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Ads by Info

Posted: January 2, 2015

Threat Metric

Threat Level: 8/10
Infected PCs: 19
First Seen: January 2, 2015
Last Seen: April 14, 2022
OS(es) Affected: Windows

'Ads by Info' is an adware application that may modify multiple brands of Web browsers to load extra advertisements, frequently as digital 'coupons.' While Ads by Info's offers may be genuine, its poor adherence to standardized Web safety protocols forces malware experts to recommend Ads by Info's deletion in most cases. Due to deleting 'Ads by Info' manually having an extended history of failing to remove all of its software changes, you may wish to consider using specialized anti-adware products, whenever the removal of this adware is appropriate.

The Current Information on Ads by Info

Although its SOP strongly resembles that of previous adware, malware researchers first saw 'Ads by Info' in distribution 'in the wild' in mid-2014, continuing up to the date of this article's writing. Its installation methods have sometimes included distribution along with other adware, such as 'Ads by Flexible Shopper,' although 'Ads by Info' may install itself alone. After its installation, 'Ads by Info' may make changes to both the Chrome and Firefox browsers that enable the automatic loading of new advertisements.

'Ads by Info' displays advertisements for third parties through scripts that are injected into your browser's Web pages as they load. While controls ostensibly are provided for closing these advertisements, malware experts have found these controls to be non-functional with all available samples of 'Ads by Info.' Advertising content loaded by 'Ads by Info' is not designed to be threatening. However, 'Ads by Info' may, like most adware advertisements, unintentionally result in your exposure to attacks and online misleading tactics, both of which proliferate within poorly-secured advertisement networks.

'Ads by Info' also maintains at least one, persistent memory process. This memory process may be used to install updates automatically, which constitutes an additional, minor security risk. During their research, malware experts also verified that 'Ads by Info' fails to label its processes, files and other components appropriately, which may confuse any efforts to identify, isolate or remove this adware.

A Two-Out-of-Three Adware Removal

'Ads by Info' is specific to the Windows OS, but hasn't yet been seen installing components or settings changes for Internet Explorer. However, Firefox and Chrome users remain vulnerable to its browser modifications, which should be immediately visible, once in place, much like Ads by FocusBase or Ads by Vidx.

Although most anti-adware products have reasonable detection rates for 'Ads by Info,' its removal may require additional steps (such as a Safe Mode reboot) to prevent 'Ads by Info' from reinstalling itself. Any system scans you undertake for 'Ads by Info' should be allowed to complete themselves and detect any additional adware that could install with 'Ads by Info.'

In spite of their best efforts, malware experts have been unable to confirm the primary installation channels preferred by Ads by Info's latest versions. Similar adware products may exhibit a reliance on bundle installers associated with free software downloads, but also may be included in fraudulent updates or the payloads of threats.

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