2010-11-02T03:52:52Z

XJDHDR: /* How can protect myself from these advertisements? */

==What is an advertisement?==

An advertisement is a form of communication to help sell or distribute a certain product for profit (to inform, to persuade and to remind).

==Which are good and which are bad?==

Text advertisements (usually seen on Google), and most image/video (banner) advertisements are mostly safe, however not entirely. Some of these include: unknown websites full of advertisement(s), pop-up/pop-under, and win a free product advertisement.

==Are advertisements bad?==

Advertisements have been used with different techniques that can seem potentially unwanted towards Internet users. Some techniques used are:

* Banners
* Promotions
* False advertising
* Drive-by-download
* Propaganda
* Redirections
* Pop-ups
* Pop-unders
* Subliminal messages
* Pre-installation
* Optional Third-party inclusion in Installation
* Nagware
* [[Adware]]
* Scareware
* Mail and [[Spam]]

Some of these strategies can be seen as unwanted or malicious, such as [[Adware]] or [[Popups]].

====Some risks can lead to:====

* [[Internet Fraud | Frauds]], scam and [[Phishing]]
* Installing [[Adware]], [[Spyware]] or other potentially unwanted programs
* [[Spam]]
* Hijacked computer or browser
* Slower page loading
* [[Identity Theft | Identity theft]]

==How can protect myself from these advertisements?==

Enabling your pop-up blocker can block most of these pop-up advertisements, enabling [[Phishing]] protection can secure yourself from [[Fraud]], downloading an ad-blocking program can get rid of these advertisements.

Pop-up blockers are found in all modern web browsers including Internet Explorer 7+, Firefox 2+, Chrome 2+, and others.

Not going to shady websites (those with a poor rating, poor surfing habits, etc).

Adware

2010-11-02T03:51:29Z

XJDHDR: /* How does adware affect my computer? */ Small tweaks.

==What is adware?==
Adware is unsolicited commercial software that comes combined with a host application, usually freeware or shareware, which displays advertising while the program is running or through some other triggering mechanism. Some adware hides components and disables removal techniques making it difficult to remove. Adware may also gather user information which causes privacy concerns.

===Where does adware come from?===

Adware is most often integrated into free applications. MyWay Searchbar [http://www.mywot.com/scorecard/www.myway.com],
which has utilities such as SmileyCentral [http://www.mywot.com/scorecard/smiley.smileycentral.com] and Zwinky [http://www.mywot.com/scorecard/home.zwinky.com] , and WeatherBug [http://www.mywot.com/scorecard/weather.weatherbug.com] (adware can be turned off with a paid upgrade) are examples of apps that are reported to contain adware. Adware and spyware programs may also be installed because your browser or operating system has a security hole which was exploited.

===How does adware affect my computer?===

Advertisements appear during web browsing or general desktop use. These can be annoying and in some cases degrade system performance.

===How do I protect myself from adware?===

Before you can protect your computer against future adware, make sure that you remove any that is already on your machine.

* Run anti-spyware and anti-adware updates and scans regularly
* Turn on immunization options in anti-spyware and anti-adware software
* Make sure your operating system, browser and email software has the latest updates to plug security holes
* Turn on the firewall when using the Internet
* Use WOT for preventative protection against risky websites

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External links: [http://www.mywot.com/en/online-threats/adware] (The original page)

WOT Wiki - User contributions [en]

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Adware