Adware is any software application software which makes banners appear the whole time it is in function. Also, the adware program can install components that will transmit information about the user and its behavior and this work on his PC. Unlike spyware programs, the user is asked when the program is being installed. Actually, an adware application is the application that, along with its basic functionality, has a different one, the one that makes it show commercials once in a while, downloaded periodically from certain internet servers.
Spyware is a program, usually downloaded from the internet, which sends information about the user without him knowing it, every time he connects to the internet. Usually, the packages sent contain marketing information and not confidential information, although some programs can do that too.
Even if some applications are both adware and spyware, this is not a generally true situation. Most of the times spyware applications have installed themselves and they are working without the user knowing it, opposing the adware applications that cannot be installed without the consent of the user.
For a long time quality and free software was installed and used for free but once the complexity of the programs became greater their costs have risen till the point the developers just had to find out methods to diminuate them. One of the easiest ways was delivering along with their programs application like adware and spyware. On the other hand, many commercial programs became usable freely and legally by passing the line to the adware category.
From the harmless intention of showing some commercials and till elements of analyzing and stocking information about the user and his software or hardware configuration the developers had to install on the target computer supplementary modules. If at the beginning it was only an engine that downloaded commercials and showed them in pre-calculated windows, the adware industry has evolved and grew a great bit since then. Now they use different instruments, from altering your browser and its settings and till launching background applications that monitor your PC activity.
Among the effects that follow installing spyware and adware are the next ones :
- Adding links to various magazines
- Adding new commercials on the web pages, sometimes replacing the existent ones
- Monitoring browser behavior in commercial purposes.
- Gaining access to passwords and credit cards.
- Slowing down the computer.
- In some cases they can call telephone numbers with high costs.
- Changing the browser's homepage in commercial purposes.
- Strange icons and new software might appear on the desktop.
You can enter their online sites and try the services for free, then decide what to use.
3 responses to "Anti Adware and Spyware"
according to my experience mostly warez site and keys offering sites put the spyware or adware with the application , as you download the key or warez software you computer will start working like server and start sending the information to the client of that application.
David Brown
The worst adware and spyware I've seen came from downloading screensavers. It's a good idea to avoid the shady sites offering free screen savers.
http://www.novoparatus.com
Thanks for the great and useful article, I love the picture where in a virus is after the monitor very funny.