How to remove Coollotto.net ads

Coollotto.net shows fake messages to make sure users click the “Allow” button within the notification prompt

Questionable ads from Coollotto.net might start showing up on users' desktops and any time, regardless of which website they are currently using. The frustrating thing about this is that the activity does not go away even if the browser is idling in the background. The pop-ups show up on top of everything else currently being used: if one is watching a video on full screen, the push notifications would be shown on top, which can be particularly frustrating.

It goes without saying that many people were surprised by these ads, as they seem to come without a warning. Many don't even suspect that the activity is related to the push notification feature that is present on Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, MS Edge, or any other modern web browser. In order for Coollotto.net ads to activate, users themselves need to accept the request within the prompt they see upon websites entry.

This is where things get a little muddy, as users do not willingly accept these notifications. Instead, social engineering^[1] tricks are used by scam authors in order to make them click the “Allow” button instead of either ignoring it or clicking “Block” instead. Below are several examples of what you might expect to see when facing a push notification scam:

• If you are 18+, click Allow
• Click Allow to start downloading
• Click Allow to confirm that you are not a robot
• Press “Allow” to watch the video
• Click “Allow” to win the prize and get it in our shop!

It is evident that the goal of crooks is to make sure that users perceive the permission to show notifications as something else, thus they come up with fake requests that some users might misleadingly believe are true. For example, the robot check is a well-known verification technique used by many websites to protect themselves from DDoS attacks, so many might think this is something similar.

In reality, this site (and many other identical ones – Articlesct2.xyz, Tophaven2.xyz, Videomx.ru, etc.) has no content in it – there are no hosted videos or no adult-oriented content. If the page is interacted with, users are then likely to be redirected to other malicious websites – it is best to leave it by clicking the X on the tab it's being displayed in.

If you are looking for a way to remove Coollotto.net pop-ups, you have come to the right place, as will explain how to do that on all modern browsers. We also provide some additional security tips that would help you ensure there are no malware infections on your device.

Removal of Coollotto.net push notifications

Push notification feature was first introduced on desktop browsers in 2015 and since then, almost every news, entertainment, video streaming, or similar website would ask people to enable notifications upon entry. Most users are not willing to receive these prompts, hence they don't accept that request – almost 99% to be more precise, according to Mozilla's made experiment a few years ago.^[2]

Due to a lack of familiarity with the feature, many users are not aware of how they function or what to do to get rid of it once accepted. Since the pop-ups start showing up abruptly and users are tricked into enabling them in the first place, they can't connect the dots correctly and often misleadingly believe that their device has been infected with some sort of malware.

The truth is, it malware is not causing these ads, as the push notification feature is legitimate and can't be removed per se. What needs to be removed is the permission for the site to show notifications, and it can be done within the browser settings as explained below.

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)

• Open Google Chrome and tap on Settings (three vertical dots).
• Select Notifications.
• Scroll down to the Sites section.
• 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 (legacy)

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.

How malicious websites can be encountered and avoided

The internet is a vast and complex place, with many different areas for exploring. Some websites have been found to be more guilty than others in redirecting users from their site without warning – copyright infringement sites like torrents, streaming, online video gaming, gambling platforms can easily catch people off guard when they arrive at an unexpected page. This can be a result of a simple click on a booby-trapped link or an automated JavaScript redirect.^[3]

While some websites might get hacked or crafted by cybercriminals specifically to perform malicious activities on them, staying away from websites that distribute illegal software installers and similar would reduce the risk of you encountering various scam pages while browsing the web tremendously. For better protection, we recommend employing a potent ad-blocking browser extension, although please make sure it is legitimate first (get it from a genuine source).

Malicious software like adware can cause unexpected redirects in your browser. This is because the so-called “ad-supported” content, created with one thought solely focused on advertising revenue through online ads and other means of promotion. Very often, such potentially unwanted programs have very little functionality, which sometimes is even broken and does not provide any benefits whatsoever.

It is important to note that various malware can also cause background activities that would reroute users to malicious websites. Thus, while adware can mostly be deleted via the installed program list or the browser settings for extensions, malware is a much more complex threat that should be removed with SpyHunterCombo Cleaner, MalwarebytesMalwarebytes or another powerful security software.

There are two ways you can go about getting rid of the ads on your browser. The first is by resetting or cleaning browsers, which will make sure no remnants exist in their cache folders and result in recurring ad activity if left unchecked; cybercriminals sometimes hijack cookies/browser sessions to access personal accounts as well when they've been compromised through malware infection. A quicker solution would be scanning devices with FortectIntego – it removes all privacy-related web data along with system damage sustained due to unwanted applications or malware.

Note: if you wish to check your browser and computer manually, you can find the instructions below.