The Age of Adware

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The Age of Adware
By Brandon Mason

We've all had our run-ins with Adware. Maybe we're browsing the profiles of all our Myspace friends, or we're playing our favorite online game. Then, we get the pop-up. I assure you, it's just an advertisement, and you did not really win that Xbox360. You have Adware, but don't worry, most people do.

What is Adware?

Adware, also spyware or malware, is essentially a small process running in the background to monitor your browsing habits. It doesn't really care where you go, it just wants to know what kind of advertisements to send you. And this is the "good" Adware. There are some much more malicious ones out there that will look for passwords and even credit card numbers.

How do I know if I have Adware?

90% of computers connected to the internet have Adware. You probably have Adware, even if you notice nothing wrong, but here's a quick checklist:

Your computer runs much slower than it used to.
You get pop-ups when you're not actively browsing.
You find programs that you never installed.
You notice a process running that was never there before.

These are the most common signs, but not the only ones. As I said before, even if you notice nothing wrong, you still probably have Adware.

Is Adware really that bad?

Yes. Even if it's not the malicious kind. So you have a tiny process running in the background. Big deal, right? Now imagine, hundreds, often even thousands of these tiny programs running at the same time. Not even the fastest computer can keep up with that.

So what do I do about it?

You need an Adware Remover. They usually range between $30-$40 and offer removal and active protection. This will keep you from having to pay someone $65 an hour to fix that "slow" computer of yours.