Category:	Spyware
Type:	Adware
Platform:	W32

This program delivers advertising content to the user. It is usually annoying but harmless, unless it is combined with spyware or trackware.

Automatic Disinfection

Allow F-Secure Anti-Virus to disinfect the relevant files.

For more general information on disinfection, please see Removal Instructions.

When searching our Virus Descriptions database for a specific program (e.g., Adware:W32/Example.A), you may be directed to this page if the overview below sufficiently describes the program.

Alternatively, you may be directed to this page if no description matching that specific query is currently available. You can submit a sample of the suspect file to our Response Lab for further analysis via:

About Adware

Adware is software that displays advertisements on the computer to which it is installed. The advertisements may be displayed on the desktop or during a web browsing session.

Adware is often bundled with free software that provides some functionality to the user. If the functionality of the free software outweighs the potential inconvenience of the advertisements, then the computer user may elect to keep the adware installed.

Many users are however unaware of the connection between the free software and the adware. For those users, the adware can be a considerable annoyance.

Note

There is also a FSAV detection for "Adware", which identifies Data Miner programs, applications designed to collect information about the user and does so actively. This may or may not include transmission of the information to the a remote server, but the server is owned by the company producing the detected application and more importantly, the information collected is disclosed to the user via privacy policy and/or licensing.