Popups
What is a popup?
A popup can mean several things:
1. A popup is a window which appears on screen in response to some
command or program. Examples of useful popups are help files and
information files which "pop up" over an existing screen
in response to hot-key or mouse-over requests.
2. Popups are also drop-down menus which appear on web pages.
3. More undesirable are the Popup Adverts. These are programmed to
appear automatically whenever actively browsing certain pages on
the internet, or locally whenever an Internet browser such as IE6
is being used. This is a form of Spam, and is undesirable because
it prevents the viewer reading the web page originally selected.
They are employed by browser hijacking pages because they often derive
an income from click through or numbers of impressions.
How do popups files get into your system?
The same way as most other forms of Malware get on your PC. Whenever
you download a file or program from the Internet, you risk importing
additional undesirable files. In particular, whenever you download
freeware or shareware, it is likely that they have been sponsored
to include some popup adverts as a way of keeping costs down or
making additional money for the software developers.
In many instances where they have come as part of a bundled package,
if you study the fine print you will find that you have agreed to
have these applications, and you may not be able to remove them without
uninstalling the rest of the program that you wanted. In some instances
you can buy a popup free version if you are prepared to spend more
money.
Even Netscape and MSN are not immune from employing these tactics
on occasions to sell their own products.
Another way that popups arrive is through hyperlinks. Many portal
sites get paid to download popups every time a page is visited, and
the more sinister sites often use more stealthy ways of introducing
them by installing Trojan horses and other malware which can pick
up on your browsing habits and respond by sending ad related popups.
So, Ad-related popups are a nuisance, at the least an irritation,
and at worst an invasion of privacy, taking up space and memory and
slowing your system to the point where it can crash.
How to remove and block popups ---> BLOCK POPUPS
There are several effective popup blockers available, but not all
of them are completely safe.
