adware is built into the "free" program to bombard you with advertisements for the "paid" version of the freeware that you are using.

3. Certain "types" of websites are notorious for adware. Those "types" of websites include: peer-to-peer sites, free games websites, and pornographic sites. If you frequent these type of website, make sure your computer is protected (see number 1 above).

4. Make sure that your web-browser security settings are configured correctly. This can prevent adware or other malicious software from automatically downloading on your computer.

5. Never, never, never click on pop-up ads. I know that some pop-up are irresistible. But they are irresistible for a reason. Pop-ups are meant to get your attention. But if in the pursuit of your attention, they get you to click on them, you may get more than you bargain for.

The best thing to do is stop pop-ups from showing up on your computer in the first place. Most web-browsers come with a respectable pop-up blocker. If your pop-up blocker is doing a poor job of blocking pop-ups, Yahoo and Google offer excellent programs that work well. They're free and they come from a reputable source.

Protecting your computer has turned into a multibillion-dollar business. But, even the best spyware and adware protection is useless if you don't take necessary precautions. Doing just a little bit of research and taking a few precautions can greatly reduce your risk of being exposed to spyware, adware, viruses, trojans and other so called malware.

J. Barbour is a consultant for Weinman-Skaggs Consulting in Miami, FL. http://www.delete4good.com

Adware - Should I be Afraid?

Developers offering downloads are paying the price for the malformed truths that have been put forth regarding downloads. While not a political campaign the smears are ever present in the adware arena.

Years ago developers saw they could monetize freeware that was becoming expensive to host. Developers began working with Ad Networks such as the former Aureate and Conducent, who imbedded advertisements in the software. The software in many cases phoned home retrieving ads. In other cases adverts were imbedded directly into the download only being removed when the software was registered. Many well known software companies, including Netscape distributed ad supported versions, which allowed users to use the software for free. Developers were compensated either by install or the number of ads served. Advertisers welcomed new revenue streams to reach potential customers.

Adware or advertising-supported software is any software application in which advertisements are displayed while the program is running. These applications include additional code that displays the ads in pop-up windows or through a bar that appears on a computer screen. Adware helps recover program development costs, and helps to hold down the price of making the application for the user, often making it free of charge. As a result of the AdWare revenue programmers were motivated to write maintain, and upgrade valuable ad-enabled software. Adware was a great consumer trade off, so were did it all go wrong?

Unbeknownst to the developers a handful of ad serving companies were logging and profiling the surfing habits of those who had downloaded the ad-enabled software. After downloading free software, the new adware companies delivered pop-up and pop-under ads based on the consumers surfing interests. Adware has been criticized for including code that tracks a user's surfing habits, email address and personal information, which are passed to third parties, without the user's authorization or knowledge. This was the downfall of the ad serving technology and ad-enabled software.

In many cases consumers rightfully believe they have been and are being spied on, which prompted an outcry from privacy advocates. Adware is not a virus and may not be detected by anti-virus scanning programs. It does not spread the same way as most viruses spread. Many users do not know they are downloading a free program along with adware onto their computer. The lack of disclosure tarnished reputations of many well known, but misfortunate developers and software companies. The collapse of a number of venture backed ad-serving companies including Aureate and Conducent.

Fast forward to today. Few applications are now ad enabled. Those that are generally follow strict disclosure guidelines. Some developers opt to insert static (not changing) ads for other applications in their product line, into free versions, but these ads do not change and there is no record of what ads are clicked. Freeware can therefore be used free of charge and there is no evaluation time period as with shareware. Freeware is also often a basic or stripped down version of the shareware version. Developers make money off ads or those who want to upgrade from the free version. There are also developers who provide freeware out of principle, occasionally asking for a donation. The majority of freeware that employs the use of imbedded advertisements are provided in the true spirit of adware without the intent to track users, but just to be safe consumers should read the fine print.

Sharon Housley manages marketing for NotePage, Inc. http://www.notepage.net a company specializing in alphanumeric paging, SMS and wireless messaging software solutions. Other sites by Sharon can be found at http://www.rss-specifications.com, http://www.softwaremarketingresource.com and http://www.small-business-software.net

Adware and Spyware Removal Tools - The High Price of Things that are Free

We cannot help but be enticed by things that are free. Despite knowing at the back of our heads that nothing comes free, we can't seem to shake off the natural hopeful tendency that tempts us to believe that free items have no strings attached.

This is particularly true with the case of unwanted adware and spyware that some of us unknowingly download and infect our systems with. Adware and spyware are programs that are unwittingly installed into our computers because they come bundled with some freeware and shareware programs that are downloadable from the Internet. Computer and Internet users are usually careful about installing suspicious programs that may contain viruses and worms that can disrupt the computer's system.

This is why spyware and adware use deception to get individuals to downloading them either because they are intricately bundled into legitimate parent programs and sometimes, spyware and adware can even masquerade itself as security or computer optimization software to trick one into installing these unwanted programs.

However, in some cases, one doesn't even have to install anything to get the computer system infected with spyware and adware. Simply browsing and visiting certain sites can launch an attack. These adware and spyware programs can be launched due to vulnerabilities in your Internet browser's security. This way, spyware and adware can automatically infect your system without you having to download anything. This is especially true of earlier versions of Internet Explorer because it is intricately connected to the Windows operating system.

For this reason, it is important to free yourself from security and privacy risks by equipping yourself with adequate spyware and adware protection.Spyware and adware at the very least can cause you annoyance from unwanted pop up advertisements that can erratically appear on your computer monitor. In moderate instances though, your privacy can be greatly compromised since spyware can track your Internet habits. However, severe cases can mean a serious attack on your security against identity theft and fraud.

While you indeed should be wary of free programs, there are some free spyware and adware protection programs that you can use manage your Internet risks properly. There's Ad-Aware SE Personal, Spybot S&D, IE-SPYAD, Spyware Blaster, HiJack This, XP-AntiSpy, and X-Cleaner are some of the more popular free spyware and adware protection programs. Before trying out some other free spyware and adware protection program though, you should make sure of its legitimacy.

There are rogue spyware or malware that are disguised as security software. Before trying these out, you should do your research and ask around for recommendations. Dependable and secure free spyware and adware protection programs however are vital protection needed in every computer. These free spyware and adware programs work in two ways. The first is by providing real time protection by proactively preventing new spyware and adware from infecting your system.

The other type of protection provided by free spyware and adware programs is the detection and eradication of existing spyware and adware that is already installed in your computer. Not all free spyware and adware protection programs are created equal. Some of the free spyware and adware protection programs mentioned above can only do one type or protection and some can do both. It is better to get a free spyware and adware protection program that can do both for better value and risk management.

Milos Pesic is an expert programmer who runs a highly popular and comprehensive Adware and Spyware Removal web site. For more articles and resources on Top Rated Adware and Spyware Removal Tools, Adware Blockers, Spyware and Malware protection and much more visit his site at:http://adware.need-to-know.net/