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Training Camp • Cybersecurity Glossary
A Potentially Unwanted Program PUP, or grayware, is bundled software with undesirable behavior like adware that sits between legitimate apps and malware.
Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP) Definition: A Potentially Unwanted Program PUP, or grayware, is bundled software with undesirable behavior like adware that sits between legitimate apps and malware.
A Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP), also called a Potentially Unwanted Application (PUA) or grayware, is software that a user may not have knowingly consented to install and that exhibits undesirable behavior such as bundled adware, browser toolbars, aggressive telemetry, or system tweaks. PUPs occupy a gray area between legitimate applications and outright malware because they often arrive through deceptive software bundling rather than exploitation, yet they degrade performance, privacy, or user control. Many endpoint protection products detect and quarantine PUPs under a separate, lower-severity classification than viruses or trojans.
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