What is the primary function of adware in cybersecurity?

The primary function of adware in cybersecurity is to present advertisements to users based on their browsing behaviors. This type of software tracks user activity in order to collect data about their preferences and interests. By analyzing this data, adware can deliver targeted advertisements that are more likely to catch the user's attention, thus generating revenue for the adware developer.

While adware can sometimes be bundled with other types of malicious software, its main purpose revolves around advertising. It often operates in a manner that is less aggressive than traditional malware, yet it can still interfere with the user experience by displaying pop-up ads, redirecting search results, and slowing down system performance. Unlike ransomware, which aims to encrypt data for ransom, or monitoring software that observes user activities without consent for potentially malicious purposes, adware specifically targets advertising opportunities utilizing collected user behavior data.