Download Adware Report

Michael Lambert
Cosc 356
May 1st 2015
Adware Report
Adware is the common name used to describe software that is given to the user with
advertisements embedded in the application. Adware can also refer to supplemental ads on the side of
a webpage, used to generate revenue for the host.
Today we have a growing number of software developers who offer their goods as "sponsored"
freeware (adware) until you pay to register. If you're using legitimate adware, when you stop running
the software, the ads should disappear, and you always have the option of disabling the ads by
purchasing a registration key. Another use of the phrase adware is to describe a form of spyware that
collects information about the user in order to display advertisements in the Web browser.
Unfortunately, some applications that contain adware track your Internet surfing habits in order to
serve ads related to you. When the adware becomes intrusive like this, then we move it into the
spyware category and it then becomes something you should avoid for privacy and security reasons. On
the Internet, spyware is programming that is put in someone's computer to secretly gather information
about the user and relay it to advertisers or other interested parties. Spyware can get in a computer as a
software virus or as the result of installing a new program. Data collecting programs that are installed
with the user's knowledge are not, properly speaking, spyware, if the user fully understands what data is
being collected and with whom it is being shared.
Adware is often bundled within software a computer owner purchases. The authors of a
program sometimes include adware in their software to recover development costs, or to be able to
provide the product for free or at a discounted price. Adware can be designed to collect data on which
sites the user visits, send this data back to the company and deliver advertising based on the
information. Though the advertisements produced by adware may be seen as an annoyance, a
distraction, or an invasion of privacy to the user, the income the developer receives may help them to
maintain, upgrade and continue to develop more products.
When you access and use programs with integrated Adware, you may notice that
advertisements seem targeted or relevant to your browsing history. Facebook and other large online
businesses use Adware to offset their development costs. With the revenue that Adware generates, the
company can upgrade and maintain programs. Data gathering and storage has been used for some time
to help advertisers get good value for their marketing dollars. Advertising cost and value is calculated by
clicks and conversion rates. Marketing companies are aiming to maximize their profit potential by
profiling their customers and delivering super targeted ads. Spam and unauthorized Adware is where
the real problem exists. Without even knowing, many people allow malicious or threatening programs
to run on their devices. They are sometimes attached to software that we download for personal use, or
can come through email attachments. However they make their way onto our systems, proper antivirus
software can keep problematic Adware at bay. Scammers and hackers are making big money from
personal information and email addresses. Bothersome pop ups and advertising banners collect IP
addresses and any other information you share once you click on them. Often, names and emails are
gathered through these links and then sold to third-party marketers. Adware can generate revenue for
scammers with every click, and the higher the conversion rate, the more valuable Adware becomes.
One of the biggest problems is that adware is difficult to remove after it has been downloaded
and installed on your computer, with or without your knowledge. Adware is particularly designed to
hide itself from users of the computer to maximize profit made by the company. Adware removal
software is designed to seek out this software and get rid of it. Main places to check are temporary files,
cookies, and the actual registers of your computer.
In the end adware can be seen in many ways. In one light it can be used as a legitimate way to
develop a project or software and supply it to the public at a free or reduced cost. Although in most
cases this is not the case and adware becomes a threat to your personal security and must be removed
as quickly as possible as to secure yourself and all users of the computer it is effecting.
Works Cited:
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/A/adware.html
https://oit.ncsu.edu/resnet/spyware
http://thebestcompanys.com/antivirus/2014/an-inside-look-at-adware-and-how-scammersmake-money-with-ad-serving-viruses/