Potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) often become downloaded on the devices with a user’s consent. Despite the possibility of them being unwanted, these programs carry various types of malware, including spyware, adware, and dialers, and may negatively affect computer performance or lead to security risks.
PUPs arrived on devices through channels including adware, download instigated by the user, and through email. Once these PUP programs are installed, they can cause damage to the device by becoming a RAT, trojan horse, or altering device restriction settings allowing other attacks.
This article dives into the danger of PUP applications, ways to help prevent these programs, and techniques to remove them from your devices. User education and good email security are critical to helping prevent PUPs from ending up on the devices.
Deploying Cloud-based Advanced email security from Trustifi is proven to help prevent PUPS from being downloaded from suspicious messages and attachments.
Is PUP Harmful to all Devices?
The email security platform market continues to strengthen with next-generation capabilities to help protect users from phishing attacks. These attacks will continue to grow as phishers and digital attackers adjust their methods to leverage more clever malicious email messages to reach new victims for their adware and malware PUP programs and files.
- PUPs can be uninstalled, even though they are often free. These applications contain spyware, adware, and dialers, typically bundled with a legal software. The usage and abuse of PUPs are damaging. Frequently these additional files are offered when installing legitimate software as an optional step to continue onto the software’s downloading page.
- PUPs are software deemed possibly damaging, which users rarely wish to have. Having a program marked as ‘PUPs’ doesn’t mean it’s harmful, and it can sometimes download these for free. However, this might show it contains characteristics people wouldn’t want, such as attempting to alter web browser homepages or engaging in spying.
How Does the Program become a PUP?
PUPs are programs released without an opt-out option and can be intrusive or promote web advertising. They can range from entirely useless to helpful software, though they are usually considered a security risk and may even be mistaken for malware or adware. While some PUPs may be beneficial, most of them are not.
Are all Potentially Unwanted Programs Malware?
Yes! Any PUP program could be classified as malware or adware. Etc. Consider all PUP programs with the compatibility to carry malicious payloads. PUP-infected machines will show signs of slow rebooting, and operational files will become corrupted.
Symptoms of PUP Malware
Symptoms differ. Many PUPS are running on your laptop and can slow its operation by taking time to process your data. The computer is running slowly but only multitasks a little, as previously. PUPs may also cause symptoms, including:
- Business Email Compromise Schemes
- Rootkit Combination Malware
- Uninstall Legitimate Programs
- Alter Browser Settings
PUPs may not be legally classed as malware but still pose user risks. They can cause internet problems and put private data at risk. Pop-ups displaying unwanted advertisements or buttons disabling certain browser functions are common signs of using a file with a PUA. Browser Hijacking Pages are software for stealing computer data and redirecting browsers to pay-to-view sites. Information collected this way is passed on to companies targeting advertisements or hackers working maliciously.
How to Remove PUPs
It is possible to eliminate unwanted software, although it might be difficult for users. Using antivirus software will help remove PUPs on your device. Cloud-based email security solutions like Trustifi also provide excellent protection by blocking suspicious content within the message.
Cloud-Based Email Security Solutions to the Rescue!
Email security plays a vital role in protecting users from PUP programs. Many email phishing attacks also contain PUP malware. The hackers could disguise this malware as an email attachment or a malicious link embedded with the message.
Trustifi’s cloud-based advanced email security platform offered several inbound protection layers, including anti-virus, anti-malware, and anti-phishing prevention engines powered by adaptive artificial intelligence. These prevention engines run a mature AI learning data set combined with machine learning to help stop PUP links and malware from affecting user devices.
Cloud-based email security platforms like Trustifi continue to innovate with additional artificial intelligence capabilities and cloud elasticity. These capabilities will help reduce the impact of future phishing attacks and provide scaling to handle higher volumes of attack traffic.
Why Trustifi?
Trustifi is a cyber security firm featuring solutions delivered on software as a service platform. Trustifi leads the market with the easiest-to-use and deploys email security products, providing both inbound and outbound email security from a single vendor.
As a global cybersecurity provider of both inbound and outbound email protection, Trustifi currently supports customers from countries including the USA, Canada, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, the UK, the Netherlands, India, the UAE, China, and Japan, Cyprus, the Philippines, and more. The company has also developed “One-Click Compliance” capabilities that cater to world security regulations, including PDPO for Hong Kong, POPI for South Africa, GDPR for Europe, and LGPD for Brazil.
