Telling The Difference Between Good & Bad Popups When They Pop Up


BOOM!

You are sitting in a dark room surfing the web when a flash of white light blinds you. Squinting your eyes to read the text, you see "A virus has been detected! Call this number to get help." Should you do it?

Popups can be quite helpful in notifying users of important information, but they also are abused to trick users into performing specific actions. It's a balancing act when trying to determine whether these alerts are real or fake. Here are some characteristics you can look out for to tell the difference.

The words "popup" and "advertisement" may be interpreted interchangeably below, though it is usually advised to not respond to advertisements.

Indicators of Malicious Popups

They have fake buttons.

Sometimes actual websites that contain links and buttons may also show advertisements that have images that look like buttons. Thankfully, you can usually spot these fake buttons because they stand out.

They have fake "close" buttons.

This seems to be more prevalent with mobile devices than desktops. Advertisements on mobile applications that appear in the form of a video or picture usually require you to wait a certain amount of time before you can close them out. As a result, some of these ads will put a button that looks like the typical "X" symbol to close it out. Don't rush to tap on your screen! You may actually click on a link. Waiting those few seconds could save you from being redirected somewhere.

There's an overly aggressive call to action or provide sensitive information.

If you see phrases like "ACTION NEEDED", "CALL NOW", or something else around that ballpark, that may be an attempt to manipulate you.

Overall, they just seem off.

This point may sound silly, but look into the popup's appearance and behavior. Does the popup have proper spelling and grammar? If it claims to be from a website or application, does its aesthetic look official? Does the popup come up persistently or randomly?

Indicators of Legitimate Popups

They are triggered by user interaction.

Malicious popups try to get in your face as quickly as possible. In contrast, popups that are only triggered by your use of an application are expected! For example, by clicking on the following button, a simple popup alert will appear.


They have related URL(s).

If a popup contains buttons to a different webpage within the same website you are currently visiting, you may be okay. For example, if you are visiting https://doineedtechsupport.com and you were to receive a popup with a link to https://doineedtechsupport.com/about, that is related. However, if you are visiting https://doineedtechsupport.com and you see a popup with a link to https://google.com, you may need to be cautious.

Contain a clear purpose.

If you get a popup on your desktop about an application that you use or the popup neutrally states why it is there, it could be safe.

What You Can Do About Them

  • Install a reputable ad-blocker or privacy browser extension.
  • If on a website, carefully click somewhere outside of the alert to get it out of the way.
  • Try refreshing the webpage or application.
  • Adjust your browser or desktop's privacy and notification settings.
  • Keep your software caught up on security updates.

Conclusion

There may be times when a legitimate popup will attempt to get your attention so you can respond promptly. Since popups can be inherently suspicious in this day and age, inspecting it will help confirm its intentions. Just remember that as you consider each of these indicators, you piece all of the clues together.