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  • Active
  • Severity: Medium
  • Browser Hijackers
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Jun 2020

How to remove Fast-Access-Web virus

A step-by-step removal guide for affected devices. Follow the verified procedure below — most readers complete it in under 10 minutes.

Lucia Danes · Virus researcher

Fast Access Web virus offers you dubious access to restricted websites

The sample of Fast Access Web main page

Fast-Access-Web.com virus functions as a website which grants you access to the domains such as Netflix, NBC, Spotify, HBO, Youtube, and other domains which might be restricted in your area. All seems fine and dandy except the fact that there have been numerous identical domains: unstopweb.com, webunstop.com, no-block.net, etc.

By changing your DNS settings, you may gain access to the wanted domains. However, like its counterparts, Fast-Access-Web is associated with WPAD.dat file, alternatively known AutoConfigUrl script. Though the script is not malicious by itself, and many web administrators use it for legitimate reasons, adware authors often take advantage of this script. It allows directing users’ browsing traffic to their liking.

In other words, even if this potentially unwanted application grants you access to the promised websites, it will also display “side effects” – banners and advertising content. Note that they are not limited only to Fast Access Web ads. They might also promote third-party content.

According to the privacy policy, the domain collects information about your online activities and keeps it in log files only to prevent abuse. The following paragraph states that third-party cookies are used. Since they are not responsible for them, there is a risk that you can get mislead to an insecure domain[1].

In addition, this domain does not provide information about its developers. If they promote an efficient product, so why do they keep such information in secret? Unfortunately, all domains of this company contain the same flaws. Therefore, Fast-Access-Web.com removal might be a wiser decision. After you complete the below-displayed steps, scan the browser with FortectIntego or MalwarebytesMalwarebytes.The screenshot of Fast-Access-Web

Expanding network of PUP distribution

Elaborating on the promotion techniques of this specific adware program, it tends to use a couple of distribution techniques. First of all, as you may have already noticed, all alternative pages of this company contain the same keywords: “unstop,” “web,” “access.” They boost the probability that if users look for a domain to access mentioned sites, they will be redirected to Fast-Access-Web.

Alternatively, the domain might be promoted in the web pages of its sponsors. Fast-Access-Web hijack is unlikely to happen, though the probability that it is promoted under the “Recommended” settings of free applications[2] should not be excluded. Now let us proceed to the elimination settings. Fortunately, you can remove Fast Access Web quite easily.

Get rid of Fast-Access-Web

If you are already annoyed by Fast Access Web redirect, it is high time you eliminated it from the browser settings. Besides below-given instructions, it is recommended to scan the browser and eliminate the web scrips related to the adware. Manual instructions instruct you how to perform full browser reset which contributes to Fast Access Web removal. All users, regardless whether you live in Norway or Portugal[3], should be wary of this adware.

For Internet Explorer users:

  1. Go to the menu in the upper right corner.
  2. Select Internet Options.
  3. Go to the Connections tab. In the bottom of the window, select LAN settings.
  4. In the newly emerged window, remove the checkmark from Use automatic configuration script and delete Fast-Access-Web link in the Address bar.
  5. Click OK to apply the changes. Reset the browser. 

For Firefox users:

  1. Click on the Menu in the upper right corner of the browser.
  2. Go to Options and enter Advanced.
  3. Choose Network tab and then select Settings.
  4. Remove the checkmark from Automatic proxy configuration URL and delete the Fast-Access-Web.com address.
  5. Return to the Firefox settings and select Troubleshooting information.
  6. Click on Refresh.

Uninstall from Windows

Uninstall from Windows 10/8:

  1. Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
  2. Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.Uninstall from Windows 10/8

Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:

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

Remove the unwanted program:

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

Delete from macOS

Remove the unwanted application:

  1. From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
  2. In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).Uninstall from Mac

Delete leftover files and folders:

  1. Select Go > Go to Folder.
  2. Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
  3. Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.Delete leftover files from Mac
  4. Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.

Reset Internet Explorer

Remove dangerous add-ons:

  1. Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
  2. Pick Manage Add-ons.
  3. You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.Remove add-ons from Internet Explorer

Change your homepage if it was altered:

  1. Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
  2. Select Internet Options.
  3. In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
  4. Click Apply and then select OK.Reset IE homepage

Delete temporary files:

  1. Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
  2. Under Browsing history, click Delete...
  3. Select relevant fields and press Delete.Clear temporary files from Internet Explorer

Reset Internet Explorer:

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

Remove from Microsoft Edge

Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:

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

Clear cookies and other browser data:

  1. Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
  2. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  3. 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.Clear Edge browsing data

Restore new tab and homepage settings:

  1. Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
  2. Then find On startup section.
  3. Click Remove next to any suspicious startup page.

Reset MS Edge if the above steps did not work:

  1. Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
  2. Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
  3. Select Details tab.
  4. 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.Reset MS Edge

Instructions for Chromium-based Edge

Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):

  1. Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
  2. Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.Remove extensions from Chromium Edge

Clear cache and site data:

  1. Click on Menu and go to Settings.
  2. Select Privacy, search and services.
  3. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  4. Under Time range, pick All time.
  5. Select Clear now.Clear browser data from Chroum Edge

Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:

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

Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)

Remove dangerous extensions:

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

Reset the homepage:

  1. Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
  2. Choose Settings.
  3. Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.

Clear cookies and site data:

  1. Click Menu and pick Settings.
  2. Go to Privacy & Security section.
  3. Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
  4. Click on Clear Data...
  5. Select Cookies and Site Data and Temporary cached files and pages, then click Clear.Clear cookies and site data from Firefox

Reset Mozilla Firefox

If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:

  1. Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
  2. Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.Reset Firefox 1
  3. Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox...
  4. Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox.Reset Firefox 2

Remove from Google Chrome

Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

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

Clear cache and web data from Chrome:

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

Change your homepage:

  1. Click menu and choose Settings.
  2. Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
  3. 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:

  1. Click on Menu and select Settings.
  2. In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
  3. Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
  4. Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
  5. Confirm with Reset settings.Reset Chrome 2

Delete from Safari

Remove dangerous extensions:

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

Clear history and website data:

  1. Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
  2. Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.Clear history from Safari

Reset Safari:

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

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