Alert-defenders.com Adware Scam [Removal Guide]
Larry March
Issue:My browser settings have been changed without my knowledge, it gets redirected to Alert-defenders.com.
I keep getting redirected to Alert-defenders.com and I get a lot of notifications. Please help me get rid of it.
Alert-defenders.com is a rogue website that displays questionable content or redirects visitors to other websites that are most likely untrustworthy or harmful. Sites like smartcaptchasolve.top, ngecauuksehi.xyz, myfreshspot.com, rplnd1.com, and desktopshieldprotection.com abound on the Internet.
Rogue webpages are generally accessed through redirection created by untrustworthy websites, unwanted adverts, or PUAs (Potentially Unwanted Applications).
According to their geolocation or IP address, visitors to alert-defenders.com may be provided with inappropriate material or diverted elsewhere. This website has been spotted pushing scams, and similar websites frequently run schemes like “CONGRATULATIONS, YOU ARE THE VISITOR NO. “NEW UPDATES AVAILABLE FOR YOU“, “Your anti-virus software has expired, click here to activate” and so on.
Furthermore, websites of this type frequently employ false information, such as phoney captchas, fake updates, and so on, to entice visitors to enable browser notifications. If alert-defenders.com’s notifications are allowed, it will begin distributing intrusive advertising campaigns.
The advertisements you see may be harmful, deceptive, or both. They promote several dubious and dangerous websites. Unwanted software can be installed on a victim’s computer without knowing if an intrusive advertisement is clicked.
How to Avoid Getting Infected With Alert-defenders.com and Similar Adware?
It is simple to avoid online threats if how it works and how it is transmitted. Avoid the following internet browsing habits to avoid becoming a victim of Alert-defenders.com Adware:
Avoiding Fake Ads and Notifications: This is arguably the most common way for people to become victims of online threats like the Alert-defenders.com Adware. If you recall the early days of the web, you might recall browsers that were clogged with dozens of extensions and PCs that were extremely slow.
This is because most individuals were not aware of the implications of clicking on fraudulent adverts and notifications in the past. Fast forward to the present decade, and cybercriminals are still using the same distribution method, but it has developed. As long as you keep an eye out for suspicious websites and don’t click on any of the fake ads and notifications, you should be able to prevent them.
Avoid Installing Pirated Applications: Another approach for cyber crooks to access a victim’s computer is to pose as a legitimate application. They would make their program look identical to the original, using the same color theme, fonts, and logos, making it difficult to distinguish between the two. As a result, you should refrain from obtaining and installing pirated software from dangerous websites.
Look out for Software Bundling: The term “software bundling” refers to the practice of distributing a single installation package that contains several different programs. Genuine programs also employ this method, so sift through the installation agreement and opt-out of anything that asks you whether you agree to install an additional application.
Take a look at an example of how software bundling looks like:
Alert-defenders.com Adware Threat Summary
THREAT NAME | Alert-defenders.com Adware |
THREAT TYPE | Adware, Browser Hijacker, Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP), Unwanted Ads, Intrusive Notifications |
AFFECTED BROWSER SETTINGS | Homepage, New Tab Homepage and Default Search Engine |
DISTRIBUTION METHOD | Bundled software distribution, malicious websites, pop-ups, banner ad and fake Windows update prompts |
SYMPTOMS | Intrusive pop-up ads, advertisement banners, desktop notifications from the website even when the browser is closed, suspicious browser extensions are installed without permission, browser settings are changed such as the home page and search engine without permission |
REMOVAL | Scan the whole system with iolo System Mechanic all-in-one anti-virus tool or other virus removal tool or manually remove website permissions through the settings in the browser. You can also manually uninstall PUP’s. |
As you can see in the samples, the additional program is checked by default, which means that if you click next, it will be installed immediately. That is why you must carefully read the installation agreement.
Removal of Alert-defenders.com Adware
You’ve arrived at the right place if your computer has been infected with the Alert-defenders.com Adware. Today, we’ll show you how to use the most effective methods to remove Alert-defenders.com Adware and other online threats from your computer.
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Steps and Guide on How to Manually Remove the Alert-defenders.com Adware
Uninstall and Remove Alert-defenders.com Adware From Windows
Step 1 – Press down the “Windows” key and press the letter “R” on the keyboard to bring up the “Run” window and type in “appwiz.cpl”.
Step 2 – In the “Uninstall or Change a Program” screen, look for all the items that are listed and installed without your permission and simply click on “Uninstall” to permanently remove them from the computer and follow the prompts.
Removing the Alert-defenders.com Adware From Windows Shortcuts
Step 1 – Right-click on your browser icon and then — left-click on its properties.
Step 2 – In the properties, click the “Shortcut” tab and delete the line (it might be Alert-defenders.com Adware or any other malicious webpage) after the “.exe”. and click “Apply” and “Ok”.
You can perform the same steps for any other browser icon/shortcuts like Internet Explorer, Chrome, Edge, etc. Just take note that the shortcuts for the browsers may not be on the desktop.
Uninstalling Alert-defenders.com Adware From MAC Operating System
Step 1 – On the menu bar, click “Go” and select “Applications”.
Step 2 – In the “Applications” window, look for all files that relate to Alert-defenders.com Adware Toolbar and drag the icon to the trash.
In order for Mac OS users to remove the Alert-defenders.com Adware Toolbar, go to the following folders and delete all entries that relate to the Alert-defenders.com Adware Toolbar: Application Support, LaunchAgents and LaunchDaemons.
Manual Steps to Disable Alert-defenders.com Adware Notifications From Popular Browsers
- Steps for Google Chrome (Windows);
- Steps for Mozilla Firefox;
- Steps for Internet Explorer;
- Steps for MS Edge;
- Steps for Google Chrome (Android);
- Steps for Safari (MAC);
Alert-defenders.com Adware Notification Disable For Google Chrome (Windows)
Step 1 – Click on the three dots to access the menu button on the upper right corner of Chrome and click “Settings”.
