Protectpc.xyz ads (Free Guide) - spam
Protectpc.xyz ads Removal Guide
What is Protectpc.xyz ads?
Protectpc.xyz is the adware that causes redirects and constant pop-ups
The redirect virus shows false claims about the security of the machine
Protectpc.xyz ads and notifications continuously appear on the screen, and these threats make sure to control the online traffic with reroutes and pop-up advertisements. The site tries to trick people into allowing additional content or notifications coming from this or any other commercial page. Those appear directly on the screen and desktop when browsers are closed.
The particular intruder is not malicious or considered a virus, but Protectpc.xyz ads and third-party content cause the exposure to malicious and dangerous content online. If you see these redirects and suffer from all the speed and performance issues, you can be sure that an adware infection is affecting the machine here.[1]
Adware in detail
Name | Protectpc.xyz |
---|---|
Type | Adware, redirect, push notifications virus |
Category | Potentially unwanted program |
Distribution | Freeware installations, other platforms with deceptive material, pirating services |
Issues | These advertisements do not originate from the sites they appear, the additional behavior causes issues performance and speed of the PC |
Serving IP address | 5.45.112.153 |
Elimination | Threats can be removed by running a full system scan using anti-malware tools |
Repair | Virus damage and leftovers can cause additional problems and affect persistence. Try FortectIntego for these corrupted files |
Protectpc.xyz is the site that can be named as one of the sites included in various online scam campaigns because it shows fake messages about detected malware and that your AV tools are expired. The infection can show various messages and claims to keep users interacting.
The site tries to trick people into thinking that a quick scan of the machine determined the state of the security automatically. There is no need to believe that or purchase any software, or download tools offered on these promotional Protectpc.xyz ads.
Adware often relies on scary messages to make people believe they need to buy tools or visit other pages. This is often a commission campaign, and PUP developers gain revenue from visits, clicks, or purchases of those fake antivirus applications. Ignore any of the messages that appear out of nowhere.
Experts[2] always note that AV developers and software creators do not scan the machine randomly, and such messages about system and malware never appear on the browser. You need proper anti-malware tools to stop the PUP and indicate real threats. Protectpc.xyz adware is the only dangerous program on the machine here, other threats reported in those pop-ups are fake.
Threats use technical support scam and social engineering methods to keep the adware active
Terminate the annoying app
Removing the unwanted application is crucial here because many of the processes that keep you from using the machine properly are caused by the adware running on the machine. Anti-malware tools can help you remove Protectpc.xyz program and stop those intrusive redirects.
Antivirus scans using applications like SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes can indicate all potential threats and clear them off of the machine. Then the system is running properly. However, some of the issues are created by manipulating settings on the browser, so to stop notifications and unwanted ads, you might want to change preferences manually. It is possible to turn off notifications and terminate all of the Protectpc.xyz ads.
Remove unwanted notifications from Google Chrome (desktop):
- Open Google Chrome browser and go to Menu > Settings.
- Scroll down and click on Advanced.
- Locate 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.
Remove unwanted notifications from 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 setting).
Remove unwanted notifications from 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.
Remove unwanted notifications from 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.
Remove unwanted notifications from MS Edge:
- Open Microsoft Edge, and click the Settings and more button (three horizontal dots) at the top-right of the window.
- Select Settings and then go to Advanced.
- Under Website permissions, pick Manage permissions and select the URL in question.
- Toggle the switch to the left to turn notifications off on Microsoft Edge.
Remove unwanted notifications from 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.
Remove unwanted notifications from Internet Explorer:
- Open Internet Explorer, and click on the Gear icon at the top-right of the window.
- Select Internet options and go to the Privacy tab.
- In the Pop-up Blocker section, click on Settings.
- Locate web address in question under Allowed sites and pick Remove.
These pages display fake messages with warnings and use social engineering[3] method and technical support scam techniques to cause users to interact with Protectpc.xyz ads and notifications. These desktop notifications and push advertisements cause various issues, so you should react to the adware as soon as possible.
There are various fake system scan tools that can be promoted using these advertisements and redirects. Unfortunately, some of them might get installed on the machine while visiting these pages. This is why you should properly remove the PUP and do that with proper tools that can find and terminate Protectpc.xyz, so ads and notifications stop.
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 Protectpc.xyz 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 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
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 Protectpc.xyz 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
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.