Most of us have experienced browsing the internet and being assaulted by pop-up advertisements at one point or another. Many companies have a window that appears when you visit their website, these are just standard ads created for promotion. The ones to be wary of appear out of nowhere, are difficult to close, and seem to multiply. These pop-ups can be gateways for malware to get onto your computer. We have everything you need to know about pop-ups!
How to know if you have malware from pop-ups:
- Constantly receiving ads and pop-ups on your browser no matter what sites you go to.
- You’re receiving lots of emails from sites or people you do not recognize. Spam has become an increasingly common way to spread malware – over 85 billion spam messages are created and sent every single day.
Prevention steps:
- Avoid clicking on pop-ups – to close a pop-up so it doesn’t recognize your efforts or “clicks”, close it from your task bar with a right mouse click.
- Don’t open or respond to emails from people you don’t know – they’re probably too-good-to-be-true! Never unsubscribe from spam emails – this will validate your email and escalate the malware issue.
- Never skip updates – this includes your operating system, antivirus software, and the FixMeStick device.
- Use a reputable browser and search engine – we recommend using Google Chrome and Google search engine. These are the safest and most reputable, and will help you to avoid questionable websites.
- Clear the cache and cookies on your browser regularly – there are cookies and different advertising trackers to personalize your pop-ups and trick you further.
- Get an ad blocker for your browser.
Why to get an ad blocker :
- Many ads are reputable, many are not – adware uses pop ups as click bait to download spyware onto your computer. They’re vehicles for viruses to steal your personal information by hijacking your browser.
- Ad blockers will block constant pop-ups and ads – this will save bandwidth, keep you hidden from intrusive marketing systems, and block malicious ads that could cause potential major threats to your computer.
The best ad blocker for your browser:
We recommend using Adblock Plus on your browsers. This is one of the safest and most reputable ad blockers, and the best part about it is it’s FREE! Find your browser in the list below and click to download it now:
Chrome Firefox Internet Explorer Safari Microsoft Edge
An ad blocker, in combination with regular FixMeStick scans, will keep you protected as you browse the internet!
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