The Case for Ad Blockers

Many websites use advertisements to help supplement the cost of creating new content, hosting the site itself, and to generate revenue. Many site owners utilize various ad platforms to load ads onto their websites. However, bad actors have been known to abuse these platforms to direct users to malicious websites or download malicious content. This is known as “malvertising”. A seemingly innocuous ad could lead a user to a drive-by download or load malicious code from a compromised website.

Reputable ad blockers such as uBlock Origin and AdBlock Plus allow users to stop ads from loading on websites (as well whitelist specific sites if desired). These programs are usually in the form of browser plugins. Additionally, ad blockers may also offer the ability to import blacklists, which are lists of known bad domains or ad platforms with poor reputations. This can increase your security when browsing by stopping traffic before reaching a malicious website.

If you haven’t used an ad blocker before, try one out in your favorite browser and enjoy a cleaner, safer browsing experience.