# What is Adware?

> Adware is software that displays, inserts, redirects, or selects advertising, possibly using device or user information.

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## Content

It may be installed transparently with an advertising-funded application, bundled with inadequate disclosure, or placed without consent. Advertising behavior alone is not automatically malicious; authorization, transparency, control, collection, and system impact determine the security and privacy concern.

Adware can create pop-ups, add browser extensions, change search or home-page settings, inject content, redirect navigation, or track activity for advertisement selection. More harmful implementations may resist removal, collect excessive data, weaken settings, or deliver further unwanted software. Its presence and behavior should be assessed rather than inferred from an advertisement appearing on screen.

### Key points

- **Assessment:** Identify the installer and owner, stated purpose, consent record, permissions, collected data, advertisement sources, configuration changes, persistence, and available removal method.
- **Security and privacy:** Untrusted advertisement content, hidden tracking, insecure update paths, privileged extensions, and opaque third-party sharing can turn an advertising component into a wider compromise or data risk.
- **Handling:** Remove unauthorized components through controlled procedures, restore altered browser or system settings, review exposed information, and correct the bundle, account, or distribution path that introduced them.
- **Important limitation:** An ad blocker does not remove installed adware, while unexpected advertising does not prove adware is present. A website can serve intrusive or malicious advertisements without installing software, and legitimate applications can display ads without behaving deceptively.

### Related terms

[Malware](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/malware/>) · [Malvertising](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/malvertising/>) · [Spyware](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/spyware/>) · [Scareware](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/scareware/>) · [Browser security](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/browser-security/>)

### Sources

[Australian Signals Directorate glossary: Adware](https://www.cyber.gov.au/learn-basics/view-resources/glossary) · [NIST glossary: Malware](https://csrc.nist.gov/glossary/term/malware)

## Attribution and scope

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