Have you heard of the term PUP in relation to your information technology? Are you unsure of how to defend against PUPs? Perhaps you’re not even sure what PUPs are. Because PUPs can be potentially damaging to a business, especially if user information, trade secrets and other confidential data are leaked, our expert San Diego IT consultants thought it’d be fitting to share some information about them!

A potentially unwanted program (PUP) is a program that is unintentionally downloaded by the user when he or she is downloading another, separate and legitimate program. PUPs often have undesirable effects on a computer and are very similar to malware once they are installed. PUPs may run in the background to slow a computer down or display a number of annoying advertisements. PUPs are normally installed when the user does not read installation agreements closely.

There are six major categories of PUPs: spyware, adware, password crackers, remote administration tools, dialers and jokes.

1. Spyware will send personal information to a third party without the user’s consent
2. Adware will display unwanted advertisements
3. Password crackers are more malicious because they will provide a security attacker with confidential information needed to access crucial accounts and data files.
4. Remote administration tools will allow a computer be controlled by a third party other than a legitimate user or administrator.
5. Dialers will redirect Internet connections to a different internet service provider than the one normally used by the user. By redirecting the connection, dialers allow for extra connection charges to be billed.
6. Jokes are the most innocuous of all PUPs because they are not created with much malicious intent; they are merely there to annoy the user.

The best way for businesses to protect themselves from PUPs is to exercise extreme caution and to only give administrator privileges to few trusted employees. When caution is combined with an anti-virus product or a high level of network security, PUPs will have little chance of disrupting normal business routines.

To request more information about network and data protection, reach out to Syndeo Communications today. We have a team of professional and experienced IT consultants who can provide valuable advice for how to best protect your business’ important data. In addition to offering reliable IT support San Diego businesses trust, we also offer complimentary consultations where you can ask questions about your current IT infrastructure and find out how to better protect and streamline your business. Call us at 760-650-3300 – we look forward to hearing from you!