How to remove Press-news-for.me ads

Press-news-for.me uses a loading video as bait to make people click the “Allow” button

Press-news-for.me tries to fool users into subscribing to push notifications by showing them a loading video which they need to “gain access” to watch. The truth is, there is nothing on the site, and the loading video is just a trick to make users click on the “Allow” button. The button instead gives access for the website to send them push notifications straight to their screen.

In push notification prompts, people receive ads that are not filtered, so they can be created by fraudsters and lead to dangerous websites. What we mean by “dangerous” are pages that use social engineering tactics^[1] to make users perform some type of action that is not beneficial for them. These can be ads that say you won a cash prize or the new iPhone, and you just need to fill out a form that requires your name, address, phone number, you get the gist.

It is a rare occurrence for users to find this kind of page in their search results. People are usually redirected to Press-news-for.me from other already shady sites. This scheme would work best on illegal streaming platforms, where users look for movies and TV shows to watch online for free. These sites are almost never regulated, so they are filled with deceptive ads that look like “Download” buttons,^[2] and sneaky redirects.

For example, if the play button has a secret redirect embedded into it that opens a new tab, and the page that we are writing about opens, people might think that this is the same site, and now they will be able to watch what they came for, but that is not true. The page is not related to the website you were previously on, and is just an ad that you opened. 

The creators of these pages, sometimes even use GIFs, to make it appear like the video is loading, and then ask them to press the “Allow” button, as if this is why the video is not playing. Legitimate sites would never ask you to do that. Sites do not need some kind of permission to play the video, you do not need to turn on your Flash Player^[3] anymore, which is long gone. And any pages doing something similar should be exited immediately and not interacted with.

Block notifications via settings

Because push notifications are based on a subscription model, users need to disable them manually, the same way they allowed them. If you do not know how, here are the instructions for the most popular browsers:

Google Chrome (desktop):

1. Open Google Chrome browser and go to Menu > Settings.
2. Scroll down and click on Advanced.
3. Locate the Privacy and security section and pick Site Settings > Notifications.
4. Look at the Allow section and look for a suspicious URL.
5. Click the three vertical dots next to it and pick Block. This should remove unwanted notifications from Google Chrome.

Google Chrome (Android):

1. Open Google Chrome and tap on Settings (three vertical dots).
2. Select Notifications.
3. Scroll down to Sites section.
4. Locate the unwanted URL and toggle the button to the left (Off setting).

Mozilla Firefox:

1. Open Mozilla Firefox and go to Menu > Options.
2. Click on Privacy & Security section.
3. Under Permissions, you should be able to see Notifications. Click Settings button next to it.
4. In the Settings – Notification Permissions window, click on the drop-down menu by the URL in question.
5. Select Block and then click on Save Changes. This should remove unwanted notifications from Mozilla Firefox.

Safari:

1. Click on Safari > Preferences…
2. Go to Websites tab and, under General, select Notifications.
3. Select the web address in question, click the drop-down menu and select Deny.

MS Edge:

1. Open Microsoft Edge, and click the Settings and more button (three horizontal dots) at the top-right of the window.
2. Select Settings and then go to Advanced.
3. Under Website permissions, pick Manage permissions and select the URL in question.
4. Toggle the switch to the left to turn notifications off on Microsoft Edge.

MS Edge (Chromium):

1. Open Microsoft Edge, and go to Settings.
2. Select Site permissions.
3. Go to Notifications on the right.
4. Under Allow, you will find the unwanted entry.
5. Click on More actions and select Block.

Internet Explorer:

1. Open Internet Explorer, and click on the Gear icon at the top-right on the window.
2. Select Internet options and go to Privacy tab.
3. In the Pop-up Blocker section, click on Settings.
4. Locate web address in question under Allowed sites and pick Remove.

Spam can also be caused by a PUP

If blocking push notifications from the browser settings did not help, or you have not found the website in the list at all, the ad spam could be caused by a PUP that is hiding in your system. There are many different types of PUPs, but those that cause advertisements to appear, are called adware. Some of the other symptoms include redirects to shady websites, increased amount of commercial content like banners or surveys. 

These unwanted programs are usually included as additional programs in the installers from unofficial sites that distribute freeware. These pages need to make money, to at least cover the costs. They do not disclose this information so there would be a bigger chance that users do not notice them. Unfortunately, most often this is the case, as people rush through the installation process and do not pay attention to it.

Because there is no way of knowing which specific app is causing this annoying behavior, we always suggest our readers use professional security tools like SpyHunterCombo Cleaner or MalwarebytesMalwarebytes to scan their PCs. Anti-malware tools can detect suspicious programs that are active in the background and eliminate them completely with all the related files. Of course, if you know which application is causing this, you can follow the manual guides for Windows and Mac machines:

Windows 10/8:

1. Enter Control Panel into Windows search box and hit Enter or click on the search result.
2. Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.
3. From the list, find the entry of the suspicious program.
4. Right-click on the application and select Uninstall.
5. If User Account Control shows up, click Yes.
6. Wait till uninstallation process is complete and click OK.

Windows 7/XP:

1. Click on Windows Start > Control Panel located on the right pane (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
2. In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.
3. Pick the unwanted application by clicking on it once.
4. At the top, click Uninstall/Change.
5. In the confirmation prompt, pick Yes.
6. Click OK once the removal process is finished.

Mac:

1. From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
2. In the Applications folder, look for all related entries.
3. Click on the app and drag it to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash)

To fully remove an unwanted app, you need to access Application Support, LaunchAgents, and LaunchDaemons folders and delete relevant files:

1. Select Go > Go to Folder.
2. Enter /Library/Application Support and click Go or press Enter.
3. In the Application Support folder, look for any dubious entries and then delete them.
4. Now enter /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders the same way and terminate all the related .plist files.

Habits you should implement in your daily routine:

• Update your operating system and software often, as developers often release security and other patches that can help avoid cyber threats
• When installing software, choose “Custom” or “Advanced” installation methods and untick the boxes next to files you do not need
• Use FortectIntego to clear your browsers regularly and optimize the machine
• Do not click on random links and make sure the website is safe to interact with
• Read the Terms of Use and Privacy Policies of products and services you use