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In my last post I wrote about Spyware and how it can be categorised further into more specific "infections." In this post I will concentrate on Adware.

Adware is another one of those words that are actually two words put together. In this case it is advertising and software. You can have different kinds of adware. One being a programme that is supported by displaying ads at some point of using the software, or while using the software. And the other one is, that software installs itself while visiting sites and henceforth will display popups of ads while surfing the net.

I have installed an example of each on my virtual pc (I do not recommend to visit sites like that or download tools like that on a machine you use on a daily basis). See below for some screen shots (click to enlarge).

 

While the former is installed without a user’s consent and knowledge, the latter does state that the free version of the software is supported by ads. The latter thence is tagged as adware, but does not serve just as cruel to the user than the former. Having constant popups turning up on your pc while surfing the web is annoying and tedious. This can even go a step further, in that the adware installs features to track your browsing behaviour or collect other private data (such as what browser you use, what country you come from, etc pp.) further to the collection of the sites you visit. These things might even be sold to a third-party without your knowledge and thence adware can cross into spyware. This is often a reason why people confuse the terms adware, spyware, malware.

Reason for this is the possibility of its overlapping and the co-relation in itself. When adware collects data and sends it to someone else without your knowledge it can be termed spyware. However, if you have a programme that plainly displays ads during its running (like DAP) and does not serve any further ads through popups or sending information on files downloaded to a third-party, then it is plain adware.

NB.: Once a software mentions third-party data collection in its EULA and you agree to it, it is also regarded as plain adware and not spyware. With your acception of the EULA you are no longer "not aware" of the data collection and therefore the tool is not spying on you and cannot be termed spyware anymore.

If you feel you have adware installed on your pc, then there are several tools that are free and help you getting rid of the adware. The most known programmes are Ad-aware and Spybot - S&D.

If you want to rid yourself of adware shown in tools such as DAP, then you can try a google search for software that makes it possible to hide the ads displayed.

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 29th, 2007 at 11:49 and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.