Over the years, computer programs have gone from being productive to being malicious. Malicious software programs are rampant these days; some of them are computer viruses, spam, spyware, and adware. Both spyware and adware are classified as malware, which means they are malicious software that changes the operating system’s system and registry settings, which in turn makes the computer unstable.
Adware in its basic form is a program that displays advertisements on your computer monitor. Once a computer is affected by adware, windows displaying advertisements may appear on the screen even if the computer is disconnected from the Internet. In addition to displaying pop-ups, adware can also add website shortcut links to a web page’s browser bookmarks folder and change your browser’s home page settings. The adware also redirects search engine search results to other websites, most often to websites that earn income from the number of clicks or visits they get.
Adware generally installs itself on a computer system under false pretenses. Adware websites trick users into clicking links that will install the adware program on their systems. Similarly, adware can also be installed via freeware and bundled software, including free FTP or file-sharing programs. Users are typically eager to use freeware, which made combining adware with freeware a likely “” package “”.
The adware takes advantage of the credulity of users to use free things from the Internet. The most basic protection against adware would be for users to ensure that the software they plan to install comes from a trusted source and does not include adware. Also, users are advised to visit only trusted websites. When faced with a dialog box or a pop-up window during software installation or when visiting a website, users are advised to read carefully before clicking the “” OK “” or “” Yes “” option. .
In addition to practicing safe web browsing, users can protect their computer systems by ensuring that the operating system is patched or updated. Another solution would be to download and install “” Pop-up Blockers “” to prevent pop-up ads from displaying on the screen. Antivirus software also provides protection against adware.