Shopping Guide Adware

The Shopping Guide browser extension may claim that it will allow users to quickly access the most popular e-commerce platform/company but, as it turns out, it also has a hidden agenda. Once installed, the application will activate its adware functionality and start delivering unwanted and intrusive advertisements to the user's computer.

Adware applications are often disguised as seemingly legitimate products to mislead users. Other distribution techniques may include suspicious software bundles or fake installers. The reliance on such underhanded methods classifies these applications as PUPs (Potentially Unwanted Programs).

Users should exercise caution when dealing with its various advertisements. The advertisements may be injected into unrelated websites in an attempt to appear more legitimate. They also could contain clickbait messages to increase the chances of users interacting with them. The advertisements also may show offers for other intrusive PUPs or cause redirects to risky websites running misleading tactics, fake giveaways, phishing schemes and more.

While still installed on the system, the PUP also may attempt to collect data about the user's browsing activities and the system. These applications could extract the entire browsing and search histories and transmit them to their operators. Details such as IP address, device type, browser type, geolocation, and more also could be exfiltrated.