Pop-Up/Banner Ads

   Pop-Ups were initially used by advertisers as a method of delivering advertising on the internet. Hackers have now found this a ideal delivery method for thier payloads of dirty deeds. Now you can often you can find yourself buried in multiple windows of your browser. Browsing the web these days, means that your computer is vulnerable to ActiveX, VBScripts, and Java Applets which contain code that is automatically dwonloaded and executed on your machine with full access rights to all your files. Sometimes there are ActiveX, VBScripts, and Java Applets that you will want to see, so turning off these settings in your browser could limit the web sites that you will be able to visit, the pages will simply refuse to load all or part of the web page. Using a Pop-Up protection program will monitor the content for anything malicious that tries to be executed.
   We have even seen a threat that initally appears as a pop-up, which looks like a typical dialog box asking if you want to install a program with two buttons one to install and one to cancel. Clicking on either button modifys your browser to open hundreds of porn sites each time you open it, and even if your remove the virus, the next time you open your browser your computer gets re-infected.
   Some programs actually collect information about your browsing habits, and this information is sent to a central repositry on the internet, for the advetisers to look at. This is a form of a trojan, like the trojan horse gaining access to the castle under false pretenses.


• FTC Consumer Alert
  According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation's consumer protection agency, you can block unwanted pop up messages and better protect your computer from hackers. It's as simple as turning off the Microsoft Windows feature that allows pop up messages, or installing and running a firewall. The advantage of a firewall is that it prevents other types of unauthorized access to your computer, beyond pop up spam. Neither approach will stop pop up advertisements sent to your browser by a Web page you are visiting.
  http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/popalrt.htm (Mar. 5, 2002)
  
  
• A New Window Appears When You Visit Some Web Sites
  When you visit some Web sites, a new Internet Explorer window (or in some cases, multiple new windows) may open. These windows often contain advertisements.
  This behavior occurs if the administrator or content provider for the site has added code to open pop-up windows while the Web page is being loaded, or at other times while you view the site.
  http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;q308446 (Mar. 5, 2002)
  
  
• The best way is to block the server from tracking you in the first place
  Blocking Ads with a Hosts File.
  You can use a HOSTS file to block ads, banners, cookies, web bugs, and even most java scripts. This is accomplished by blocking the Server that supplies these little gems.
  Example - 127.0.0.1 ad.doubleclick.net
  blocks all files supplied by the DoubleClick Server to the web page you are viewing.
  http://mywebpages.comcast.net/winhelp2002/hosts.htm
  
  
• Andrew Nosenko's suggested pop up killer.
  There is little known but very efficient way to disable unwanted advertisement content. We can filter the web content automatically on per-URL basis, and this functionality is provided for free by the Internet Explorer browser. No 3rd party browser extensions or proxy servers are required.
  http://www.nozillium.com/adblock/
  
  
• AnalogX POW!
  When one of those nasty popups appears, POW! will automatically close it for you...
  http://www.analogx.com/contents/download/network/pow.htm
  
  
• Pop-Up Stopper
  Advanced pop-up control technology allows uninterrupted surfing - stop pop-ups before they load!
  Install Available on FreeCD
  
  
• The Proxomitron
  Using special HTML filters, the Proxomitron can transform web pages on the fly - changing most anything you wish. Speed your browsing by saying goodbye to slow loading cyber spam and other web-gimmickry. Customize pages to suit your tastes. Take control of your web viewing, and don't be slave to some web-master's whims.
  http://spywaresucks.org/prox/
  
  
• Web Washer
  http://www.webwasher.com
  
  
• Pop Up Advertisements
  As a last resort you may be interested to view this site.
  http://www.mvps.org/inetexplorer/Darnit.htm#pop_up

• Advertising Windows Constantly Interfere with Internet Browsing
  You may notice the following symptoms:
  WNAD has caused an error in unknown
  Pop-up advertisements continually open while you attempt to browse the Internet or to open Web pages
  -or- Web pages open very slowly or they are only partially displayed.
  http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;q312931 (W95/98/se/ME Jun. 14, 2002)