Adware

From TheBestLinks.com

Adware or advertising-supported software is any software application in which advertisements are displayed while the program is running. These applications include additional code that displays the ads in pop-up windows or through a bar that appears on a computer screen. Adware helps recover programming development costs, and helps to hold down the price of the application for the user (even making it free of charge)—and, of course, it can give programmers a profit, which helps to motivate them to write, maintain, and upgrade valuable software.

Some adware is also shareware, in that users are given the option to pay for a "registered" or "licensed" copy, which typically does away with the advertisements.

Some adware programs have been criticized for occasionally including code that tracks a user's personal information and passes it on to third parties, without the user's authorization or knowledge. This practice has been dubbed spyware and has prompted an outcry from computer security and privacy advocates, including the Electronic Privacy Information Center [1] (http://www.epic.org). Other adware programs do not track a user's personal information.

A number of software applications are available to help computer users search for and modify adware programs to block the presentation of advertisements and to remove spyware modules. To avoid a backlash, as with the advertising industry in general, creators of adware must balance their attempts to generate revenue with users' desire to be left alone.

See also: spyware, malware

Table of contents

1 Examples of Shareware that contains adware 2 Examples of Spyware adware 3 External links 3.1 Removal 3.2 Prevention

Examples of Shareware that contains adware

• Eudora—Email client
• Opera—Web browser
• DivX—Video codec
• Kazaa—Filesharing program, also contains spyware
• iMesh—Filesharing program, also contains spyware
• Grokster —Filesharing program, contains spyware that may seriously impact performance of Microsoft Windows.

Examples of Spyware adware

• Gator (now known as Claria)—autocompletion software for MSIE
• TopText—comes with Kazaa, creates unwanted advertising smart tags throughout third-party software.

External links

Adware Report (http://www.adwarereport.com/mt/archives/000032.html) Introduction to Adware with blocking instructions.

The rise of adware (http://news.com.com/2010-1032-5307831.html) and a hierarchical list of different kinds of adware based on levels of danger

Removal

• 4 Simple Steps for removing Spyware, Hijackers, Viruses, and other Malware (http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/tutorial80.html)
• Bleeping Computer Spyware Removal Tutorials (http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/tutecat38.html) — tutorials for HijackThis, Spybot, and Ad-Aware

Prevention

• Simple and easy ways to keep your computer safe and secure on the Internet (http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/tutorial82.html)

de:Adware es:adware pl:Adware he:תוכנת פירסום

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