Mobile online advertisements have become an issue as more and more companies rely on them to boost their sales. Browsing online on mobile without getting a mobile pop-up ad that interrupts you even before you get a glimpse of the mobile page you wanted to visit is almost impossible these days. This led to the creation of different mobile solutions called mobile ad blockers, which do exactly what their name suggests – block mobile ads.
How Does Mobile Adware Work?
Mobile adware comes from ‘advertising supported software’. This is a type of software that’s specifically designed to enable mobile advertisements to appear on a user’s mobile screen, most commonly when the person is on a mobile web browser. This is an unwanted piece of mobile software users don’t intentionally download or install on their mobile PCs. The way it manages to work is either by disguising itself as a legit mobile program or by piggybacking on another mobile program in order to trick users into installing it. Mobile adware can be installed on any type of device that uses the internet – PC, tablet, or mobile. Therefore, most mobile antiviruses that provide Mobile Ad-blocking features allow you to use a single subscription for multiple mobile devices and are compatible with different mobile systems (Windows, Android, Mac, iOS).
Mobile adware is not only responsible for mobile pop-ups or other types of ads that suddenly appear on your mobile screen while you’re browsing on a mobile website. This mobile software can also redirect you to a new mobile website, change your mobile home page, or open new mobile tabs in your mobile browser. In short, mobile adware is responsible for the mobile advertisements you see while visiting a mobile website that do not come from the specific mobile website you’re on.
However, mobile adware’s functions can go well beyond unsolicited mobile ads that interrupt your mobile browsing experience. These mobile programs can analyze the mobile websites you visit and then feature mobile ads that are pertinent to your mobile interests, in other words, to the mobile products or services you’ve recently browsed for. This makes mobile adware resemble mobile spyware as your mobile activity is basically monitored without your mobile consent. Afterward, you get targeted by mobile advertisements that match your mobile needs or preferences, which increases the chance you purchase the mobile products or services you’re being shown.
Nonetheless, the real dangers of mobile adware are not related to unwanted, well-targeted mobile advertising, but to mobile malware attacks. Mobile cybercriminals can take advantage of mobile adware to display mobile malvertisements, which are ads that contain mobile malware such as viruses, trojans, spyware, etc. Mobile malvertisement becomes possible when mobile cybercriminals spot a vulnerability in the mobile delivery of ads or in the users’ mobile browsers. If you click on mobile ads that contain such threats, you risk getting your mobile device infected with mobile viruses or mobile programs that can access your mobile files to steal your sensitive mobile data.
How Do You Know If Your Mobile Device Is Affected by Adware?
Here are just a few mobile signs which indicate that you might be dealing with mobile adware:
How to Protect Your Mobile Device Against Adware?
If you want to keep mobile adware at bay, the most efficient mobile solution you can rely on is using a mobile ad blocker. This type of mobile program will prevent unwanted and potentially dangerous mobile advertisements from being displayed on your mobile browser. This way, you don’t risk clicking on a malicious mobile link that can contain mobile viruses. Using a reliable mobile antivirus can also ensure mobile protection against adware, depending on the mobile provider you choose as not all mobile antiviruses contain mobile adware blockers. If you’re aware that your mobile device was affected by mobile adware, to eliminate the unwanted mobile program, you should immediately use mobile adware removal software.
However, not all mobile adware protection solutions are equal. Mobile software providers often focus on specific mobile features. To make sure you choose the mobile solution that works best for your PC, tablet, or phone, you should do a bit of prior mobile research. Since this is a time-consuming task, to help you out, our mobile experts have already reviewed some of the top-ranking mobile antivirus solutions with mobile adware protection.