Gemius is harmless but can be used to collect your browsing-related data

Gemius is NOT a virus. It is free software which can be used to collect specific information which is additionally involved in marketing campaigns. However, the collection of this information is initiated only with users' awareness. Because of users' tracking, some of the security software vendors have decided to include the app to adware[1] and similar categories. Most of AV engines recognize this app as Win32/Trackware or Win32/Trackware.Gemius[2] and, therefore, is often described as Gemius virus. Nevertheless, it exhibits very low danger level and can hardly cause damage to you or your PC system.
| Name | Gemius |
| Type | PUP, adware |
| Danger level | Low |
| Detected as | Googlecm.hit.gemius.pl, Win32/Trackware, Win32/Trackware.Gemius |
| Symptoms | Excessive amount of ads on web browser, questionnaires, redirects to unexpected websites |
| AV detection name | Win32/Trackware or Win32/Trackware.Gemius |
The company, responsible for the development and distribution of Gemius app, claims to help its business clients by:
providing data, solutions and recommendations in the area of online advertising campaigns' management as well as websites' monitoring and analysis as far as users' profiles are concerned.
However, if the unsuspecting user downloads their ad-supported application, web browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or Edge start manifesting unusual and quite annoying behavior. Mostly, users who were convinced into installing Gemius software report about the appearance of survey ads, questionnaires and commercial offers. The content behind these ads is typically monitored by the provider.
Apart from being rather irritating, Gemius can also drop cookies on your web browser. These text files are used to collect information about users' online activities, habits, interests, and similar data. The main purpose of the app is to track non-personally identifiable[3] information about its users and send it to third-parties or affiliates for further investigations.
All these details are revealed in the program's privacy policy,[4] so make sure you read it carefully before installing it on the system. It claims to be collecting Search Data, such as search terms, most visited websites, time spent and data entered when visiting them, clicks, technical details about browser's type, language, and settings, PC's IP address, location, email address and so on.

If you are not fond of being interrupted while browsing on the web, Gemius removal would be the right solution. The easiest way to get rid of it is to run a full system scan with FortectIntego or another anti-malware program. You can also uninstall the related browser extension from the system manually.
Ad-supported PUPs are mainly distributed via freeware
Sometimes people report about Gemius cookies installed on their computer behind their back. In this case, we should inform you that there are hundreds of browser add-ons and similar components which have been distributed using “bundling.”
This so-called marketing technique is totally legitimate. That's why it has become very popular while trying to spread either potentially unwanted programs or legitimate and useful add-ons. This infiltration method allows attaching adware as an optional component to other freeware, such as download managers, PDF creators, media players and so on.

Therefore, if you want to avoid downloading extra attachments to the system, you have to check every freeware before installing it. First of all, you should read EULA, Privacy Policy, and other information that is given by the developer of your selected freeware. Besides, you should always select Advanced or Custom installation option and carefully monitor the entire installation process.
Finally, you will have to uncheck all checkboxes which claim that you agree to install “optional downloads,” such as this PUP. If you will not do that, it's very likely that you will install a whole bundle of programs instead of one.
To get rid of Gemius, reset your browsers
Adware programs might be removed either manually or automatically. Manual Gemius removal is a little bit harder than automatic because it requires investigating computer’s system, looking for questionable entries, analyzing them and, finally, uninstalling cookies and similar components from it Besides, you may fail to detect which program was responsible for bringing problems inside your computer.
However, if this task seems complicated and you wish someone would do it for you; we have a solution as well. You can also remove Gemius with a help of security programs. All you have to do is to install the necessary software, update it and run a full system scan.
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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