Easymedia2.com ads: what it is and how to remove it

From our report of Feb 2020 · not reviewed since

Easymedia2.com is a malicious website that abuses legitimate browser feature to insert intrusive ads into users' web browsers

Easymedia2.com is a push notification virus that gets injected via the notification feature available on Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, MS Edge, and other web browsers.

Upon entering the website, users are shown a pop-up message that asks whether they want to allow notifications to be displayed, all while they see a carefully compiled scam message in the background that actively prompts users to the press "Allow."

If they subscribe to Easymedia2.com notifications, they will start receiving intrusive pop-up ads directly on their desktops. Unfortunately, these advertisements are far from being safe, as users will be constantly exposed to scam messages, click-bait, get-rich-quick, and similar links.

While those who refrain from clicking on the pop-ups will be safe, getting rid of these annoying pop-ups proved to be difficult for many users, as they are unaware that they can remove Easymedia2.com via the web browser settings.

The motivation of Easymedia2.com authors is simple - to make users click on links that are mostly unsafe and earn ad revenue in the process. There have been thousands of such sites created regularly - good examples include Twok.pro, Cloud1.pw, Zahkit.pro, and many others. It is also important to note that these websites are often shut down due to scam activities, but thousands more are created under different names.

As evident, there are not many who would agree to receive intrusive offers and scam messages being delivered directly to their screens while using the computer or phone. Thus, crooks came up with an elaborate scheme - abusing a legitimate, built-in push notification feature to push malicious links.

For that, social engineering tricks are used in order to make users click on the "Allow" button. Here's one of the examples that Easymedia2.com virus may use to persuade visitors:

As evident, this statement is very familiar, as users are often asked to click on a tick box or prove otherwise that they are not bots - this is a legitimate tactic to prevent malicious scripts from flooding the website. Because it is so familiar, users might believe that Easymedia2.com prompt is reasonable, and press "Allow."

Other social engineering techniques that malicious actors behind Easymedia2.com virus use include showing a fake YouTube video that is allegedly is about to be played, or asking users to press allow if they are 18+, which immediately implies that content of sexual nature would be displayed.

However, Easymedia2.com will not disclose anything beyond what is already shown on the site, as it is simply not designed to do so - the goal is to make a visitor click on the "Allow" button.

Unfortunately, the reason why you might have been redirected to the Easymedia2.com site is due to adware that might be hiding inside your Windows or macOS computer, as well as iPhone or Android device (note that notifications can be enabled on all type of devices as well, including phones). These potentially unwanted programs are designed to display users' advertisements and redirect to affiliated websites.

The trick is that adware developers often pick untrustworthy ad networks that might direct users to malicious sites, such as Easymedia2.com. Other adware infection symptoms include:

Additionally, adware is often set to gather browsing-related information about users with the help of web beacons, Flash cookies, and other tracking technologies. The data collected helps monetization, as it allows expose users to targeted ads.

In the case of the adware infection, Easymedia2.com removal from web browsers will not be enough, as you will have find and eliminated the potentially unwanted application from your device. To do that, you can rely on the manual removal guide provided below or scan your machine with anti-malware. Additionally, experts recommend resetting all the installed browsers and using to repair system damage after a virus infection.

• Startup page, new tab URL and the search engine of the web browser is set to a different address;
• Intrusive advertisements show up on all visited websites;
• All searchers are directed to another provider (sometimes it might be legitimate, such as Yahoo or Google);
• Search results are filled with sponsored links;
• Browser extensions or applications installed without permission.

From our report of Feb 2020 · not reviewed since

Watch out for social engineering tricks and avoid adware by paying close attention to the installation process of free apps

Push notification spam is a simple technique that utilizes an otherwise-useful browser feature and social engineering in order to deliver users advertisements.

Because of the push notification feature abuse, Mozilla Firefox already announced that it would not display the prompt upon a website entry, and Google is about to follow this great example. This will reduce the chance of users subscribing to websites that are malicious.

If you are not using Mozilla Firefox, however, you should learn to recognize deception online. In case of push notification scam, you should only press "Allow" on websites that you trust, and not those that you accidental got redirected to. In any case, all the promises of displaying the underlying content are fake - there is nothing to be seen.

Another way to protect yourself from unwanted ads is making sure that you dot install adware or other potentially unwanted programs on your machine - they are typically installed behind users' back with the help of software bundle packages distributed via third-party freeware sites. Typically, distributors employ various tricks for users not to notice optional components inside the installer, which results in users not spotting adware's point of entry.

To avoid PUPs, you should pay a great deal of attention when installing freeware apps (generally, you should stick to official sources like Google Play, Apple Store, Amazon, etc., when possible) - always check for pre-ticked boxes, fine print text, deceptive button placements, misleading offers, and, most importantly, always opt for Advanced/Custom settings.