Coollotto.net ads (scam) - Free Instructions
Coollotto.net ads Removal Guide
What is Coollotto.net ads?
Coollotto.net shows fake messages to make sure users click the “Allow” button within the notification prompt
Coollotto.net is a push notification scam that users are redirected to from other malicious websites
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.
Name | Coollotto.net |
Type | Push notifications, ads, scam, pop-ups |
Distribution | The website gains access to deliver any information as soon as the “Allow” button is pressed within the push notification prompt |
Symptoms | Pop-ups show up on a regular basis on the screen – these ads often include inappropriate, scam, phishing, or other similar content |
Risks | If you click on links provided by the website, you might end up infecting your system with malware/PUPs, disclosing your personal information to cybercriminals, or losing money for useless services |
Removal | To get rid of notifications, you should access your web browser settings – check the below paragraphs for more information. You should also scan your system with SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner to check for adware and other infections |
Other checks | Make sure you clean your browsers after you delete PUPs from the system. To do that automatically, you can use FortectIntego |
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)
- Open Google Chrome browser and go to Menu > Settings.
- Scroll down and click on Advanced.
- Locate the Privacy and security section and pick Site Settings > Notifications.
- Look at the Allow section and look for a suspicious URL.
- 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
- Open Mozilla Firefox and go to Menu > Options.
- Click on Privacy & Security section.
- Under Permissions, you should be able to see Notifications. Click Settings button next to it.
- In the Settings – Notification Permissions window, click on the drop-down menu by the URL in question.
- Select Block and then click on Save Changes. This should remove unwanted notifications from Mozilla Firefox.
Safari
- Click on Safari > Preferences…
- Go to Websites tab and, under General, select Notifications.
- Select the web address in question, click the drop-down menu and select Deny.
MS Edge (legacy)
- Open Microsoft Edge, and click the Settings and more button (three horizontal dots) at the top-right of the window.
- Select Settings and then go to Advanced.
- Under Website permissions, pick Manage permissions and select the URL in question.
- Toggle the switch to the left to turn notifications off on Microsoft Edge.
MS Edge (Chromium)
- Open Microsoft Edge, and go to Settings.
- Select Site permissions.
- Go to Notifications on the right.
- Under Allow, you will find the unwanted entry.
- 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.
Once users are convinced to press the "Allow" button, they automatically allow the site to send any type of information through the push notification feature
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 SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner, Malwarebytes 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.
Getting rid of Coollotto.net ads. Follow these steps
Uninstall from Windows
Instructions for Windows 10/8 machines:
- Enter Control Panel into Windows search box and hit Enter or click on the search result.
- Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.
- From the list, find the entry of the suspicious program.
- Right-click on the application and select Uninstall.
- If User Account Control shows up, click Yes.
- Wait till uninstallation process is complete and click OK.
If you are Windows 7/XP user, proceed with the following instructions:
- Click on Windows Start > Control Panel located on the right pane (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
- In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.
- Pick the unwanted application by clicking on it once.
- At the top, click Uninstall/Change.
- In the confirmation prompt, pick Yes.
- Click OK once the removal process is finished.
Delete from macOS
Remove items from Applications folder:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for all related entries.
- 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:
- Select Go > Go to Folder.
- Enter /Library/Application Support and click Go or press Enter.
- In the Application Support folder, look for any dubious entries and then delete them.
- Now enter /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders the same way and terminate all the related .plist files.
Remove from Google Chrome
Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:
- Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
- In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all the suspicious plugins that might be related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove.
Clear cache and web data from Chrome:
- Click on Menu and pick Settings.
- Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
- Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
- Click Clear data.
Change your homepage:
- Click menu and choose Settings.
- Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
- 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:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
- Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
- Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
- Confirm with Reset settings.
Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
Remove dangerous extensions:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click on the Menu (three horizontal lines at the top-right of the window).
- Select Add-ons.
- In here, select unwanted plugin and click Remove.
Reset the homepage:
- Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
- Choose Options.
- Under Home options, enter your preferred site that will open every time you newly open the Mozilla Firefox.
Clear cookies and site data:
- Click Menu and pick Settings.
- Go to Privacy & Security section.
- Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
- Click on Clear Data…
- Select Cookies and Site Data, as well as Cached Web Content and press Clear.
Reset Mozilla Firefox
If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
- Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.
- Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox…
- Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox.
Remove from Microsoft Edge
Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:
- Select Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and pick Extensions.
- From the list, pick the extension and click on the Gear icon.
- Click on Uninstall at the bottom.
Clear cookies and other browser data:
- Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Privacy & security.
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Select everything (apart from passwords, although you might want to include Media licenses as well, if applicable) and click on Clear.
Restore new tab and homepage settings:
- Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
- Then find On startup section.
- Click Disable if you found any suspicious domain.
Reset MS Edge if the above steps did not work:
- Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
- Select Details tab.
- 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.
If this solution failed to help you, you need to use an advanced Edge reset method. Note that you need to backup your data before proceeding.
- Find the following folder on your computer: C:\\Users\\%username%\\AppData\\Local\\Packages\\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe.
- Press Ctrl + A on your keyboard to select all folders.
- Right-click on them and pick Delete
- Now right-click on the Start button and pick Windows PowerShell (Admin).
- When the new window opens, copy and paste the following command, and then press Enter:
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\\AppXManifest.xml” -Verbose
Instructions for Chromium-based Edge
Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):
- Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
- Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.
Clear cache and site data:
- Click on Menu and go to Settings.
- Select Privacy, search and services.
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Under Time range, pick All time.
- Select Clear now.
Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- On the left side, pick Reset settings.
- Select Restore settings to their default values.
- Confirm with Reset.
Delete from Safari
Remove unwanted extensions from Safari:
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- In the new window, pick Extensions.
- Select the unwanted extension and select Uninstall.
Clear cookies and other website data from Safari:
- Click Safari > Clear History…
- From the drop-down menu under Clear, pick all history.
- Confirm with Clear History.
Reset Safari if the above-mentioned steps did not help you:
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- Go to Advanced tab.
- Tick the Show Develop menu in menu bar.
- From the menu bar, click Develop, and then select Empty Caches.
How to prevent from getting adware
Stream videos without limitations, no matter where you are
There are multiple parties that could find out almost anything about you by checking your online activity. While this is highly unlikely, advertisers and tech companies are constantly tracking you online. The first step to privacy should be a secure browser that focuses on tracker reduction to a minimum.
Even if you employ a secure browser, you will not be able to access websites that are restricted due to local government laws or other reasons. In other words, you may not be able to stream Disney+ or US-based Netflix in some countries. To bypass these restrictions, you can employ a powerful Private Internet Access VPN, which provides dedicated servers for torrenting and streaming, not slowing you down in the process.
Data backups are important – recover your lost files
Ransomware is one of the biggest threats to personal data. Once it is executed on a machine, it launches a sophisticated encryption algorithm that locks all your files, although it does not destroy them. The most common misconception is that anti-malware software can return files to their previous states. This is not true, however, and data remains locked after the malicious payload is deleted.
While regular data backups are the only secure method to recover your files after a ransomware attack, tools such as Data Recovery Pro can also be effective and restore at least some of your lost data.
- ^ Social Engineering. Imperva. Application and data security.
- ^ M.J Kelly. Say goodbye to annoying notification requests (unless you want them). Mozilla. Official blog.
- ^ Threat Intercept: Malvertising via JavaScript Redirects. SiteLock. Business and IT solutions.