Coupon Chaser virus - Improved Instructions
Coupon Chaser virus Removal Guide
What is Coupon Chaser virus?
Coupon Chaser – an adware product that provides users with the latest sales offers and is created by Innovative Apps and 215Apps
The adware gets bundled with freeware and shareware that comes from third-party downloading websites such as cnet.com, download.com, and softonic.com
Coupon Chaser is a third-party advertising service that has been released by two companies named Innovative Apps and 215Apps. This adware usually comes in a bundle with other potentially unwanted programs such as Yontoo, Superfish, 1ClickDownloader, and FBPhotoZoom. It aims to display advertisements that sponsor the latest sales offers and give advice on how to get some products for a very low price.
The infection can appear on various social platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and on e-shopping websites such as Amazon, AliExpress, eBay, Walmart, and inject the “See similar” feature on every product offer. If the user clicks that button, he/she will be provided with the article's culprit's ads.
If you are using a Windows computer, you might find some rogue processes running in the Task Manager and suspicious components hidden in the C:\Program Files\ and C:\ProgramData sections. Also, the adware copies its main file named Coupon Chase-bho.dll to the hard drive of the affected device.
Name | Coupon Chaser |
---|---|
Developer(S) | Innovative Apps, 215Apps |
Bundled with | This app can come in a bundle with other third-party programs such as Superfish, Yontoo, FBPhotoZoom, 1ClickDownload, etc. |
Main task | The main goal of this adware program is to provide various sales' offers while visiting popular e-shopping websites or social platforms |
Location(s) | Once this adware settles on the computer system, it can fill the Windows Task Manager with questionable processes and include suspicious files in the C:\Program Files\ and C:\ProgramData sections |
Elimination | If you have been dealing with this PUP lately, you can try to get rid of it by completing manual step-by-step guidelines or by using automatical software |
Fixing tool | Try repairing any system compromisation with FortectIntego |
Coupon Chaser is not a trustworthy application that you should leave lurking on your machine. Even though this program is most likely to appear on your Windows computer system, it can still approach you even if you are using a Mac device.
The adware infiltrates all types of web browser applications such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, and Safari. The PUP fills these apps with questionable extensions, add-ons, and plug-ins that allow the adware to fulfill its functions such as advertising, redirecting, and collecting browsing-based details.
Once you are infected with Coupon Chaser virus, there is a big chance that you will experience intense advertising while using the web browser where the adware is installed in. This adware aims to load various sales offers and shopping deals that are likely to look very attractive and trick gullible users into spending their money on unneeded products.
The potentially unwanted program can redirect the user to a potentially malicious website and infect the person with a virtual parasite
Be careful with adware and its ads. If you are browsing on an e-shopping platform such as Walmart, AliExpress, eBay, or Amazon, you might be provided with such advertisements. The notifications that come from Coupon Chaser can decrease the speed and quality of your browsing process. Later on, you might find yourself struggling to open certain websites, minimize and maximize windows, close pages. Additionally, this can affect your computer resources such as the CPU and start eating up energy and power.
Furthermore, adware can initiate redirecting sessions to affiliate domains. These places can also be filled with questionable content such as various surveys, scams, fake prize claims. If you receive any type of encouragement to provide personal information or credential data, do not do that as, otherwise, you might experience identity theft or monetary losses.
The adware infection drops bogus sales offers on e-shopping websites and social platforms
Another bad purpose of the PUP redirects might be to take you to potentially malicious locations. This way the hackers might be able to inject dangerous malware such as trojans or ransomware into your computer system. Afterward, you are likely to experience severe system/software damage, important data loss, overheated CPU,[1] etc.
Remove Coupon Chaser before you land on such damaging directories. The adware program can be easily terminated with the help of automatic removal tools such as Malwarebytes and SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner. You should choose this type of process over the manual possibility if you are a less-experienced user or have been running into some problems related to time limits.
Adware can also aim to inject HTTP cookies, beacons, and pixels[2] for tracking your browsing information. The PUP might record data such as pages visited, hyperlinks and ads clicked, saved bookmarks, your IP, geolocation. Then, the details might be passed on to other parties for income or used as a way of developing more advanced targeted advertising.
Since you know all about the annoying adware, this should be enough for you to want to perform Coupon Chaser removal. If you are infected with this PUP and have been looking forward to using manual instructions, you can find some steps at the end of this page. Also, try FortectIntego for repairing any compromised entries that the adware might have affected on your PC.
