How to remove Stayundercontrol.online ads

Stayundercontrol.online uses social engineering to make people believe they are infected

Stayundercontrol.online is a fake website designed to look like a security alert from McAfee. It was created by crooks who use various social engineering^[1] techniques. Of course, McAfee has nothing to do with this fraudulent campaign. Crooks are only using their branding to appear legitimate and trustworthy.

The site claims that users' machines are infected by multiple viruses because their antivirus subscription has ended. The page then proceeds to show an animation of a fake scan that shows bogus results. It displays that intruders were found on the machine.

By operating this page, crooks make money through the affiliate program for every subscription purchase. Users are redirected to the official McAfee website where they can choose to buy the program. However, the site can also cause users to experience push notification spam.

Block fake alerts

Fake security alerts can redirect users to dangerous pages. To stop annoying virus alerts you have to block the site permissions that allow it to show you push notifications. You can do that by following our step-by-step guide:

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.

Clean your browsers

After removal is complete, we recommend using FortectIntego repair tool to care for your browsers. Almost every website you visit uses cookies to track your browsing activity, like the pages you visit, links you click on, and purchases you make.

If you have pop-ups appearing from questionable sources it most likely means that you were surfing through web pages you should not have and clicking on dangerous links. Your browsing data might be exposed or sold to advertising networks that use it to target you with ads even more.

Freeware distribution platforms

It is possible that Stayundercontrol.online appeared on your screen automatically. This can happen if you are infected by adware. It is mostly spread on freeware^[2] distribution sites. They include additional programs in the installers and do not disclose it clearly on their pages.

If you want to avoid adware infections in the future, it is best to use official web stores and developer websites for software installations. You should also always choose the “Custom” or “Advanced” installation methods, read the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. The most important part is to check the file list and untick the boxes next to any unrelated applications.

Use anti-malware tools to detect adware

If you disabled push notifications but still experience unwanted symptoms like unexpected redirects and an increased amount of commercial content, like pop-ups, and banners you should scan your system for adware. We suggest using trusted professional security tools SpyHunterCombo Cleaner or MalwarebytesMalwarebytes that can do this automatically. It should detect most suspicious apps and remove them successfully.

Of course, you can also remove a PUP (potentially unwanted program)^[3] manually, but it is unknown which particular app could be causing annoying behavior, so removing it can be difficult if you do not have experience – you risk deleting the wrong applications.

Manual uninstallation can also leave some traces of the program behind which could result in the renewal of the infection. However, if you still do not want to use security tools and know which program is at fault, use our guide to help you uninstall it:

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.