Adware: Popup Ads That Don’t Go Away

Adware is one of the oldest malware programs that spread on the Internet. While many website owners provide information for free, they make money through ads. The give-and-take style of website hosting was a great addition to the information highway. The problem is that webmasters became too aggressive, and they created malicious programs that later led to a type of malware called Adware.

---

A Brief History

Adware is one of the newer forms of malware in the wild. It was introduced a little over a decade ago. When the Internet first became popular, advertising was nothing more than trading links with other site owners. As advertising became a popular way to make money from a website, online ads were used by more and more service providers.

This introduced a way for malware creators to do more than just steal data. Instead, they could now plant adware on a user’s computer and display ads at random. If users thought the ads were from a legitimate website, they would be more likely to click the ad. When the ad was clicked, the malware writer would make a little bit of money. This small amount of commission added up to thousands of dollars a month for Adware creators.

The epidemic of Adware spread quickly, and it prompted antivirus creators to create anti-adware applications. These applications would detect and remove Adware from a user’s computer.

One common Adware spreading application was Kazaa. Kazaa was a kickoff after the Napster debacle. Users could download music and applications after they installed Kazaa on their desktops. Unfortunately, Kazaa also came with loads of Adware and Spyware attached, which would display ads constantly on the user’s desktop. The company’s defence was that the ads were used to help keep Kazaa active. Kazaa was eventually taken offline due to copyright infringement, but users were left with several malicious programs on their computers.

---

What Does Adware Do?

Adware is usually packaged with another type of malware called Spyware. Adware itself just displays unwanted banner ads or popups. It sometimes tries to hide itself by only displaying when a user browses a website. The user thinks the website is displaying popups, but it’s actually malware installed on the computer.

Adware itself is more of an annoyance than destructive, but malware creators added a new component called Spyware to some programs. Spyware has a much more malicious payload, and it can lead to users losing private data to the hacker.

Spyware runs in the background and attempts to identify private information. This could be from a keylogger that logs keystrokes as the user logs in to a website, or it can be a simple scanner that finds documents on the user’s computer and sends them to the hacker. Some Spyware creators log computer information or statistics about a user’s habits to then send to a centralized database. These statistics are then sold to other companies for profit.

Combine the two malware applications together, and you have a nasty program that continues to annoy with popups but also steals data. Malware writers use the data stolen to even target ads to convince the user to click more ads.

The biggest concern with these programs is privacy. Also, users who get Adware usually have a difficult time completely cleaning the software. If you only remove a part of the Spyware program, it usually has a trigger that replicates and reinserts itself into the computer system. When users think they’ve deleted the software, it reappears after a reboot. This is an extremely annoying occurrence that is common with Adware programs.

One final reason that malware creators want users to install these programs is the ability to detect user browsing habits. For instance, if a user regularly visits music sites, the Adware program knows to send more music ads to the system. Adware also uses a lot of pornography ads since most legitimate businesses don’t want to be involved with malware. Most users think the ads are created by the company doing the advertising, so it causes angry calls to customer service. Therefore, if an advertiser uses malware for affiliate income, he runs the risk of having his affiliate earnings seized.

As you can see, Adware has several privacy issues, so avoid installing any third-party applications that you don’t trust.

---

Avoiding Adware

Most malware starts when users download programs from unknown websites. Malware creators have gotten much smarter, so they try to convince users to install malware by masquerading as a legitimate program. For instance, have you ever seen the Adobe Flash upgrade popup? The popup usually tells you that your Flash isn’t updated. If you click the ad, your browser opens a website that isn’t Adobe. The update you download is actually filled with Adware and other malicious applications.

Adware is also commonly packaged with other legitimate software. For instance, your favorite program that manages music or mounts ISO images could include Adware programs. Adware creators pay developers to include malware with their installers. You’ll know if a program includes malware because it’s usually a question asked at the end of installation. The installer asks you if you want to install an extra toolbar or browser program. Always choose “No” when these options are shown.

Browser extensions and toolbars often contain malware. Don’t install third-party applications that want to change your browser experience. This includes Chrome extensions from manufacturers you don’t recognize. The toolbar might seem like a nice addition, but these programs are notorious for adding malware to user systems.

---

Removing Adware from Your Computer

Luckily, Adware is usually easy to remove. A quick Google search will give you step by step instructions for most Adware issues. Just Google the name and you can remove any registry values and files.

For people who aren’t comfortable in the Windows registry, you’ll need to download Adware removal programs. There are several on the market that will remove several different Adware programs.

Just to name a few:

• Bitdefender
• Ad-Aware
• Malwarebytes
• AdwCleaner

Antivirus software usually identifies Adware and will stop it from installing, but since Adware is packaged with legitimate programs, it sometimes misses sneakier malware. Keep your antivirus running and use Adware specific software installed if you install software that is from a lesser known creator.