Freeware and shareware apps often hide adware in their extra attachments
Adware programs usually travel around as additional attachments of various freeware and shareware. Therefore, it is possible to find such a program on your computer without downloading it. If you want to protect your computer from similar intruders, we can give you a couple of helpful tips on how you can do that.
First of all, avoid downloading unfamiliar programs from download websites such as cnet.com, softonic.com, soft32.com, and download.com. As you can imagine, free programs are usually supported by advertising or such applications have extra attachments by which unwanted products can easily slip into the computer system.
Secondly, if you are installing an unfamiliar freeware,[3] it is recommended to read its end-user license agreement (EULA) part and the Privacy Policy. Thirdly, you should also follow the entire installation process in order to spot unwanted attachments by selecting Custom or Advanced installation of the freeware.
Finally, taking care of automatic protection is also an important thing to think of while seeking to prevent adware programs from entering your machine repeatedly. Choose a reliable antivirus product to purchase from the Internet and download it to your computer system. Afterward, keep the app regularly updated for its proper functionality.
Removing Coupon Chaser virus from your computer
Coupon Chaser virus should be removed after you find the program distracting you and interrupting your computing work. There are specific tools that can help you to deal with this type of process, also known as antimalware software. According to Virusai.lt experts,[4] using antivirus tools is the best way to get rid of all types of cyber threats.
Downloading and running automated products will make the removal process smoother and more efficient. This way you will be sure that you have not missed any suspicious products that were injected by the adware program. Also, the entire task will take no longer than 5-10 minutes and will require almost none of the user's effort.
However, you can also remove Coupon Chaser with the help of manual guiding steps. At the end of this article, we have included improved instructions on the termination process of this adware. Keep in mind that you need to clean not only your OS but also web browser apps such as Chrome, Firefox, Explorer, Edge, and Safari.
You may remove virus damage with a help of FortectIntego. SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner and Malwarebytes are recommended to detect potentially unwanted programs and viruses with all their files and registry entries that are related to them.
Getting rid of Coupon Chaser virus. Follow these steps
Uninstall from Windows
To clean your Windows operating system from the adware and all the additional products that have been added, apply the below-provided guiding steps.
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 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.
Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
To eliminate all the signs related to adware, you have to perform the below-provided Mozilla Firefox cleaning process.
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 Google Chrome
To terminate questionable extensions, add-ons, and plug-ins from your Google Chrome web browser, employing these steps might help.
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.
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.
After uninstalling this potentially unwanted program (PUP) and fixing each of your web browsers, we recommend you to scan your PC system with a reputable anti-spyware. This will help you to get rid of Coupon Chaser registry traces and will also identify related parasites or possible malware infections on your computer. For that you can use our top-rated malware remover: FortectIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes.
How to prevent from getting adware
Protect your privacy – employ a VPN
There are several ways how to make your online time more private – you can access an incognito tab. However, there is no secret that even in this mode, you are tracked for advertising purposes. There is a way to add an extra layer of protection and create a completely anonymous web browsing practice with the help of Private Internet Access VPN. This software reroutes traffic through different servers, thus leaving your IP address and geolocation in disguise. Besides, it is based on a strict no-log policy, meaning that no data will be recorded, leaked, and available for both first and third parties. The combination of a secure web browser and Private Internet Access VPN will let you browse the Internet without a feeling of being spied or targeted by criminals.
No backups? No problem. Use a data recovery tool
If you wonder how data loss can occur, you should not look any further for answers – human errors, malware attacks, hardware failures, power cuts, natural disasters, or even simple negligence. In some cases, lost files are extremely important, and many straight out panic when such an unfortunate course of events happen. Due to this, you should always ensure that you prepare proper data backups on a regular basis.
If you were caught by surprise and did not have any backups to restore your files from, not everything is lost. Data Recovery Pro is one of the leading file recovery solutions you can find on the market – it is likely to restore even lost emails or data located on an external device.
- ^ Jon Martindale. What is a CPU?. Digital Trends. Computing.
- ^ Tracking Pixel. Ryte.com. Relevant information.
- ^ Tim Fisher. What Is Freeware?. Lifewire.com. An independent news source.
- ^ Virusai.lt. Virusai. Security and spyware news.