Madware
Madware
The newly coined word «madware» is becoming more and more used among cyber security specialists. It is a hybrid of two terms: advertising and malware. The term is especially successful because the resulting word itself means “insane”, “crazy” software.
Just as with TV and magazines, where advertising is a key revenue driver, a balance needs to be struck between editorial and promotional content. Media need to carry enough advertising to bring in sufficient revenue, but deliver too many adverts and you’ll deter viewers or readers. In the app world, it’s an equally difficult balancing act – when apps go too far with their annoying advertising, it gets known as madware – mobile adware that can be plain annoying!
The “Mobile Adware and Malware Analysis” report, published by Symantec, revealed that the percentage of apps containing “madware” – defined as apps using overly aggressive ad libraries – has consistently increased since 2010.
The report explained the different classes of ad libraries, which have the ability to collect information about app users for advertisers. The “madware” apps contained the most concerning ad libraries, which leaked private data, like phone numbers or user account information, or exhibited behaviors that were considered a major annoyance, like displaying ads in device notification bars.
Undoubtedly, the madware is growing rapidly and most madware comes from ad networks, which work with the app developers so the advertising appears with their app on a mobile device. The average app contains two ad networks, but can contain as many as 17! It turns out that less popular apps are more likely to contain madware than some of the more popular apps. While madware is legal, it is also going unchecked, and most of the time consumers don’t know which apps utilize madware or what the networks do with the information they gather to send those location-targeted ads. Furthermore, because of the data exchange involved and the way madware operates, consumers can end up with exorbitant phone bills, or even worse, become victims of identity theft.
The proliferation of madware is unlikely to halt any time soon – it’s a rapidly expanding category that offers opportunities to those looking to drive revenues through the mobile advertising platform. But because it presents real concerns in terms of consumer privacy and security, the industry has a responsibility to address the issue. Symantec is working hard to educate consumers about the tell-tale signs to look out for, and by introducing Norton Spot, is now protecting Android users from the worst culprits. Norton Spot analyses the each app on your device, and flags those that contain madware. Consumers are then able to see which apps carry the most annoying madware, uninstall those apps and help avoid irritating icons, alerts and notifications and prevents your personal information getting in the wrong hands.
