What is CloudGuard?

What is CloudGuard?

CloudGuard is a tool that you should not keep on your computer. Even though it is described as a useful application, the reality is a little bit different. It is quite similar to all other most common adware but at the same time it has some differences. Most of adware are displaying customers various deals with discounts and other commercial offers to purchase some particular goods at an attractive price rate. CloudGuard offers to protect your computer from various malicious applications and viruses when browsing online. So it seems that it should be listed as a rogue antivirus program, but actually it is an adware because it doesn’t run fake scans and does not request users to purchase a premium version of this application in order to remove threats, it only displays you annoying ads on your web browser and does not protect your computer from any threats, therefore it is listed as an adware and a PUP (potentially unwanted program).

Another attribute of CloudGuard is an unusual official website. Most of adware have websites that are very similar to each other, they are probably made by the same template. CloudGuard has more of a modern-looking website so it is easier for the owners of it to convince users to install this application, because from the first sight, the page and the tool itself both look trustworthy.

It works as a browser add-on that can be added to all most popular web browsers, such as Internet Explorer, Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. Once installed, this application will display tons of various advertisements on your web browser, randomly. You should know that clicking on one of those ads, even if they look very attractive too you, is a wrong idea. That’s because if you do so, you will be immediately redirected to third parties websites that may be infected by cyber criminals and cause actual harm to your computer or even your private information. Since this application is completely free for users, it gets sponsored by the third parties. And it is not a secret that those third parties often happens to be various cyber criminals, such as hackers or scammers. So if you try to purchase something that you saw on one of those CloudGuard ads, you can even get scammed.

The main goal of CloudGuard is to make people click on those ads, because they get paid for every click that one makes. For that reason the developers of this tool have decided to collect your personal information, such as browsing history, search queries, IP address or top visited sites. Later on they transfer this data to various third parties and they adjust their ads according to the given findings, so the ads look more relevant to your browsing habits.

As you can see, there is no valid contact information on the application’s official website only a contact form to send a comment. That means that in case some problems appear due to this adware, no one is going to take responsibility for that. There is no privacy policy or terms of use as well.  And the most interesting thing is that there is no download button on that website. That’s because this adware is distributed bundled with other free applications and that’s why users are often not even aware that CloudGuard is installed on their PCs. If you are wondering how to avoid getting infected with this malicious application, you should be very attentive during the installation of various freebies. It would be wise not to download any software from websites that look suspicious but if you have no other options, be very careful during the installation. Do not skip any steps (don’t just click “next” and “agree” all the time before reading the whole thing first) and don’t forget to opt out for a custom or advanced install mode if possible. This will allow you to see all available options. If you have enough time, it would be wise to read all terms and conditions as well. Look for various check boxes that can be already marked for you. Usually they are displayed in a very small font, so beware. If you see that some additional software that you are not aware of is being installed alongside – do not allow it, as it can be CloudGuard or other adware. If it is too late and your computer is already infected, there are several ways how you can get rid of this unwanted program. Probably the easiest one is to download a trustworthy anti-malware, such as SpyHunter, StopZilla or Malwarebytes. Scan your PC with it and it will automatically detect and remove the virus. If you don’t feel like downloading and using any additional software, you can do this manually as well. See instruction below how to remove CloudGuard adware.