The Origin Of and Removal Procedures for Bargain Buddy Adware

Bargain buddy is a parasite adware thought to be created by a company named “eXact advertising”. According to the Symantec site “the files are detected as

Adware.BargainBuddy” and usually require manual installation.

But this is not always so.

Adware.BargainBuddy has been found inside of other programs that can install it automatically. The ads that pop up on your screen come from the following server http://adp.ikena.com/.

But when I visited this site to learn more about Bargain Buddy you simply see a blank webpage with a login box in the middle.

There is no information, no names, nothing. Just a login box. Very curious!

The adware has two components: an executable file and a dynamic link library.

Its executable file is what connects to the adp.ikena.com server and downloads advertisements then displays them.

The dynamic link is its spying function. It monitors your internet activity and surfing habits through a “browser helper object”.

Your information is sent back to the creators of the adware who uses it to send you targeted marketing. You receive ads made ‘just for you’.

But what are its dangers? Like all spyware the bargain buddy application taxes CPU usage and consumes large amounts of bandwidth. It also creates huge amounts of spam.

The good news is that if you are infected with the bargain buddy executable file, you can easily remove it.

Simply open up the Add/Remove Programs application and delete all files labeled “Adware.BargainBuddy”.

After you have deleted the files you should run an antispyware program that will make sure your system has been completely cleansed and is free from other adware applications as well. Keep in mind that BargainBuddy is adware that was most probably downloaded by you.

This means that “you” invited it into your system and/or network after accepting the end user license agreement found in the free software “you” previously downloaded.

Once you remove Bargain Buddy from your computer or network the free software will function incorrectly or stop working at all.

Be careful when you are offered something for free on the internet.

99 percent of all freeware is infected with files such as bargain buddy or other spyware or adware that can cause you much grief later on.