Openthis.site is a cheesy New Year postcard site that harvests a variety of personal information

Openthis.site is a website that users may encounter when browsing the internet on Google Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer, or Mozilla Firefox. Once entered, users will be offered to make an allegedly free postcard that they can then share with others – all they need to do is enter their name. However, looking at the Openthis.site more closely, it becomes evident that the developers are ready to steal the information provided by you and even share it with third-parties.
Users who encounter dodgy sites like Openthis.site might also be infected with adware[1] – ad-supported software which, on itself, is usually not dangerous. However, through to tunnels of redirects that adware brings when browsing the internet, might lead users to scam, phishing, and even malware-laden websites. Therefore, Openthis.site removal from your browser might require a full system scan with anti-malware software.
| Name | Openthis.site |
| Type | Adware |
| Infiltration | Software bundles, ads, third-party sites |
| Symptoms | Redirects, ads, sponsored links, and other suspicious browser behavior |
| Risks | Installation of other unwanted programs, malware infections, sensitive data loss, money loss |
| Termination | If your machine is infected with adware, scan it with security software like FortectIntego or make use of our manual removal guide below |
Adware programs usually get installed along with freeware or shareware applications downloaded from third-party websites. For that reason, users are unaware where the suspicious redirects, pop-ups, ad banners, deals, offers, coupons, sponsored links, and other intrusive content is coming from. This is how most of the users land on Openthis.site.
Openthis.site analysis on Hybrid Analysis[2] service showed that the domain has a threat score of 46/100, as it contacts several malicious URLs. This suspicious network traffic might lead to compromised websites of those specially crafted by hackers. In some cases, users might be affected by software vulnerabilities if their applications and the OS are not updated. In such a case, a single Openthis.site redirect or background traffic might download and install computer virus automatically, without any user interaction.
Another reason to avoid Openthis.site is its extensive information tracking. As it turns out, website developers are gathering a variety of data related to users who visit it with the help of tracking technologies like Cookies:
- IP address;
- Browser type and version;
- Visited sites;
- Unique device identifiers;
- Other diagnostic data.
However, the statement on Openthis.site's Privacy Policy that even personal information might be gathered:[3]
While using our Service, we may ask you to provide us with certain personally identifiable information that can be used to contact or identify you (“Personal Data”). Personally identifiable information may include, but is not limited to:
- First name and last name
- Cookies and Usage Data
Thus, never provide any information to these people, as you will never know where it might end up – it might even get stolen by cybercriminals who commit online fraud.
To remove Openthis.site virus from your computer, scan it with reputable security software (FortectIntego or other) or terminated potentially unwanted programs manually – we provide detailed instructions below.

PUPs often travel within software bundles
Most of the time, users are surprised that their computers are affected by adware, as they are unaware of how the pesky program got in. This is usually because PUPs are included in a single software package downloaded from third-party sites. Some of these websites have implemented security measures to ensure that malware is hosted there. However, some sites are simply less secure, and you might even download a Trojan onto your machine, and it might result in more infections.
Therefore, always pick at least known sites for your freeware downloads. Nevertheless, always be aware that bundled software might also include adware and other potentially unwanted programs that, while not malicious, might expose you to online threats. Additionally, you should always pay attention to the installation process – do not skip steps, read the small print, untick pre-ticked boxes and always opt for Advanced/Custom settings instead of Recommended/Quick ones, as it is sometimes the only way to see the full list of apps which would be installed otherwise.
Remove redirects to Openthis.site and other suspicious sites
You can remove Openthis.site virus in two different ways: either by scanning your device with security software or by checking our elimination guide below. While both methods can result in the same outcome, the former is much quicker and more effective in most of the cases. Besides, ant-malware software is a necessity when it comes to computer security, so every person who browsers the internet should have one installed.

Once you complete Openthis.site removal, you should also reset each of the installed browsers. Adware often changes the settings of your browsers, so redirects and other suspicious activities might continue even after you uninstall all the potentially unwanted programs from your machine.
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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