This caveat does mean, however, that Microsoft has to rely on side revenue to keep the company afloat. In previous years they could release a new edition of Windows and ride off of the income. With this now out of the question, Microsoft has been experimenting with advertisements in the operating system. These have had some negative reviews in the past. For instance, their Mail client suddenly began showing advertisements, which Microsoft quickly removed after backlash and claimed it was an “experiment.” Now the software giant is under fire once again after they showed malicious ads within Windows 10.
What Were the Ads?
The problem began when a malicious ad managed to creep into the pool of advertisements. Windows 10 queries this pool every time it wants to show an advert to the user. When the malicious advert receives a query, it automatically opens a webpage on the user’s computer. The content of this webpage was either a phony virus scan claiming the PC was infected or a fake prize giveaway claiming the user had won an iPhone. Of course, if users weren’t very tech-savvy, these ads would trick them into believing it was real. After all, as far as the user knows, this ad was delivered to them by the operating system itself – so it has to be true. Unfortunately, even if the user knows that the webpage was a scam, they may not realize what triggered it to open in the first place. This confusion could cause people to go on the hunt for a malware infection even though it was delivered by Windows 10 itself!
How to Avoid the Ads
Unfortunately, because these ads are due to Microsoft’s negligence to advertiser quality, there’s not a great deal that users can do to prevent these ads from appearing. Windows 10 has total control over what ads get shown, so there’s no quick fix to stop them. Fortunately, the ads don’t instantly install malware on your PC. They have to rely on you clicking the webpages that they summon. As such, if you use Windows 10 and suddenly a phony ad appears, ignore it and close the tab. Nothing destructive will install itself due to the webpage opening. You may also want to use other software until Microsoft fixes the problem. If you use Mail, you may wish to access your inbox via other means, such as your browser. If you rely on News for global updates, try visiting a news site. Should you hate the idea of malicious Windows ads lurking wherever you go, it may be worth using an older Windows version or different OS until this tides over.
Bad Ads
Windows 10 relies on advertising to get additional revenue from its users, but unfortunately, it appears the vetting on said ads hasn’t been stellar. It’s best to stay away from official Windows apps for the time being (or even the operating system itself!) until Microsoft weeds out the malicious advertisements. After the Mail “experiment” and these bad ads, do you think Microsoft should find another way to gain revenue? Or is advertising the only option? Let us know below.
