![]() ![]() ![]() That means the ad companies, like Google and Facebook, cannot track you as you browse the web, or learn which websites you visit, or infer what things you might be interested in based on your web history. Ad blockers are also good for privacy, because they prevent the tracking code within ads from loading. By blocking ads, would-be victims are not shown any ads at all, making it easier to find and access the websites of legitimate brands.Īd blockers don’t just remove the enormous bloat from websites, like auto-playing video and splashy ads that take up half the page, which make your computer fans run like jet engines. One of the FBI’s recommendations for consumers is to install an ad blocker.Īs the name suggests, ad blockers are web browser extensions that broadly block online ads from loading in your browser, including in search results. Malicious ads are also used to trick victims into installing malware disguised as genuine apps, which can steal passwords and deploy file-encrypting ransomware. Ads are often placed at the top of search results but with “minimum distinction” between the ads and the search results, the feds say, which can look identical to the brands that the cybercriminals are impersonating. In a pre-holiday public service announcement, the FBI said that cybercriminals are buying ads to impersonate legitimate brands, like cryptocurrency exchanges. That’s the takeaway message from an unlikely source - the FBI - which this week issued an alert warning that cybercriminals are using online ads in search results with the ultimate goal of stealing or extorting money from victims. This holiday season, consider giving the gift of security with an ad blocker.
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