{"id":793,"date":"2016-04-05T11:41:00","date_gmt":"2016-04-05T11:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fraud.flywheelsites.com\/unwanted_software\/"},"modified":"2020-11-09T07:31:49","modified_gmt":"2020-11-09T07:31:49","slug":"unwanted_software","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fraud.org\/unwanted_software\/","title":{"rendered":"Unwanted software: Don’t get more than you bargained for with free downloads – Fraud.org"},"content":{"rendered":"

Unwanted software are programs that are downloaded\u2014often unknowingly as part of a software bundle\u2014that can cause serious problems for computer users. Research into unwanted software infection rates finds that at least tens of millions of computers are infected. Unwanted software is associated with billions of dollars in fraud every year.<\/p>\n

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How does unwanted software affect consumers?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A consumer\u2019s first inkling that her computer is infected with unwanted software may be when she opens her Internet browser and finds that the browser\u2019s default search engine or homepage has been changed without her consent. In other cases, the unwanted software may cause new tabs to automatically load in the browser, pop-up windows to appear, or even change the browser itself (such as by adding a \u201ctoolbar\u201d or extension). Another common symptom of unwanted software is when ads start to appear where they aren\u2019t expected (such as weight loss ads\u00a0on a children\u2019s website<\/a> or on browser error screens). Additionally, another form of unwanted software are so-called \u201cPC cleaners\u201d or other programs that claim to speed up your computer\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n

Consumers can often be confused about the source of this behavior. First, unwanted software often waits several weeks after download to affect the consumer, meaning that a consumer is unlikely to connect the downloaded software with the problems with their browser. In addition, unwanted software can be hard to find and delete\u2014this software often masks its filename so consumers can\u2019t find it and can regenerate even if it gets deleted. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

While unwanted software can appear to be simply an annoyance that detracts from the experience of using a browser, these dangerous downloads in fact pose a significant security risk to consumers\u2019 personal information.\u00a0Often, such software will disable security protections and settings to take control of a consumer\u2019s computer, leaving that computer vulnerable to hackers and data thieves.<\/span><\/p>\n

How prevalent is unwanted software?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Unwanted software has been around for some time, but in recent years, it has become an even bigger concern for Internet users.<\/p>\n

For example, a May 2015 study<\/a> by Google, UC Berkeley, and UC Santa Barbara found that tens of millions of visitors to Google\u2019s serviceshad unwanted adware installed on their computer. Within that group, half had at least two, and nearly one-third of users had at least four such programs infecting their machines. And that\u2019s just for one type of unwanted software infection. Unwanted software was the source of nearly 20% of complaints from Chrome users alone in 2014.<\/p>\n

A similar study<\/a> by security firm Namogoo found that 15-30% of e-commerce website visitors were infected with malware that causes them to view injected ads, malicious links and fraudulent spyware on otherwise legitimate sites.<\/p>\n

Research<\/a> conducted by security firm WhiteOps found that unwanted software such as ad injectors are a significant contributor to the $7.2 billion in ad fraud that occurs every year.<\/p>\n

How can you spot unwanted software?<\/h4>\n

The following are telltale signs of unwanted software:<\/p>\n