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  • Active
  • Severity: Medium
  • Adware
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Jun 2019

BeiTaAd plug-in simple removal steps

A step-by-step removal guide for affected devices. Follow the verified procedure below — most readers complete it in under 10 minutes.

Alice Woods · Likes to teach users about virus prevention

BeiTaAd – an advertising plug-in that has been injected into 238 Google Play Store apps

BeiTaAd plug-in

BeiTaAd is an adware plug-in that technology experts found inserted in 238 Google Play applications. Lookout researchers have recently released a report of this suspicious adware component that has been downloaded even for 440 million times before it got removed from the Play store.[1] BeiTaAd plugin infiltrates the device through bundles with applications that belong to Cootek. This organization is mostly known for releasing TouchPal[2] that also included the com.cootek.beita.plugin. Users who have been downloading various fitness and healthcare apps from this company are concerned about the intrusive display of advertisements that have shown up on their mobile phones after the installation of particular Play store applications.

BeiTaAd virus is most likely to show up not exactly after the installation of apps but after a 24 hour period only. Nevertheless, some users started experiencing intrusive pop-up ads only two weeks after the download. However, some good news is that the adware-based plug-in has already been removed from the Google Play Store.

Name BeiTaAd
Type Adware-based plug-in
Also known as com.cootek.beita.plugin
Located in Google Play
Main bundle Comes together with TouchPal mostly
First seen In 2018
Detection FortectIntego can help you to find adware content in your device/machine

Even though Cootek-developed applications are now safe to download, if you have installed them during the infectious period, BeiTaAd adware might still be lurking somewhere on your mobile phone or computer system. If the adware remains on your machine/device, its pop-up ads might bring you lots of unwanted consequences and activities.

BeiTaAd ads might start causing regular freezes or crashes on your device and its programs due to the huge number of advertisements that are being displayed on the screen. Furthermore, these pop-ups and pop-unders might start redirecting you to affiliate websites some of which might appear to be infected with malicious programs.

Our suggestion would be to remove BeiTaAd from your machine or device. If you are not sure if this adware has been bothering you lately, you can scan the entire computer system with FortectIntego and find out the truth. This software will perform a full system scan and inform you if something potentially unwanted is lurking on your machine.

BeiTaAd adware

If the program finds this adware, you should proceed with the BeiTaAd removal. You can do it with antimalware also or you can check the step-by-step guidelines that are provided at the end of this article. Furthermore, these instructions will help you clean web browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, Explorer, Edge, or Safari from suspicious content and changes.

For further information, BeiTaAd plug-in has been first released in 2018 and modified a few times since then. The past version of the app was renamed to icon-icomoon-gemini.renc and encrypted by using the AES cipher.[3] This type of technique has been used by bad actors for renaming executables to other types of files and distributing malware through them.[4]

BeiTaAd adware content

Adware-based content distribution techniques on machines and devices

According to LesVirus.fr experts,[5] adware-related content can be injected in different types of sources which are commonly visited by a big number of users. For example, adware-based plug-ins can come injected into applications that are placed on official Internet stores or be bundled with other types of freeware/shareware.

The best way to protect yourself from secret adware installation is to opt for the right configuration mode. If you choose Quick or Recommended ones, you might experience unnoticed PUP infiltration. However, if you opt for Advanced or Custom configuration, you will have the opportunity of tracking all incoming objects by yourself.

Furthermore, you should take other precautionary measures also. In order to avoid ad-supported application and potentially unwanted content, you should:

  • Keep a distance from unknown third-party protection. These websites lack protection and might include infectious hyperlinks of ads.
  • Update programs regularly. If you keep outdated software on your machine or device, various hackers might decide to misuse such vulnerability.
  • Install reliable antivirus protection. When you are choosing a reputable antimalware program for automatical computer protection, you need to make sure that it includes a big variety of protective features.

Terminate BeiTaAd plug-in from the system permanently

If you are likely to proceed with the BeiTaAd removal by yourself, you can check the below-displayed instructing steps that are provided for both Windows and Mac operating systems. Also, here you will find instructions for browser cleaning. This helps to refresh browser apps such as Chrome, Firefox, Explorer, Edge, and Safari.

However, if you do not want to waste your time and like effortless processes, we recommend choosing a reputable tool for adware detection. Also, by using antimalware you increase the chances of permanently removing the cyber threat from all infected locations. Note that you need to remove BeiTaAd virus from each directory that contains adware-based content, otherwise, the program might reboot itself soon.

