Ourcommonstories.com ads (Free Guide)
Ourcommonstories.com ads Removal Guide
What is Ourcommonstories.com ads?
Ourcommonstories.com asks to enable notifications to send ads directly to users' desktops
Ourcommonstories.com shows misleading messages to make people click the "Allow" button
Ourcommonstories.com is a malicious website that was created by cybercrooks to fool users into subscribing to push notifications. People do not venture to it intentionally but are rather redirected by a misleading or booby-trapped link on a high-risk website (usually, torrents, software cracks,[1] illegal video streaming, etc.).
As soon as they enter the site, they are shown a misleading message which encourages people to click the “Allow” button within the notification prompt. The reasons for it could be plenty, and it might seem quite convincing for victims of the Ourcommonstories.com scam.
Those who get tricked by these fake messages and do as they are told would later see intrusive ads showing up on their desktops. Not only are these pop-ups intrusive but they can also invoke accidental or intentional clicks on the shown links. Consequently, users might end up on more malicious websites: download malware/potentially unwanted software, disclose their private data to cybercriminals, or subscribe to fake services that would charge credit cards automatically.
It is also important to note that continuous redirects to Ourcommonstories.com and similar websites might be a sign of adware or malware infections. Thus, this aspect should be researched thoroughly and the unwanted push notifications removed – we provide all the comprehensive details in the sections below.
Name | Ourcommonstories.com |
Type | Push notifications, ads, scam |
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 | You might suffer from monetary losses, install malware or potentially unwanted programs, or disclose sensitive data to cybercriminals |
Removal | To prevent the site from displaying notifications to you, access the site permission section via your web browser settings – you can find more details below. We also recommend checking the system for adware with SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner security software |
Other checks | Make sure you clean your browsers after you delete PUPs from the system. To do that automatically, you can use FortectIntego |
Scam methods
As soon as users reach the Ourcommonstories.com website, they are usually not expecting what they see and are taken by surprise. They are shown a push notification prompt that usually shows up at the top-left of the page and asks to enable push notifications. Those who are familiar with this feature can immediately recognize that clicking the “Allow” button would immediately allow the site to send information via the push notification feature without limitations.
In order to convince users to subscribe, crooks come up with various fake reasons – social engineering[2] is commonly involved. All they have to do is convince that the “Allow” button is used for something else, for example:
- Just one more step! “Allow” to continue
- Click Allow to confirm you are not a robot
- Your file is ready to download. Press Allow to continue.
- If you are 18+, click Allow
- Click Allow to win a prize and get it in our shop!
Ourcommonstories.com redirects might be indicative of adware infection
However, as soon as users proceed in one way or another they would soon notice that there is no other content to explore, simply because there is none. Push notification scam sites are empty shells with one goal in mind – to make users subscribe to push notifications. If you have been redirected to Ourcommonstories.com, you should not interact with it in any way and instead leave the page immediately.
Ourcommonstories.com ads symptoms
Push notification scam schemes are extremely common, and new websites such as Check-and-read.com or Remotedata.vip are constantly showing up anew. While some of these manage to be shut down rather quickly, others lurk around the world wide web for a while.
Once users are tricked into allowing these push notifications, nothing usually happens for a while, and they simply continue with their daily tasks. Only later do victims notice that suspicious pop-ups are showing up in the bottom-right or top-right corner of the screen at random times.
They are shown on top of everything else currently running in the background and include various misleading messages and links. For example, people might be told that several viruses have been found on their device and they need to install an allegedly legitimate security tool to remove them. In other cases, users might be told that they have won an expensive gift that they can reclaim after entering their personal information.
Thus, do not believe these ads and ignore them completely. If you click on one of the links accidentally, leave the page you were redirected to immediately.
Stop Ourcommonstories.com pop-ups
Many users relate the intrusive activity of push notifications to malware infections. In reality, it has nothing to do with it, since the permission to show them can be acquired from users without them having a virus on their computers. Thus, notifications can only be removed manually as explained below (browser reset can also get rid of this problem but it is not necessary):
Google Chrome
- 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 position).
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 the 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.
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.
Safari
- Click on Safari > Preferences…
- Go to the Websites tab and, under General, select Notifications.
- Select the web address in question, click the drop-down menu and select Deny.
Adware removal
As previously mentioned, adware could be one of the main causes for browser redirects to potentially malicious websites. These programs might be installed accidentally in freeware bundles downloaded from third-party websites, hence many are not even aware they are infected in the first place.
The easiest way to check your device for infections is to scan it with SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner, Malwarebytes, or another powerful anti-malware software. After that, we also recommend removing leftover files that potentially unwanted programs[3] might have placed on the local machine. If you want to do that quickly and efficiently, employ FortectIntego – it can also fix virus damage if such was sustained during the operation of adware or other malicious software. If you would rather do these steps manually, proceed with the instructions below.
Getting rid of Ourcommonstories.com 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.
- ^ Fake pirated software sites serve up malware droppers as a service. Sophos. Security research blog.
- ^ Social Engineering. Imperva. Application and data protection.
- ^ Potentially unwanted program. Wikipedia. The free encyclopedia.