Meteoroids – an adware-type virus causing annoying ads instead of funny games

Meteoroids virus is yet another application which is considered to be potentially unwanted. It has also been categorized as “adware”[1] because the main activity initiated by this add-on is “Ads by Meteoroids” and similar notifications which are displayed on every website you decide to visit.
From the first sight, it might seem that Meteoroids is a useful add-on giving you a possibility to “destroy” any website with the help of Asteroids game. However, right after you download it to your computer, you see that the main aim of this app is to earn money by promoting third parties and their websites. Be careful with that as you can be redirected to a malicious website![2]
To begin with, Meteoroids works the same as Websteroids, Blasteroids, Distasteroids, and many other cosmos-themed add-ons. Right after being let into the system, the virus initiates various changes in its settings, helping it to start its work as soon as the system is rebooted. Right after that, the program starts generating intrusive pop-up ads which are filled with links to third party websites. Typically, they aim to redirect users to these sponsored sites to increase their visitors' number or sales.
Also, right after dropping Meteoroids.exe, Meteoroids-bg.exe, Meteoroids-bho64.dll, Meteoroids-nova.exe, and similar files onto the system, the virus starts tracking your online activities. Meteoroids adware is typically interested in users' search terms, mostly visited websites, computer's location, its IP address and similar data which is additionally used to select eye-catching ads.
If you have been bothered by various banner ads, in-text links, sponsored ads, and similar content, you should check your computer with reputable security software because it seems that your system is hijacked. To eliminate ads on Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and other web browsers, remove Meteoroids with the help of FortectIntego. This program will help you fix your computer with only one click.

Adware uses traditional techniques to hijack the system
Just like any other legitimate program, this application has a direct download page, so you can download it from it. However, as we have mentioned before, this program is supported by suspicious third parties, so you should beware that it will start showing you annoying pop-up ads as soon as it gets inside the system. So, you should think twice before downloading it.
What is more, Meteoroids virus can rely on various free software which helps it to infiltrate the system as an optional component. Unfortunately, this method is still considered legitimate, so it has been exploited by various adware, browser hijackers, and similar applications.
To protect yourself and your computer from such programs, you have to take some extra measures while installing freeware on your computer. You need to check every single program before installing by opting for Custom or Advanced installation mode.
After doing so, follow the entire installation process and prevent infiltration of various “optional” components. Of course, you should also opt out of such offers as prepositions to change your start page or default search engine, add additional applications to your browser, modify your browser, etc.
A full Meteoroids virus removal guide
Meteoroids is a typical adware-type program that may apply various tactics while trying to infiltrate the target computer. After doing so, it starts causing various ads that redirect people to its affiliate websites. The main issue is that some of these websites can be fake or dangerous, so it would be better if you remove Meteoroids virus from your computer.
If you need a step by step guide that could explain you more about the whole removal procedure, check steps given below. However, they require having a decent knowledge of computer's structure and performance. If you can hardly tell how to launch Control Panel or reset your web browser, you should opt for automatic Meteoroids removal.
Uninstall from Windows
Uninstall from Windows 10/8:
- Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
- Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.

Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:
- Click on Windows Start > Control Panel (Windows XP users should click on Add/Remove Programs).
- In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.

Remove the unwanted program:
- In the Programs and Features window, look for any recently installed suspicious entries, select them, and click Uninstall.
- If User Account Control appears, click Yes to confirm, then complete the removal.

Delete from macOS
Remove the unwanted application:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).

Delete leftover files and folders:
- Select Go > Go to Folder.
- Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
- Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.

- Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.
Reset Internet Explorer
Remove dangerous add-ons:
- Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
- Pick Manage Add-ons.
- You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.

Change your homepage if it was altered:
- Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
- Select Internet Options.
- In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
- Click Apply and then select OK.

Delete temporary files:
- Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
- Under Browsing history, click Delete...
- Select relevant fields and press Delete.

Reset Internet Explorer:
- Click on Gear icon > Internet options and select Advanced tab.
- Select Reset.
- In the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset.

Remove from Microsoft Edge
Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:
- Select Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and pick Extensions.
- From the list, pick the extension and click on the Gear icon.
- Click Remove.

Clear cookies and other browser data:
- Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Select Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files. (apart from passwords, although you might want to include Media licenses as well, if applicable) and click on Clear.

Restore new tab and homepage settings:
- Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
- Then find On startup section.
- Click Remove next to any suspicious startup page.
Reset MS Edge if the above steps did not work:
- Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
- Select Details tab.
- Now scroll down and locate every entry with Microsoft Edge name in it. Right-click on each of them and select End Task to stop MS Edge from running.

Instructions for Chromium-based Edge
Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):
- Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
- Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.

Clear cache and site data:
- Click on Menu and go to Settings.
- Select Privacy, search and services.
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Under Time range, pick All time.
- Select Clear now.

Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- On the left side, pick Reset settings.
- Select Restore settings to their default values.
- Confirm with Reset.
- This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.

Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
Remove dangerous extensions:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click on the Menu (three horizontal lines at the top-right of the window).
- Select Add-ons.
- In here, select the unwanted extension and click Remove.

Reset the homepage:
- Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
- Choose Settings.
- Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.
Clear cookies and site data:
- Click Menu and pick Settings.
- Go to Privacy & Security section.
- Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
- Click on Clear Data...
- Select Cookies and Site Data and Temporary cached files and pages, then click Clear.

Reset Mozilla Firefox
If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
- Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.

- Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox...
- Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox.

Remove from Google Chrome
Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:
- Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
- In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all suspicious extensions related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove.

Clear cache and web data from Chrome:
- Click on Menu and pick Settings.
- Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
- Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
- Click Clear data.

Change your homepage:
- Click menu and choose Settings.
- Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
- Click on Open a specific or set of pages and click on three dots to find the Remove option.
Reset Google Chrome:
If the previous methods did not help you, reset Google Chrome to eliminate all the unwanted components:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
- Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
- Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
- Confirm with Reset settings.

Delete from Safari
Remove dangerous extensions:
- Open Safari, click Safari in the menu at the top-left of the screen, and select Preferences.
- Go to the Extensions tab, look for any suspicious entries, and click Uninstall to remove them.

Clear history and website data:
- Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
- Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.

Reset Safari:
- Click Safari in the menu and select Preferences > Advanced.
- Enable Show Develop menu in menu bar.
- From the menu bar, click Develop and select Empty Caches.

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