Uninstall from Windows

Uninstall from Windows 10/8:

  1. Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
  2. Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.Uninstall from Windows 10/8

Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:

  1. Click on Windows Start > Control Panel (Windows XP users should click on Add/Remove Programs).
  2. In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.Uninstall from Windows 7/XP

Remove the unwanted program:

  1. In the Programs and Features window, look for any recently installed suspicious entries, select them, and click Uninstall.
  2. If User Account Control appears, click Yes to confirm, then complete the removal.Uninstall the unwanted program from Windows

Delete from macOS

Remove the unwanted application:

  1. From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
  2. In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).Uninstall from Mac

Delete leftover files and folders:

  1. Select Go > Go to Folder.
  2. Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
  3. Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.Delete leftover files from Mac
  4. Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.

Reset Internet Explorer

Remove dangerous add-ons:

  1. Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
  2. Pick Manage Add-ons.
  3. You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.Remove add-ons from Internet Explorer

Change your homepage if it was altered:

  1. Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
  2. Select Internet Options.
  3. In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
  4. Click Apply and then select OK.Reset IE homepage

Delete temporary files:

  1. Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
  2. Under Browsing history, click Delete...
  3. Select relevant fields and press Delete.Clear temporary files from Internet Explorer

Reset Internet Explorer:

  1. Click on Gear icon > Internet options and select Advanced tab.
  2. Select Reset.
  3. In the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset.Reset Internet Explorer

Remove from Microsoft Edge

Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:

  1. Select Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and pick Extensions.
  2. From the list, pick the extension and click on the Gear icon.
  3. Click Remove.Remove extensions from Edge

Clear cookies and other browser data:

  1. Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
  2. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  3. 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.Clear Edge browsing data

Restore new tab and homepage settings:

  1. Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
  2. Then find On startup section.
  3. Click Remove next to any suspicious startup page.

Reset MS Edge if the above steps did not work:

  1. Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
  2. Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
  3. Select Details tab.
  4. 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.Reset MS Edge

Instructions for Chromium-based Edge

Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):

  1. Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
  2. Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.Remove extensions from Chromium Edge

Clear cache and site data:

  1. Click on Menu and go to Settings.
  2. Select Privacy, search and services.
  3. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  4. Under Time range, pick All time.
  5. Select Clear now.Clear browser data from Chroum Edge

Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:

  1. Click on Menu and select Settings.
  2. On the left side, pick Reset settings.
  3. Select Restore settings to their default values.
  4. Confirm with Reset.
  5. This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.Reset Chromium Edge

Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)

Remove dangerous extensions:

  1. Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click on the Menu (three horizontal lines at the top-right of the window).
  2. Select Add-ons.
  3. In here, select the unwanted extension and click Remove.Remove extensions from Firefox

Reset the homepage:

  1. Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
  2. Choose Settings.
  3. Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.

Clear cookies and site data:

  1. Click Menu and pick Settings.
  2. Go to Privacy & Security section.
  3. Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
  4. Click on Clear Data...
  5. Select Cookies and Site Data and Temporary cached files and pages, then click Clear.Clear cookies and site data from Firefox

Reset Mozilla Firefox

If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:

  1. Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
  2. Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.Reset Firefox 1
  3. Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox...
  4. Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox.Reset Firefox 2

Remove from Google Chrome

Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

  1. Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
  2. In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all suspicious extensions related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove.Remove extensions from Chrome

Clear cache and web data from Chrome:

  1. Click on Menu and pick Settings.
  2. Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
  3. Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
  4. Click Clear data.Clear cache and web data from Chrome

Change your homepage:

  1. Click menu and choose Settings.
  2. Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
  3. 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:

  1. Click on Menu and select Settings.
  2. In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
  3. Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
  4. Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
  5. Confirm with Reset settings.Reset Chrome 2

Delete from Safari

Remove dangerous extensions:

  1. Open Safari, click Safari in the menu at the top-left of the screen, and select Preferences.
  2. Go to the Extensions tab, look for any suspicious entries, and click Uninstall to remove them.Remove extensions from Safari

Clear history and website data:

  1. Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
  2. Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.Clear history from Safari

Reset Safari:

  1. Click Safari in the menu and select Preferences > Advanced.
  2. Enable Show Develop menu in menu bar.
  3. From the menu bar, click Develop and select Empty Caches.Reset Safari

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