Is Adfly A Virus? Let’s Take A Look

Introduction

The internet, ever since it first came into being, has become a hub of all sorts of activities. The large population over the net has allowed for multiple businesses to start and for various websites to come into existence that are considered to be unforeseen.

There are also people who are trying to make the world a better place with the help of the internet; they provide valuable information with the help of videos that aim to teach students, or even to help people grow spiritually and mentally. Some people even use the internet and its wide reach to raise money and/or awareness for the needy or otherwise impaired.

However, along with the good, just like everything else in the world, the bad has to exist as well; this is why there are also a lot of negative activities taking place over the internet. People try to use nifty techniques to steal others’ information or, in some cases, even their money.

Some websites will claim to make you money with you having to do anything, but will instead rip you off and corrupt your data through a series of malware and viruses. AdFly is one such website that falls between the worlds of good and bad, and we’re going to talk about its reality.

What is AdFly?

AdFly is a website present on the internet that makes use of ads to help its users make money. It basically uses URL shortening as a means of bringing users in as a money-making scheme.

How does it help users make money? All the user has to do is insert the link of their actual website in AdFly, and they’ll in turn receive a shortened URL that’ll look much better than a lengthy URL in comparison. You can share the shortened URL on your profile once you have received it; you will then earn money for each person who actually clicks on that URL and is redirected to AdFly before making it to your actual website.

You don’t need to make any efforts to earn money; the clicks you generate for AdFly through your personal URL will generate money for you. The reason AdFly is able to pay its users money for doing all this is because of the money they themselves receive through the ads they feature on their website.

When your viewers click on your link and visit AdFly for five seconds, they are exposed to the ads on the website itself, which is going to generate ad money for AdFly itself. The company then pays a portion of this money to you for bringing all those visitors to their website.

Is AdFly a Virus?

AdFly’s team is not a gang of criminals looking to rip people off; in fact, it is a legitimate company with devoted developers and programmers looking to maintain their website and provide users with a way to make money without doing much. The major issue with this website is how easily it can be exploited by hackers and con-men that look to profit from others’ personal information.

AdFly, when exploited, can result in a bombardment of ads on the user’s computer and can also decrease its performance capability. These issues might be considered malicious, but they’re more commonly known as PUPs or Potentially Unwanted Programs.

How does AdFly Carry Viruses?

AdFly solely relies on adware and similar programs to generate revenue for itself and for its participants. Hackers try to put their own malicious adware through the already-existing ads on the website to lure its users on to shady websites containing malware and suspicious content.

AdFly can also be exploited and modified to redirect users to such sites that can help in the installation of viruses on their computers; this can later on become a pain in the neck when all your apps and websites are filled with unwanted ads or, even in more severe cases, when your personal information is stolen.

How does all this happen? Hijackers cab cleverly present users with a permissions tab, asking the users if they allow the website to send them notifications. Once the users give them their permission, all sorts of modifications are done to their computer. New extensions are downloaded into their browsers that result in the setting being tweaked, which can ultimately lead to the user being exposed to even more malicious content.

Tips to Make Your Computer More Secure

There are a lot of ways to prevent your computer from being infected by these suspicious activities and attacks from hackers. One of the first things you need to do is be more careful while you’re surfing.

Do not surf on websites that look suspicious or click on links that seem too inviting. A lot of ads contain persuasive content like “Win a 1000$ for free!” all designed to trick the users into clicking on them so that viruses can be installed on to their computers.

Simply install an ad blocker on your computer to keep yourself safe from all these interfering ads on various websites, including AdFly. You’ll find many secure apps that can help block all ads on any websites you visit; this will protect you from any potential security issues or even mistakenly clicking on an ad.

Enable a firewall on your computer that will keep unwanted content and websites away from your browsing experience. You should also download an antivirus application so you can run regular checks on your computer to detect any such viruses or PUPs.

Final Thoughts

Being safe from threats like harmful applications and links on the internet does not involve any rocket science; you can easily download the necessary software that will keep you protected at all times, and try to surf mostly on secure websites so that you can avoid having to deal with such adware on websites like AdFly. Most importantly, don’t give in to fake schemes and links; be aware of what goes around you on the internet.