{"id":5929,"date":"2017-05-18T12:31:35","date_gmt":"2017-05-18T12:31:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/igotoffer.com\/blog\/?p=5929"},"modified":"2019-01-30T16:11:55","modified_gmt":"2019-01-30T16:11:55","slug":"ultimate-protection-adware","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/igotoffer.com\/blog\/ultimate-protection-adware","title":{"rendered":"Ultimate Protection Against Adware"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ultimate Protection Against Adware: Removal Tools and Built-in Options<\/strong><\/h2>\n

This is our next story about how to stay safe online. If you\u2019ve read Ultimate Protection Against Malware<\/a>, you already know about viruses, trojans and malware; and why it\u2019s so important to keep certain antivirus options on. But, this is not the only crap software that can damage your system, Windows or OS X alike. (Yes, Macs are susceptible to this kind of malware now as well.)<\/p>\n

Adware stands for advertising-supported software that redirects you to sponsored advertising sites, cripple your searches and annoy you with pop-up ad windows. This program cannot be detected by a user, as it features no icon in the tray or on the desktop, and the browser\u2019s odd behavior is the only way to spot its presence. Which is why adware cannot be uninstalled and deleted via the system interface. No, changing browsers or rebooting won\u2019t help either.<\/p>\n

Once upon a time, there were adwares which infested only one or two of the most popular browsers, like Internet Explorer or Opera. But nowadays, hackers never forget to list all the browsers known to users, including the Chrome-like, Comodo. Again, changing browsers is like sweeping dust under the carpet. The running adware slows down the system, causes various lags and more often than not, collects info about the sites you visit.<\/p>\n

From a legal point of view, distributing adware is not actually a crime. Moreover, some laptop manufacturers have been caught installing adware into their products from the box. For example, Lenovo was busted installing the Superfish adware into their laptops a couple of years ago. The enraged Lenovo community made the company stop the practice and issue a patch to eliminate the adware. And it\u2019s not just an ethical issue, it\u2019s a technical one.<\/p>\n

The system with the adware inside is a compromised system. It\u2019s like having a house with the back door that never closes. And the problem was, not every antivirus could fix it. Recently, only the most advanced and popular anti-adware and removal tools like Malware Bytes were able to.<\/p>\n

Even if you don\u2019t have any of these tools currently on your computer, you can always try a free demo and see how it sits with your system. We would recommend to be very wary of any third-party removal, stand-alone tools that were hyped up in the wake of the WannaCry attack<\/a>. Many of them are rouge tools. You download the free version, scan your computer and are given a long list of alleged adware programs. To remove them, you have to pay for the full version. The thing the program doesn\u2019t tell you, is that most of files it pulls up are harmless cookie files.Losing money and staying with an infested computer is one thing, but getting a serious trojan or a super adware to top those you already have, is another. The fake removal tools can turn out to be malicious themselves and you can cripple your system instead of curing it. The owners of the site you downloaded the rouge software from, get paid for every successful download. They don\u2019t care what will happen to someone\u2019s computer after that.<\/p>\n

Can you protect yourself from downloading the adware in the first place to save time, money and nerves? Sure! You have to do two things to achieve it: to control your downloads entirely and to keep your system updated. Both Windows and OS X feature built-in options for checking on available downloads. It\u2019s Firewall and Windows Defender for Windows, and XProtect and Gatekeeper for OS X.<\/p>\n

For the same reasons that were specified in the first article, it\u2019s very important to keep these tools updated. Windows Defender can stand for a full-scale antivirus software if you haven\u2019t bought any already. It can be updated separately from the entire Windows OS, while on Mac you have to update the OS to get latest updates for XProtect. Unlike its Microsoft counterpart, XProtect is part of File Quarantine and hard to notice. It\u2019s seen only when you download a file from Web.<\/p>\n

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You can also tweak the downloads options and check the files types you want to download. For that you\u2019ll need Gatekeeper<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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There are three options as you can see: App Store, App Store and identified partners<\/em> and Anywhere<\/em>. The last option is the most dangerous of all. We recommend to stick to App Store and identified partners.<\/p>\n

With Windows it\u2019s trickier. Microsoft\u2019s first line of defense is the Windows Firewall turned on in Settings<\/em>. Firewalls are used in buildings to block the fire expansion. They are literally brick walls installed on the roofs. The computer\u2019s firewall though is more like a mesh screen to sift the traffic through. The mesh size you set as you like by listing the allowed programs. You can find detailed manuals on Microsoft Support page. We just mention that it\u2019s wise to always keep the firewall turned on if it doesn\u2019t conflict with your antivirus.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s where tricky part comes in. The firewall can conflict with your antivirus, or block your mailing program. Anyway, the firewall won\u2019t save the day if you\u2019re careless about your downloading. Surviving Rule #1 runs: Turn Off Automated Download<\/em> in Your Browser. No matter what browser you use, kill the automated download option and check \u2018Always ask about download<\/em>\u2019. Whenever your browser starts downloading you should be aware of what it downloads and where from.<\/p>\n

Recent news has it, that malware can be tethered to the inoffensive go-to links in the webpage. But if you forbade unauthorized download, your browser immediately alerts you. And here works Surviving Rule #2: Never Click \u2018Yes<\/em>\u2019 Until You\u2019re 100% Sure. Download files from Windows Store or software official sites. Do not trust sites titled like download dot com or freedownload dot com and such likes. If the name of the file looks suspicious or incomprehensive, like a chain of letters and digits, click \u2018No<\/em>\u2019. Google the file\u2019s name and see if it\u2019s in the viruses list.<\/p>\n

Be careful while installing software. Sometimes they go with a bunch of additional tools and utilities or browsers and an adware can well be among them. Uncheck the boxes and make sure you install just the game or tool you wanted from the start.<\/p>\n