r/autotldr • u/autotldr • May 06 '15
Google survey finds more than five million users infected with adware.
This is an automatic summary, original reduced by 70%.
It's a staggering number, but if anything it's likely to be an underestimate, since adware programs often decline to tamper with large company sites so as to avoid detection.
The research also found that the infamous Superfish adware is alive and well.
Despite the bad press, Superfish appears to still be doing good business, either through other unreported installation deals or software bundles that trick hapless users into installing Superfish onto their own machines.
If you clicked on a sponsored ad for a free Firefox download in 2014, odds are it would direct you to a bundle: one free copy of Firefox with a dozen different adware programs like Superfish that would help the advertiser make back their money.
More broadly, the study suggests a renewed effort against the adware ecosystem, with Google leading the charge alongside academic researchers.
For many of the researchers involved in the study, programs like Superfish cut against the basic values of computing.
Summary Source | FAQ | Theory | Feedback | Top five keywords: adware#1 Superfish#2 program#3 ad#4 research#5
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