Gordon Deals ads (Removal Instructions) - Tutorial
Gordon Deals ads Removal Guide
What is Gordon Deals ads?
Gordon Deals ads won’t help you to save when shopping online
Gordon Deals is an adware program that is presented as a shopping assistant. The Google Chrome extension is supposed to help users to save when online shopping by displaying special offers and discount coupons. However, in reality, it barely functions as promised. It works as a potentially unwanted program (PUP) and adware.
So-called Gordon Deals virus has been noticed spreading in software bundles, meaning that it might be offered to download as an optional component when downloading freeware or shareware. However, inattentive computer users might agree to install unintentionally if they rely on Quick/Recommended setup.
Once inside, the application might make several modifications in the system, for instance, modify Windows Registry or create new entries. Additionally, it configures Chrome’s settings in order display third-party advertisement on each site a user visits. Lastly, users will find Gordon Deals extension in the browser which might be hard to get rid of.
What is more, the adware might replace default browser’s homepage and search engine. The new Gordon Deals page includes:
- quick links to online coupons providers;
- quick access to online cash-back providers;
- shortcuts to popular retailer’s sites;
- shopping deals based on recent search keywords.
These features might seem useful for people who shop online a lot. However, when you browse the web using an affected browser, the Gordon Deals adware might:
- display fake shopping coupons that do not give promised discount;
- deliver “special offers” that redirect to phishing sites;
- show pop-ups that exchanges discount codes to user’s contact or personal information;
- provide malware-laden ads;[1]
- give misleading security pop-ups;
- promote shady software or its updates;[2]
- trigger redirects to promotional websites.
As you can see, Gordon Deals ads are not always designed to help people to save money. Indeed, they are intended to benefit the developers. The adware might display an excessive amount of advertisements and aggressively seek for user’s click because once she or he clicks, authors of the app generate revenue.
The same goes with sudden redirects to third-party sites. The adware might be used for driving traffic to third-party sites that need to increase their sales or rank higher in Google’s search results. However, security experts from Holland[3] warn about potentially dangerous Gordon Deals redirect tendencies.
This app might also lead to phishing, tech support scam or even malicious websites. Therefore, users are advised to remove Gordon Deals adware from the PC as soon as this PUP starts flooding Chrome with shopping offers. Once you uninstall this add-on, you should look up to more credible discount service.
If the program was installed in a software bundle, we recommend opting for automatic Gordon Deals removal with updated anti-malware/anti-spyware program, such as FortectIntego. However, if you prefer manual removal, you can find the instructions at the end of the article.
Gordon Deals ads might start popping up on the screen after installation of the suspicious shopping assistant.
Everything you need to know about software bundling to avoid PUPs
Bundling is a questionable software marketing technique that is widely exploited by developers of PUPs. This method allows taking advantage of user’s bad habit to rush with freeware installation using Recommended/Standard settings that do not openly disclose about additional third-party apps that might be attached to the primary program.
Keep in mind that when you download freeware from P2P networks or other free download sources, you can never be sure if it’s a single program or a package. Thus, you have to figure it out by using Advanced/Custom installation. If you see a list of optional apps, you should unmark all pre-selected entries to avoid browsing-related or privacy-related problems.
Uninstall Gordon Deals from Google Chrome
If you tried to remove Gordon Deals from Chrome’s extensions, you might have noticed that it came back. Indeed, it might be related to adware’s functionality. Therefore, you should put more effort in its removal.
First of all, you have to look up for the program in the Control Panel (or Application if your Mac OS X got infected). Secondly, you have to uninstall suspicious extensions from Google Chrome. Thirdly, you have to reset the browser to delete tracking cookies or other invisible entries.
You can find more detailed manual Gordon Deals removal guide below, or you can speed up the process with anti-malware/anti-spyware program.
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 Gordon Deals ads. Follow these steps
Uninstall from Windows
Gordon Deals may have installed several helper objects, additional components and other entries to Windows OS. Follow these steps to uninstall them all:
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
If you suffer from Gordon Deals ads on Mac OS X, follow these steps to remove adware from the system:
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)
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
Go to the extensions and remove suspicious add-ons. Then reset 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.
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 Gordon Deals 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
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.
- ^ Elinor Mills. When malware strikes via bad ads on good sites. CNET. Product reviews, how-tos, deals and the latest tech news.
- ^ Graham Cluley. Fake Flash Player Update Infects Macs with Scareware [Updated]. Intego. Mac security blog.
- ^ Zonder Virus. Zonder Virus. Recent cyber security news.