Ad-based parasites have become notorious for their aggressive and persistent marketing strategies, always aiming at the biggest revenues. Online advertisements, as we hope you know, are not always the most transparent and conforming with the essential rules of cyber security.
Their content could be misleading and deceptive, aiming to trick into believing clickable ads. If you decide to press a button on an ad, you could be auto-transferred to a remote website, possibly making it its mission to scam you or find out some personal and valuable information about users.
One specific question is constantly asked by people that have to battle adware infections: how did I become infected? Ads can be triggered by all sorts of applications: rogue browser extensions, add-ons, or desktop applications that receive a spot in one of the folders of your operating system. We have learned that banners. Pop-ups, widgets, in-texts ads can bother people every time they decide to explore the Internet. Some malicious tools can even modify the content of visited websites and implant sponsored material as if it belongs in the website.
Adware malware continues to implement similar strategies that it has engaged through the years. Have you ever encountered ads, stating “Warning! Computer Infected!” “Free scan! Your computer is full of Trojans and spyware!”? These pop-ups are called technical support scams that aim to lure people with guarantees to have their computer devices properly checked for malware viruses.
However, if you agree to allow an unknown executable/program to be set up in your OS, Trojan or other type of infection will be brought in as well. In some cases, helpline numbers are incorporated into these scams and concerned people can contact alleged Microsoft technicians. This might create some level of credibility, but even if you engage in a conversation with an actual person, this will only mean that the scam is more elaborate and aims to swindle money in more convincing ways.
One specific theme for advertisements is online shopping coupons and rivalry prices from other vendors. While browsing through items from Amazon or other online shop, you could be presented with a list of similar merchandises. Therefore, many adware applications take a form of “online shopping assistants” and hope that people will feel more eager to utilize them. Ad-networks are mostly obsessed with monetization possibilities. Every new client is probably seen as a dollar bill and not a person to be assisted during his/her online shopping.
One specific tool is called DealPly: it is advertised as a free, safe and friendly browser app which will eagerly present more affordable alternatives for the items users have recently reviewed. Lowest deals from Amazon, eBay and other online shops are guaranteed. However, the tool fluctuates between being a potentially unwanted program (PUP) and a adware tool. Read more about this add-on on 2-viruses.com.