Ad.directrev.com

Ad.directrev.com is an advertising server that has been linked to unwanted pop-up advertisements and the potential distribution of threats or PUPs via fraudulent Flash updates. Signs of these suspicious activities were first noted in 2013, but Ad.directrev.com still is active and may be a danger to your computer, either deliberately or through omission. As usual, malware experts suggest that you clean your PC with anti-malware equipment after any contact with Ad.directrev.com or similar sites known to install software under misleading circumstances and that you be very attentive for the fake 'updates' that, so often, harbor threats.

Revving Your Browser for an Update to Trouble

While the existence of another advertising-delivery server is, in and of itself, not worth much attention, malware researchers found reasons to become interested in Ad.directrev.com after its advertisements took on unsafe connotations. These incidents involved the distribution of the IBryte Optimum Installer or PUP.IBryte, which is a generic utility for bundling the installation process of more than one program together into a single executable file. PUP.IBryte is classified as a Potentially Unwanted Program due to its usual installation of adware, browser hijackers and other low-level PC threats, although Ad.directrev.com also has the potential to install threats.

This bundler program is disguised as a fake Flash update, with Ad.directrev.com's advertisements crafted to look like Adobe notifications. Since Flash is a common media platform that's used by many major websites and often requires updates to eliminate newly-identified vulnerabilities, a fake update for it is an excellent way to trick PC users who don't double-check the sources of their update alerts. Updates that are distributed on advertisement servers or otherwise don't have a direct link to an official company link never should be installed, as malware researchers continually warn readers in their efforts to reduce the distribution of threats and unwanted programs.

A U-Turn Back Away from Ad.directrev.com Advertisements

A browser that's updated, protected by anti-malware utilities and has had vulnerable features disabled (such as website scripts) should be in little to no danger from Ad.directrev.com advertisements, and not all of Ad.directrev.com's advertisements necessarily are toxic. On the other hand, any recurring Ad.directrev.com pop-ups or similar issues usually are signs of the presence of threats. Removing these PC threats through the use of good anti-malware tools should remove the symptoms that are manifesting through your Web browsers, with no long term drawbacks.

The payloads distributed through Ad.directrev.com's advertisements still are under analysis by malware experts. However, browser-redirecting programs, programs that display additional advertisements and even Trojans all have been seen being installed via IBryte's bundling capabilities. Only some of these PC threats may show off any symptoms that you could detect without anti-malware tools. If you've any doubt about the safety of a supposed update file, scan the file with PC security software to detect any bundles or other threats that might be present.