Remove Adware

What is adware?

Adware is software that displays advertisements and is often bundled with a program to help software manufacturers recover production costs. Sometimes you may have to pay for the full version of a limited (shareware) program to remove the advertisements. Mainly adware is more of an annoyance than a threat to your computing environment. Adware can pop-up advert windows randomly while the machine is in use and connected to the internet. Your web browser settings can even be hijacked so your homepage and search results get redirected to a website controlled by unsolicited adware.

What is spyware?

Spyware is software that collects information about you and your computing environment without your consent. Adware can often include spyware for collecting information about your internet browsing habits. This information is sent out again without your consent to the spyware company who collect the information for marketing purposes. Spyware can also be very dangerous as it can log your keyboard keystrokes (the keys that you press) so if you are on the internet typing in usernames and passwords then these can easily be stolen if the computer doesn’t have the necessary protection. A keylogger tool is often used in the constantly increasing problem of identity theft and fraud.

What is a virus?

Viruses are more malicious than adware or spyware but are often used to gain entry to a machine. They can also however be used to damage a computers data, then replicate and send themselves via e-mail as an attachment to other people in your address book or just spread across your local network which is why they are so destructive in a working environment. This type of virus is called a Worm virus. Viruses can be attached to images, other programs and documents that are in e-mails or downloaded from the internet. Another common type of virus is a Trojan Horse virus who’s name is derived from the Greek Myth, once accessed can allow an attacker almost unlimited access by opening a backdoor into a victims machine. It’s often used to send more adware or spyware to the machine. Trojans can also be used to upload or download files from a victims computer or even allow the pc to fall victim of a more harmful virus like a worm.

What can I do to protect my computer?

Protecting your computer is actually very easy to do when you know how. It can also be reasonably cheap and there are free options out there for download from the internet. Really the first step is that you need to be actively thinking before you open a file that you’ve downloaded or an e-mail the following three things. This is because most of the time the file requires permission to access your machine and you will give it permission if you are logged on to the machine by opening the file.

Is it from someone I know or can trust?

If the e-mail has been sent from someone you don’t know and isn’t formatted like a normal e-mail then the file could be adware, spyware or a virus. Sometimes the text in the e-mail wont actually make any sense and is made to just look like a normal e-mail.

Has it got a strange filename and/or is not related to what you thought you were downloading?

If the filename is just ‘gobbledygook’ then that may be a reason to be cautious of it being adware, spyware or a virus. Or if you were downloading something for example to do with digital cameras and the file is called umbrella then there must be something weird going on there!

Is the file extension (the part after the filename and the dot) .exe?

.exe means the file is an executable which is legitimately used for programs. A .exe is the most likely file type to contain adware, spyware or a virus. Always be wary of these especially if you receive one in an e-mail. Even if it is from a friend as the file could be a worm virus that’s infected their computer and then sent itself to you!

There are many options out there for security software that run in the background and protect your computer from these threats, they will scan e-mails and files that you download for you automatically. They can even be scheduled to run a scan on your computer so you can be sure that to remove threats hiding anywhere!

I think my computer is infected, what can I do?

If you are seeing an unusual amount of pop-up windows with adverts in on your computer or your machine is really slow to open programs or folders then it is very likely that your computer has been infected with something and you are going to need to remove it. If you can get onto the internet still then there are a number of free tools at your disposal that will help you remove the infection from your machine. The first in your arsenal should be HijackThis which will let you know a lot about what is running and starting up when your computer boots up. Then there is Spybot Search and Destroy which we still believe to be the best available out there to remove adware and spyware from your computer for free. AVG and Avast are perfect for home use too.

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