Remove Adware_pop.exe (Removal Guide)

Adware_pop.exe is a non-existant virus used to scare unsuspecting users

Adware_pop.exe virus

Adware_pop.exe is a fake pop-up message that is relying on users to believe that their machines are infected with severe viruses and the only way to solve the issue is by calling fake tech support by a provided number. Users might be exposed to the false alert on any browser, be it Google Chrome or Safari. Nevertheless, these messages are usually caused by adware^[1] which enters machines silently and uses various deceptive online marketing tricks to make users buy products or services they do not need. In some cases, PUPs may cause malware infections or steal valuable personal data.

Summary
Name	Adware_pop.exe
Alternative name	Your System Might Be Infected
Type	Adware
Sub-type	Tech support scam
Symptoms	Pop-ups, deals, offers, fake alerts appear on web browser; redirects to sponsored sites, etc.
Distribution	Software bundling, malicious websites
Main dangers	Installation of bogus software, money extortion, sensitive information disclosure
Elimination	Automatic (recommended) – install Fortect Intego; manual – check our guide below

Tech support scams are designed in a way to scare users, especially those who are not that computer savvy. They typically inform users about some “dangerous” virus has infected their computer and everything can be compromised – from precious photos to bank account information. If victims do not recognize the scam, they might panic and call the provided number. Please do not listen to crooks as the message is a scam! All you have to do is remove Adware_pop.exe virus from your machine, and fake alerts will stop.

In some cases, there might not even be adware involved. If you see Your System Might Be Infected message, it does not mean that your computer is infected in any way. You may have been merely redirected from some malicious website. In such case, all you have to do is close down your browser and make sure you do not reopen previously opened tabs. Note that some pop-ups may be difficult to close because of the way the malicious site is designed. Fortunately, you can shut it down by ending process of your browser in the Task Manager.

The Adware_pop.exe message states the following (note: phone number may vary for each case):

WARNING: Your System Might Be Infected! Call Toll-Free:[phone number]

Your system might be infected with the adware_pop.exe computer virus. As such, your internet banking information could have been stolen. Access to the internet has been blocked to protect your information until you fix the issue.

You are strongly advised to call the certified Tech Support office at [phone number] now for IMMEDIATE assistance. Your Hard drive will be DELETED if you close this page. You have virus infection! Please call Microsoft Support Now!

There are many issues with this message. Unfortunately, some users are not that computer-savvy, and they do not understand how viruses or tech support scams work. Here are the red flags:

Legitimate anti-malware software would not perform scans inside browsers. It would only warn the user about the threat and automatically delete or quarantine the virus
Your internet access is not blocked, simply check it!
Look at the URL of the page: it is typically something random, such as vgbhnjiopl.s3-website-us.com (Microsoft uses only official website – microsoft.com)
Your hard drive cannot be DELETED, as it is a physical item (crooks meant the contents of the HDD, but it turned out just wrong)
Microsoft would never ask you to call them. Every legitimate error message or such is marked with a unique code which can be later researched
adware_pop.exe does not exist

Besides exposing users to scams, adware can also be incredibly annoying to deal with as it can redirect users to suspicious websites, cover-up content of legitimate sites with ads, and install toolbars, system optimizers, browser extensions and similar without users' consent.

To conclude, you should take care of Adware_pop.exe removal as soon as you can. Do not ignore the threat, even if you are not planning on contacting cybercriminals, as adware may make your machine susceptible to malware attacks. The quickest way to eliminate the unwanted program is by using Fortect Intego – a security software which can find all the components of malicious software and delete them permanently.

Adware_pop.exe scam

Adware can appear on your computer after installation of freeware of shareware

Whenever users are installing free software, they want to be done with the process as soon as possible. Thus, they rush and press “Next” button until the installation procedure is complete. Unfortunately, that is the quickest way to obtain adware or other unwanted programs. Generally, computer users are not informed enough about the dangers that can lurk online, which may lead to catastrophic consequences.

Unfortunately, installation of suspicious software is legal and is called software bundling. Technically, users do give their consent, although they rarely notice it, as there's usually a message in small text present:

By clicking “Next” you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

So as soon as you proceed, you already accepted a bunch of terms which you are not even aware of. Statistics show that around 90% of users agree to install software without thoroughly reading legal documents.^[2] Security experts also noted that most users still go for Recommended or Quick installation settings instead Advanced or Custom ones.

That is a big mistake (even though developers recommend Quick mode, as it is in their best interest) made by users, and PUP developers are aware of that. So please be wary and select Advanced settings and remove all the pre-ticked marks before you finalize the installation.

To stop Adware_pop.exe scam bothering you, promptly remove adware initiating it

Although adware can get into computers easily, it can also be exterminated in just a few steps. The most critical issue here is the recognition that the device is affected by a cyberthreat. You can remove Adware_pop.exe virus either automatically or manually – both methods work, but the latter may take a considerable amount of time.

Security specialists from dieviren.de^[3] recommend users automatic Adware_pop.exe removal. Adware can sometimes install additional components into the system that users may not be aware of. Security software will take care of that and automatically eliminate all the questionable applications.

If you decide to go for manual elimination, you should use our guide below. Follow each step attentively and make sure you do not confuse the order. After the PUP is deleted, you will have to reset each of the installed browsers manually.

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.

How to remove Adware_pop.exe

Adware_pop.exe is a non-existant virus used to scare unsuspecting users

Adware can appear on your computer after installation of freeware of shareware