Step 2 – Click on “Privacy and Security”, click “Site Settings” and then click “Notifications”.
Step 3 – Click the three dots located on the right side of the intrusive website and select “Remove” or “Block”.
Disabling Alert-defenders.com Adware Notification For Mozilla Firefox
Step 1 – Click the menu or three bars located on the upper right corner of Firefox and click “Options”.
Step 2 – In the Options window, select “Privacy & Security”.
Step 3 – Click on the “Permission” section by scrolling down to the bottom part of the page and click “Settings” next to “Notifications”.
Step 4 – In the notifications settings, click on the suspicious website and click the drop-down option and select “Block” and “Save Changes”.
Disabling Alert-defenders.com Adware Notification For Internet Explorer
Step 1 – Click the Gear on the upper right corner of Internet Explorer and click “Internet Options”.
Step 2 – In Internet Options, click “Privacy” and click “Settings”.
Step 3 – Click on all the suspicious websites that are listed and remove them by clicking “Remove”.
Disabling Alert-defenders.com Adware Notification For Microsoft Edge
Step 1 – Click the three dots on the upper right corner of MS Edge and click “Settings”.
Step 2 – Click “Advanced” and click on “Manage Permissions”.
Step 3 – Click on the “X” button right next to the suspicious website to remove it.
Disabling Alert-defenders.com Adware Notification For Google Chrome (on Android)
Step 1 – Tap the three dots to access the menu and tap “Settings”.
Step 2 – Tap “Notifications” in the settings menu.
Step 3 – Look for suspicious websites and tap on the radio buttons right next to them. Please note that the “blue” button means it’s enabled and “grey” means it’s disabled.
Disabling Alert-defenders.com Adware Notification For Safari (Mac)
Step 1 – Click the “Safari” icon and click “Preferences”
Step 2 – Click on the “Websites” tab and select “Notifications”
Step 3 – On the right side of the suspicious website, click on the “Arrow” and click “Deny”.
Manual Steps To Completely Delete and Uninstall Alert-defenders.com Adware Extensions From Popular Browsers
- Remove Alert-defenders.com Adware from Google Chrome;
- Remove Alert-defenders.com Adware from Mozilla Firefox;
- Uninstall Alert-defenders.com Adware from Safari;
- Uninstall Alert-defenders.com Adware from Edge;
- Remove Alert-defenders.com Adware from Internet Explorer.
Removing Alert-defenders.com Adware Extension from Google Chrome
Step 1 – Click the Three Dots on the upper right corner of Chrome to access the “menu” and click “More Tools” and “Extensions”.
Step 2 – Look for all unknown extensions and remove them by click “Remove”.
Optional Method: Resetting Chrome to Default Settings
Step 1 – Open the Chrome menu and click on “Settings” and click “Advanced”.
Step 2 – Click the “Restore Settings to Their Original Defaults” and click “Reset Settings” to confirm in the Advanced Options in Chrome.
Removing Alert-defenders.com Adware Extension From Mozilla Firefox
Step 1 – Click the Three Bars located on the upper right corner of Firefox and click “Add-ons”.
Step 2 – Click on “Extensions” on the next window and look for all suspicious add-ons and click the 3 dots right next to it and click “Remove”.
Optional Method: Resetting Firefox to Default Settings
Step 1 – Open the menu in Firefox and click “Help” and then click on “Troubleshooting Information”.
Step 2 – In the Troubleshooting Information screen, click on “Refresh Firefox” and click “Refresh Firefox” to confirm.
Eliminating Alert-defenders.com Adware Extension from Safari (Mac)
Step 1 – Click the “Safari” button located on the upper left corner and click on “Preferences”.
Step 2 – In the preferences window, click “Extensions” and uninstall all suspicious extensions.
Optional Method: Resetting Safari to Default Settings
Step 1 – Click the “Safari” button and click “Clear History and Website Data”. Select “All History” and click “Clear History” to confirm.
Deleting Alert-defenders.com Adware Extension From Microsoft Edge
Step 1 – Open the menu by clicking the three dots on the upper right corner of MS Edge and click “Extension”.
Step 2 – In the next window, uninstall all suspicious extensions by clicking on it and clicking on “Uninstall”. Click “OK” to confirm.
Optional Method: Resetting Microsoft Edge to Default Settings
Step 1 – Open the menu by clicking the three dots in MS Edge and click “Settings”.
Step 2 – Click “Reset Settings” then click “Restore Settings to Their Default Values” and then click “Reset”.
Uninstalling Alert-defenders.com Adware Extension from Internet Explorer
Step 1 – Click the gear button on the upper right side of the browser and click on “Manage Add-ons”.
Step 2 – Click the “Toolbars and Extensions” and click on all the add-ons that do not look familiar to you and click “Disable”.
Resetting Internet Explorer to Default Settings
The steps on resetting the settings in Internet Explorer on all versions of the Windows Operating System are similar. Below are the steps:
Step 1 – Open the Internet Explorer menu by clicking the gear icon on Internet Explorer and click on “Internet Options”
Step 2 – In the Internet Options window, click the “Advanced” tab and click on “Reset” to confirm.
Conclusion
Alert-defenders.com adware is easy to avoid and remove, but it’s far preferable to avoid getting infected in the first place. We strongly advise you to use an anti-virus application such as iolo System Mechanic to keep you secure from online threats if you wish to surf the web with peace of mind.
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If the Alert-defenders.com Adware is still not removed — don’t hesitate and contact us via email, or a Facebook messenger (the blue ‘bubble’ on the bottom-right of your screen).