What is Adware?

As a user of computer devices, when you stress on a web browser, you see advertisements pop up on your screen, this is the work of Adware. Adware is advertising software that displays advertisers to users when they are within an interface or web browser. Adwares are created by developers for the purpose of generating revenue by serving advertisements to computer users while surfing the internet or when installing a program. Adware monitors users' behaviors online in order to determine when to display ads and the type of advertisements that suit them most. Adware can display full-screen ads, videos, and other pop-ups to users.

What is Adware?

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What is Adware?

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How is Adware Used?

Adware means "advertising-supported software." it is a software program used by developers to serve advertisements to internet users when browsing on their computers or installing a program. Although many users see Adware as malicious and intrusive in nature, they are legitimately used by developers to redirect search results to advertising sites and to also connect users' data for marketing purposes. The nature of data collected and the types of websites users visit to determine the customized adverts that will be served on their screen. In many cases, when users receive unsolicited ads, they disable the adware and limit how ads pop up on their screen.

Adware: How Users Make Money

Generally, adware poses no threats to a computer system, it is simply used by developers to generate revenue. Developers also design adware in a way that they are not easily noticed by computer users, rather, they hide in computers and serve customized ads that generate revenue for the developer. There are two ways software developers make money from adware, one through the display of ads on users' computers and another is when users click on the pay-per-click ads.

Adware History

The use of adware was introduced in 1995, by software developers. They are advertising-supported software that hides in computer systems and monitor the internet activities of users for advertisement purpose. When it was first introduced, there were oppositions from industry experts who viewed adware as a Spyware. Much later, adware was accepted to be largely legitimate and its use spread uncontrollably. Due to lack of regulation, some unethical activities thrived in adware which led to more stringent policies on adware.

Adware and Malicious Use

In many cases, adware is considered as malicious, given that it serves advertisements to users in a manner similar to malware, a malicious software. Also, Adware creeps into people's computers when they engage in the unauthorized installation or visit fake websites. Adware monitors the activities of computer users and collates data about their internet activities without their knowledge. This is why many industry experts consider adware to be spyware. Furthermore, adware carries out a lot of unwanted and unsolicited tasks that are annoying and intrusive to the user. Users consciously install programs that help them remove adware, such programs include AVG AntiVirus Free, Spybot, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and others.