What exactly is adware?

The term adware often comes up in the context of freely available software. But what exactly is adware, is it legal, and is it dangerous for the device on which it is used?

What is adware?

The definition and differentiation of adware is difficult. On the one hand, there is software that could be classified as pure adware, meaning that installing this program only results in unwanted advertising, toolbars, etc. being installed.
This form of adware is more commonly referred to
malware Adware in the narrower sense is a program that provides the desired functionality, but also installs advertising. For some programs, this can be prevented during installation in “advanced mode” by unchecking the relevant checkmarks. With other software, the unwanted parallel installation of advertising cannot be prevented. Programs that are offered as a free version and more or less intrusively ask the user to install the premium version can also be adware. Anti-virus software providers in particular often work with scareware and deceive the user into believing that viruses have infected the device - even though the computer or cell phone virus-free .

How can I detect adware?

As already described adware very multifaceted and can be very intrusive, or very subtle and discreetly draw attention to the fact that full versions and other helpful programs are available.

When is adware dangerous?

Adware itself is not dangerous if it is not malware . However, adware can be perceived as disruptive and annoying; in some versions, the advertising is so intrusive that basic functionality of the software is no longer possible.

How can I protect myself from adware?

The offer of free software often means that the creators have to finance it through other income, often advertising.
Everyone has to determine their own inhibition threshold for this.
There is adware that can prevent the installation of additional programs by deselecting them when installing the main software. If the advertising is an integral part of the software and is perceived as annoying, it can also be uninstalled. Then the advertising and also the actual program will no longer be available. Intrusive adware may require additional settings, such as restoring the browser to its default settings and manually uninstalling additional programs.

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