There are a number of things that would help you recognize whether or not your computer system is infected by malicious advertisement supported software. It is important to emphasize that the first thing that you should learn in order to be able to recognize these symptoms is to be observant and not to just passively click on any prompt in the screen. Here are some of the common symptoms that your system is infected by malicious advertisement software.
First, check if your home page or your preferred search engine is changed to another home page that you are not familiar of. If this happens, this is indicative that this software might have been downloaded already. Then, the next thing that you would notice on the screens of your computer is the appearances of links to sites that you never visited before as well as the appearances of sponsored advertisements that just pop up in your screen in an unsolicited manner which means that you did not click or search for those particular ads.
Second, check if your search engine functions normally which means that the search engine can be turned on and off as you would command. Otherwise, if your engine toolbar cannot be turned off as it still pops up after you reboot your computer. Then it is a clear sign that this software manipulates your computer. Also, another sign could be when your regular toolbar is turned off and can no longer be accessed as it is disabled. Take for example the Google toolbar, if you frequently use this toolbar but suddenly it was disabled without your knowledge, then most probably, the software disabled it to remove its competition in the advertisement. Also, you would realize the presence of this malicious software if your sites are restricted to the sites that they advertise to position their products and services.
Lastly, you would be able to recognize this malicious software through the appearances of windows or ads that pop up without your consent. These advertisements are often too intrusive that they tend to manipulate your control over the browser. They often advertise something or give you a link to a particular site. Often times the boxes do not close easily and continue to persist until you finally click to the site. Likewise, they also warn you that your computer is infected by malicious software that entices you to download software to get rid of it. Worse, there is software now that once you click the "no", the "cancel" or the "close" icon would eventually trigger the download process.
These are among the few symptoms that your computer is infected by malicious advertisement supported software.
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