What is Adware, Where Does it Come From and How Does it Affect You?

If you think you don't have adware on your computer, then maybe you need to think again. Adware affects an estimated 80% of all computer users who are connected to the internet. Adware is big business and adware developers are cashing in on the biggest and most lucrative industry namely internet advertising.

So what is adware? Adware, like software are applications that gets installed on your computer without you knowing. It's main purpose is to either "advertise" directly to you or to gather information from you that advertisers can use to advertise to you.

Direct advertising via adware is usually via pop ups and we all know just how annoying that can be. Other forms of adware advertising is with toolbars that add themselves to your web browser, homepage changers, sidebar add on's and even aware that will add itself to your favorites or bookmarks.

The new generation of adware is much more sophisticated and some of them will track your user patterns to monitor which sites you visit. This will allow advertisers to bombard you with advertising that's focused on what you already like which will give them a better change of making money.

Aware mostly finds it way unto your computer via downloads. Music, movies and (especially) shareware software and free games are known to be riddled with adware and the best part is that you won't even know that you "agreed" to have it installed on your computer.

Peer to peer (P2P) networks, download sites and torrent sites are one of the newest sources of adware and you need to be very cautious when visiting these sites or when you download files from them. It's imperative that you protect yourself with a good aware blocker if you spend a lot of time online. Peer to peer sites can be very dangerous since you never know exactly what you are downloading. A lot of video and mp3 files come tagged with all sorts of adware and if you don’t take care, these networks can install tons of adware on your computer.

Although adware isn't as dangerous to your personal security and your sensitive information as spyware is, it is still a great concern since someone else has access to your computer and can manipulate your computer screen. One of the biggest problems with adware however is that it can slow your computer down severely and even cause constant crashes and even permanent damage to your system files.

Protecting yourself from adware is something you need to pay attention to sooner rather than later. The best practice is to get a good adware/spyware software that can scan, remove and then protect you from all the many threats out there. Don't take a chance hoping that you won't become a victim of internet crime.

Although “prevention is better than cure” the reality is that we all want to freely surf the internet and not be restricted by sites that might pose a threat. Although there are many watchdogs and official government sites springing up not to help fight this disease, it’s still miles away from being effective. On top of this, adware developers seems to always be one step ahead.