Urban Ladder 0.2 Ads

Posted: January 4, 2016

Threat Metric

The Threat Meter is a malware assessment that SpywareRemove.com's research team is able to give every identifiable malware threat. Our Threat Meter includes several criteria based off of specific malware threats to value their severity, reach and volume. The Threat Meter is able to give you a numerical breakdown of each threat's initial Threat Level, Detection Count, Volume Count, Trend Path and Percentage Impact. The overall ranking of each threat in the Threat Meter is a basic breakdown of how all threats are ranked within our own extensive malware database. The scoring for each specific malware threat can be easily compared to other emerging threats to draw a contrast in its particular severity. The Threat Meter is a useful tool in the endeavor of seeking a solution to remove a threat or pursue additional analytical research for all types of computer users.

The following fields listed on the Threat Meter containing a specific value, are explained in detail below:

Threat Level: The threat level scale goes from 1 to 10 where 10 is the highest level of severity and 1 is the lowest level of severity. Each specific level is relative to the threat's consistent assessed behaviors collected from SpyHunter's risk assessment model.

Detection Count: The collective number of confirmed and suspected cases of a particular malware threat. The detection count is calculated from infected PCs retrieved from diagnostic and scan log reports generated by SpyHunter.

Volume Count: Similar to the detection count, the Volume Count is specifically based on the number of confirmed and suspected threats infecting systems on a daily basis. High volume counts usually represent a popular threat but may or may not have infected a large number of systems. High detection count threats could lay dormant and have a low volume count. Criteria for Volume Count is relative to a daily detection count.

Trend Path: The Trend Path, utilizing an up arrow, down arrow or equal symbol, represents the level of recent movement of a particular threat. Up arrows represent an increase, down arrows represent a decline and the equal symbol represent no change to a threat's recent movement.

% Impact (Last 7 Days): This demonstrates a 7-day period change in the frequency of a malware threat infecting PCs. The percentage impact correlates directly to the current Trend Path to determine a rise or decline in the percentage.

Ranking:	17,260
Threat Level:	1/10
Infected PCs:	12

First Seen:	January 4, 2016
Last Seen:	August 14, 2023
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

Urban Ladder advertisements, or Urban Ladder 0.2, is an adware program that inserts sponsored content into your Web-browsing sessions. These advertisements aren't intended to harm your computer, but may expose you to tactics, script-based exploits and other attacks incidentally. Malware experts find no tangible benefits in installing or using most forms of adware, and removing Urban Ladder advertisements with any anti-adware product that you prefer is the currently recommended protocol.

Climbing a Ladder Up to Advertisements

Adware developers may distribute their products under the often-correct assumption that they're unwanted. There are installation strategies that compensate for this fact in different ways, but one of the most common is a software bundling utility, such as Win32/InstallIQ. This bundler last was seen installing the DefaultTab search hijacker. More recently than DefaultTab's campaign, malware experts also saw it responsible for circulating Urban Ladder advertisements, an adware product.

InstallIQ installs Urban Ladder advertisements to Firefox in an extension format, and it normally is visible in your browser's extension listings. Like previous adware seen by malware experts, Urban Ladder advertisements may modify your browsing experience with injected affiliate advertisements. These advertisements may alter the Web pages you browse in unforeseen ways, such as by blocking navigation elements or default advertisements. They also may introduce longer loading times.

Common security risks linked to advertisements like those shown by Urban Ladder advertisements may include:

Fake system scanners may imitate the results of a security scan, implying that threats have compromised your PC.
Tactics such as fraudulent sweepstakes may phish for your information while offering theoretically 'free' prizes.
In worst case scenarios, the networks may load invisible, scripted content, such as JavaScript, that may deliver a drive-by-download attack unintentionally. The payload of such attacks may compromise your PC automatically.

The risks noted above are why PCs normally should have adware removed, excepting circumstances where the advertising software provides clear benefits alongside its advertisements, at the discretion of the PC's owner.

Kicking Over the Adware Ladder

Urban Ladder advertisements installers only have been tied to one product so far: free hardware temperature-monitoring utilities found at alcpu.com. Some PC security institutions go so far as to rank this site as being threatening, although malware experts only have seen its products installed with PUPs, such as adware like Urban Ladder advertisements, and browser hijackers. In all observed cases, the PC user first must download and launch the installer intentionally, which requests permission to install Urban Ladder advertisements and its other PUPs along with the utility.

Monitoring internal temperatures can be a useful precaution for any PC owner who is used to overclocking or other strategies that strain their setup's hardware. It also can be one of the simplest ways of detecting some kinds of threats, such as Bitcoin miners. However, utilities for doing the above tasks always can be found without being tied to unwanted adware and other PUPs. Whatever your opinion of Alcpu.com products might be, malware experts suggest deleting Urban Ladder advertisements from Firefox with any anti-adware program that you feel is up to the task.

Urban Ladder 0.2 Ads

Threat Metric

Climbing a Ladder Up to Advertisements

Kicking Over the Adware Ladder

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