How to remove Dotchaudou.com ads

Dotchaudou.com uses social engineering methods to trick people into accepting pop-up ads

Dotchaudou.com is a deceptive site that tries to trick people into clicking the “Allow” button that grants permission for the page to show push notifications. Users are asked to press “Allow” to gain access to content but in reality, there is no other content to explore. Such sites are created solely for the purpose of generating revenue from pay-per-click advertising.^[1]

Are Dotchaudou.com pop-ups dangerous?

Once the site gains permission to show pop-ups, users start getting spammed with ads. The creators of such sites do not really care about user privacy or security so they may use rogue advertising networks that place ads leading to dangerous websites. Users can end up on scam pages that try to fool them into providing personal information, downloading PUPs (potentially unwanted programs),^[2] or even malware.

A system without an antivirus is just like a house without a door. According to some security experts, pop-up ads and spam websites are one the most used gateways by viruses to infect computers and then damage files. If you were infected by push notification spam, there is a much higher chance that you installed something in your system without even knowing. There are many symptoms that indicate a virus infection:

• A decrease in performance
• Damaged or missing files
• Reformated hard disk
• Frequent computer crashes

How to disable push notifications?

Pop-up ads can be disabled by going to the browser settings. Push notifications are subscription-based, so users can turn them on and off manually. If you are not sure where to begin, follow our guide:

Google Chrome (desktop):

1. Open Google Chrome browser and go to Menu > Settings.
2. Scroll down and click on Advanced.
3. Locate 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 the 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 the 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 the 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.

Shady websites can track your browsing activity

Almost all of the pages that you visit use cookies^[3] to track your browsing activities. Generally, this is not a bad thing as it helps websites to personalize the user experience. However, nowadays we see that they are used to make a profit more often. If the pages you visit do not have strong security, cookies can also be hijacked and used for malicious purposes. They can also be sold to advertising networks and other third parties.

They may contain data, like your IP address, geolocation, websites you visit, links you click on, and things you purchase online. That is why it is important to clear your browser regularly. This process can be automated with a maintenance tool like FortectIntego. It does not only delete all cookies and cache but can also fix system damage, errors, and registry issues which is especially helpful after a virus infection.

Use professional security tools

Once you block the notifications, there is still a chance that there is adware hiding in your system. You might be experiencing an increased amount of commercial content like surveys, banners, pop-ups, and redirects. If you have any of these symptoms, we strongly suggest deploying professional security tools like SpyHunterCombo Cleaner or MalwarebytesMalwarebytes to scan your machine.

They can detect suspicious processes happening in your machine and eliminate all the related files. What is more, it can prevent such infections in the future by warning you about a suspicious download. Of course, you can remove programs manually, but it can be difficult to identify PUPs as they are often disguised as “handy” tools that you use every day. If you still want to perform manual removal, you can do so by following the instructions posted below for Windows and Mac systems:

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.