Loss from Spyware, Adware and Malicious Codes

Spyware is computer software that is installed stealthily on your computer without your consent or knowledge. It can be for any purpose such as displaying popup ads, divert clicks on your ads to others’ accounts, stealing your credit card and bank account numbers and to steal your money, and causing many more such damages and losses to you.

Spyware, malicious codes, adware and similar software can place codes on other sites and blogs you visit. Similarly, if a blog or site is infested with such malicious software or codes they can affect your blogs too, as they immediately place codes in the servers of your site/blog.

Strangely, many blogs and sites invite these troubles themselves when they install some FANCY looking FREE widgets and add-ons. It can be simply to say, WELCOME TO MY SITE, or HAVE A NICE DAY, or simply HELLO or GOOD MORNING. In some other cases, it will be an innocent looking dialog box, ENTER THE SITE (I do not understand why you need it!). Others want you to click YES or NO to some question. Whether you click YES or NO, the result is the same. The unexpected happens, downloads of spyware or adware start, or heavy popup ads start downloading.

Interestingly in many cases you can recognize or find this happening. If you are not paid for using your site for such bad business practices, especially when you lose money and many more things for which you work hard, why do you put up such widgets and gadgets?

The immediate effect of such malicious software is loss of income from ads and affiliate programs, high bounce rates as the traffic from your sites is redirected to their sites or their clients’ sites. This can even result in very low traffic as the incoming traffic is redirected, visitors who recognize it will never visit you and advise their friends too not to visit you.

Some such spyware can slowdown your computer or even make it crash, inflate your internet bills by triggering dialups or international long distance calls, and cause similar losses and problems.

However, the most common immediate loss to publishers and bloggers who depend on ad revenue from programs like AdSense, AdBrite, etc., is caused by some malicious software, codes, or adware of PPC companies of bad reputation. You will never know when such codes are placed in your system or your servers. But you will find an immediate fall in the number of clicks on your ads and your income will drastically decline, even if you get more visitors.

Recently, I signed up for a very beautiful looking stats counter with animated effects. But when I viewed my blog after installing the stats counter code, ads of Clicksor started downloading. I was flabbergasted as I never signed up with Clicksor (competitor of Google ads). When I did not even visit Clicksor site, I could not understand why their ads are downloaded to my blog.

Immediately I removed the code of the widget and viewed my blog and the popup ads stopped. If Clicksor is not responsible for placing ads in my blog, it is placed by the FREE WIDGET supplier, who is acting on behalf of Clicksor. If my observation is not correct, it’s time they found out why it happens, unless they have illegal intentions.

FTC takes serious view of spyware and bad business practices. The FTC website provides guidelines and protection to people affected by illegal business practices, including installing codes ad adware or malware surreptitiously, without your express consent. Any one affected can lodge a complaint with FTC. Click here to lodge complaint with FTC, if you are a victim of spyware, adware or malicious codes.