This virus was responsible for one-third of all computer threats in the second half of the holiday season. While there is no fact that this agent will erase your data or damage your device\’s hard drive, it did cause a mess. It is “merely” an unwanted application, unwanted by you, and very aptly acronymized as PUA (Potentially Unwanted Applications).
Let\’s try to explain this in layman\’s terms, without using complicated jargon. All you have to do is click on an ad or survey on the Web, and you are promised something of value for answering it. This virus is said to be most prevalent in illegally downloaded movies. The adware then takes hold of you and starts working. That is, it begins to operate and start making money for the sender. Not you.
Its job is to display, for example, various windows and banners that you have to click on to get rid of.
What\’s in it for the creator? you ask. You ask, because you get paid for every click, and if you get a lot of clicks, you can make a lot of money.
In other words, this adware (some experts do not use the word virus in this combination) is not “deadly” like other viruses, but it is just there. Thus, it is something to be wary of.
Thus, if you need to download something, never assume that you will also download (for example) a browser add-on, even if it promises to make your browser run faster. On the contrary, your browser may run a little slower just because of the ads.
“Agent” has been on the decline for some time, but is now back on top, according to Miroslav Dvorak, technical director of the Czech branch of antivirus giant Eset.
Of course, this malware does not stand alone, there are many malware out there, but this malware is caught in one out of every four threats on the Internet. This is a very high number, but numbers can be misleading.
So be careful not to give this adversary a chance to set up store. It would cause unnecessary problems and difficulties.