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Why Anti-Adware Is Necessary for Protecting Yourself and Your computer
By: Ashley D. Bingham
We've all had run-ins with adware. As an internet user, it's quite impossible to be completely sheltered from it. The most common form is via pop-ups. You're browsing along and hit a site that pushes those annoying, blaring ads to the top tab of your browser. "You've Won!" Well, you probably didn't win something, but if you click on the ad you could end up winning an adware infection, and of course the site pushing it wants to redirect you to their site so they can talk you into buying something.
Adware essentially pushes ads to your computer when you're connected to the internet. If you're getting many more ads than you ever did before, chances are you have adware. This is the "good" kind of adware. If it's just annoying, at least it's not causing much more harm than taking up some space on your memory. The bad kind of adware comes into play when it's coupled with spyware. Advertisers like this since spyware allows them to see what you're browsing so they can push more targeted ads to you. However, it can also be used maliciously to steal credit card numbers, bank accounts, and passwords.
You might think that the annoyance isn't all that bad as long as there isn't spyware attached. Maybe one program would be fine, but the more you search online the more you'll end up picking up. This significantly slows your computer because of the amount of memory space it uses. It's like a parasite, sucking away at the life of your computer. If you find programs you've never installed or notice processes running that you have no clue about, you probably have adware. Many many people do, and it's a fixable problem.
Adware is a very sticky software. It hides itself and creates backups amongst your other files. This makes it almost impossible to find and delete it all. If you don't get it all at once, it can usually reinstall itself instantly. This is why you need anti-adware protection. This software (sometimes free, sometimes paid) scans your computer to find and eliminate the adware already installed. Other kinds off real time protection to the user by running while they surf the web, stopping adware from being installed in the first place. In either case, you computer will be healthier and you'll be less annoyed by pop-ups and a slow computer.
Preventing adware altogether is near impossible to do unless you simply don't use the internet. However, you can help protect your computer by never clicking on pop-ups, being wary of email attachments you open, and being very careful about what free downloads you install. Adware can be coupled with almost anything and know how to be cautious online can save a lot of headaches later.
About the Author:
Ashley writes on the effects and prevention of various types of malware (adware, spyware, viruses, and pop-ups).
For more information about malware and product reviews visit her blog Malware: Adware, Spyware, and Viruses.