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I browsed a web site that deals with currency exchange rates. I did not register. I just browsed it. It is a one page site, no registration is required to access the information. I was surprised a few weeks later by a pop-up message at the lower right of my Windows 10, telling me about a significant price change.

It is cool already but I was wondering how did the developer know how to pop such a message on Windows while I am not at the site page? Of course, they captured my TCP/IP but how did they instruct my machine to do this? I assume it requires code to be installed on my machine and must get a message, maybe via timer, and a mechanism to pop up.

I have several firewalls, virus checker, ad-blocker, etc. installed!

Edit:

From some of the comments and the answer I got, thanks to all, but I would really like to know how does the site do it? For example, do they store all ip values of visitors and go 1 by 1 to push the info to them? The site URL is: https://eldolar.live/

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    What service delivered the popup/ad?
    – JoakimE
    Mar 2, 2017 at 11:52
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    Did any notifications appear in your browser about allowing notifications from the site when you first browsed it?
    – iainpb
    Mar 2, 2017 at 11:53
  • This strongly sounds like you've installed adware. Try malwarebytes.com/adwcleaner
    – J.A.K.
    Mar 2, 2017 at 12:16
  • @J.A.K., I don't really know? I have malwarebytes installed, it did not report any thing.
    – NoChance
    Mar 2, 2017 at 15:02
  • @iain, No I was never asked about that. I use Google Chrome.
    – NoChance
    Mar 2, 2017 at 15:03

1 Answer 1

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My first thought is that it is because of the advertising that is built into Windows 10 and enabled by default:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/3039827/windows/7-ways-windows-10-pushes-ads-at-you-and-how-to-stop-them.html

Or, it was a notification through your browser. I use Chrome so am most familiar with its behavior. Sites that want to push notifications to you, chrome asks if you allow this and if you do it will cause little pop-up windows in the lower right with those notifications. I'd guess IE, firefox, etc. have similar features. Maybe the settings were overridden to allow notifications without prompting?

If not that, then some piece of software installed is adware.

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    If the page was still loaded it could have been disguised as a Windows alert too.
    – Terry
    Mar 2, 2017 at 13:47
  • Thank you for your help, I will check the link. I use Chrome too, but see no option to disable pushing info.
    – NoChance
    Mar 2, 2017 at 15:06
  • @Terry, the page was not leaded when this occurred.
    – NoChance
    Mar 2, 2017 at 15:08
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    Chrome notifications will happen when you are not at that particular site. That is the idea, to push information to you even if you don't visit the site. I'd start by disabling. support.google.com/chrome/answer/…
    – Thomas Carlisle
    Mar 2, 2017 at 17:32
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    There is an API: developer.chrome.com/apps/notifications
    – Thomas Carlisle
    Mar 2, 2017 at 18:02

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