Energy adware (virus) - Free Instructions
Energy adware Removal Guide
What is Energy adware?
Energy adware can make the browsing experience miserable by causing annoying ads
Energy is advertising-supported software that can cause an increased amount of commercial content on the machine. Users may start experiencing pop-ups, banners, and redirects. The creators might use rogue advertising networks that place ads leading to dangerous websites.
As a result, people can end up on scam sites that try to trick them into providing personal information, downloading PUPs (potentially unwanted programs),[1] and even malware. Once clicked, the ads can even secretly install software without the users' knowledge.
If you see any ads promoting well-known products, it is unlikely that the campaigns were created by the original owners. Crooks often use the names of trustworthy products to execute their scams. For example, we previously wrote about the McAfee Total Protection has expired scam.
In that case, fraudsters try to convince users that they have to renew their antivirus subscription but the truth is, the page does not actually offer the installation of the legitimate version of the security suite. People have to be especially careful with ads caused by adware and not click on them.
| NAME | Energy |
| TYPE | Adware |
| SYMPTOMS | An increased amount of commercial content; promotional links are injected into the search results; pop-ups and banners start appearing |
| DISTRIBUTION | Shady websites; deceptive ads; freeware installations |
| DANGERS | Links embedded in the ads can lead to dangerous websites from rogue advertising networks |
| ELIMINATION | Scan your system with professional security tools |
| FURTHER STEPS | Use FortectIntego to clear your browsers, get rid of any remaining damage and optimize the system |
Distribution methods
Usually, adware is spread through questionable download pages. Most users stumble upon them through redirects from other shady sites, mistyped URLs, or already installed adware. So it is unlikely to find them through the search results. People should be careful when visiting sites they do not know, especially pages that engage in illegal activities, like illegal streaming platforms.[2]
Another possibility is that Energy adware sneaked into the system as bundled software.[3] This can happen when people use freeware distribution platforms. They include additional programs in the installers that monetize user activity. Most people skip through the steps so they do not notice that they are installing more programs than they intended.
If you want to avoid this, always choose the “Custom” or “Advanced” installation methods, read the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. The most important step is to check the file list and untick the boxes next to any unrelated apps.
Of course, you should stay away from third-party download pages completely because they cannot be trusted. If you want to install software it is best to use official web stores and developer websites. Apps that get listed in stores, go through an extensive review process.
In any situation, you should not forget to do your research – read the reviews, look at the ratings, and the number of users an application has. It is best to choose those programs, that have plenty of positive feedback and thousands of users.
Remove adware from the system
PUAs are often disguised as “handy” tools to make it more difficult for average users to identify them. The program that is causing the erratic behavior could have any name or icon. It could look like a system optimizer, antivirus software, image editing program, etc.
If you are not sure what to do and you do not want to risk deleting the wrong files, we suggest using SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes anti-malware tools that will scan your machine, eliminate it, and prevent such infections in the future by giving you a warning before a PUP can make any changes. If manual removal is what you still prefer, we have instructions for Windows and Mac machines:
Windows 10/8:
- 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.
Windows 7/XP:
- 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.
Mac:
- 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 Energy from the browsers
Energy adware may have added an extension to your browser that messes up the settings, and causes push notifications, banners, and redirects. Some browser plugins are even capable of changing the main settings, like the homepage, new tab address, and search engine. This way, people are forced to use only selected channels for browsing which raises many user privacy and security concerns.
You should go to your browser settings and look at the extension list. We recommend removing plugins one by one to see if you notice any changes.
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.
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.
MS Edge (Chromium)
- Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
- Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.
Mozilla Firefox
- 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.
Safari
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- In the new window, pick Extensions.
- Select the unwanted extension and select Uninstall.
How to keep my browsing history private?
Websites, web-based applications, and programs can use cookies[4] to track your activity. These small data files can store information like your IP address, geolocation,[5] websites you visit, links you click on, and things you purchase online. This data can be sold to advertising networks or other third parties.
We recommend having a maintenance tool like FortectIntego that can clear your browsers automatically. It can eliminate cookies and cache, stop the tracking. This powerful software can also fix various system errors, corrupted files, and registry issues which is especially helpful after a virus infection.
You can also use our manual guide for Google Chrome. For removal in other browsers, the steps are very similar.
- 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.
How to prevent from getting adware
Access your website securely from any location
When you work on the domain, site, blog, or different project that requires constant management, content creation, or coding, you may need to connect to the server and content management service more often. The best solution for creating a tighter network could be a dedicated/fixed IP address.
If you make your IP address static and set to your device, you can connect to the CMS from any location and do not create any additional issues for the server or network manager that needs to monitor connections and activities. VPN software providers like Private Internet Access can help you with such settings and offer the option to control the online reputation and manage projects easily from any part of the world.
Recover files after data-affecting malware attacks
While much of the data can be accidentally deleted due to various reasons, malware is one of the main culprits that can cause loss of pictures, documents, videos, and other important files. More serious malware infections lead to significant data loss when your documents, system files, and images get encrypted. In particular, ransomware is is a type of malware that focuses on such functions, so your files become useless without an ability to access them.
Even though there is little to no possibility to recover after file-locking threats, some applications have features for data recovery in the system. In some cases, Data Recovery Pro can also help to recover at least some portion of your data after data-locking virus infection or general cyber infection.
If this free guide helped you and you are satisfied with our service, please consider making a donation to keep this service alive. Even a smallest amount will be appreciated.
- ^ Potentially unwanted program. Wikipedia. The Free Encyclopedia.
- ^ Brittni Devlin. Why Should You Avoid Illegal Streaming Sites?. Makeuseof. Tech Insights.
- ^ Will Dormann. Bundled Software and Attack Surface. Cmu. Software Engineering Institute Blog.
- ^ Chris Maus. What Are Cookies and Are They Dangerous?. Qkey. Secure Online Payment Providers.
- ^ What is Geolocation?. Gravitatedesign. Web Design Blog.