Shmokiads virus urges victims to install more untrustworthy programs

Shmokiads is a dubious ad network that pushes suspicious ads through Shmokiads.com domain. It is also known as Shmoki ad network. It seems that it uses a spyware-type software[1] to infect computer users and serve all ads through it. 2-Spyware researchers noticed that this ad network mainly advertises various potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) such as browser hijackers[2] or adware.
Apparently, the developer of Shmokiads aims to earn money using pay-per-install scheme. It pushes all kinds of free software to the victim, including games, browser toolbars, rogue system optimizers and similar content. According to research, this ad network mostly bothers French computer users[3].
Some of the suspicious programs promoted via Shmokiads network were Screen Addict, VideoDownloadConverter Toolbar, Slither.io game and others. You should never agree to install these programs because they are typical ad-supported tools that provide no useful features at all. Besides, they tend to collect information about victim’s browsing habits, and that is yet another reason to stay away from software promoted via Shmoki ads.
The adware program associated with Shmokiads seems to be relentless. It continuously addresses various ad IDs from its server and displays these on victim’s screen. Victims have reported that the described adware affects both Windows and Mac operating systems. It is also known that it is very hard to remove Shmokiads virus because it can’t be uninstalled via Control Panel like regular computer programs.
If you wish to uninstall the virus manually, you should study the instructions provided below the article very carefully. However, if you want to be sure that this adware won’t come back, opt for automatic Shmokiads removal option. You may want to use FortectIntego or MalwarebytesMalwarebytes software.
Beware that the adware collects some information about you as their user. They might grab all data you enter into surveys, track your search queries, browsing history, downloads, IP address, geolocation and other details that describe you as a user.

The adware can use collected data to deliver targeted ads, although it might also sell collected data to third parties. To protect your privacy, eliminate this annoying program from the system and reset your browsers ASAP. See full tutorial below the article.
Distribution of Shmoki Adware
The discussed adware starts bothering computer users who install untrustworthy freeware without paying attention to details provided in the software setup. Most of the time, browser hijackers travel in a bundle with freeware or shareware, therefore users install them without realizing it.
It is important to pay close attention to the information provided in software installers. If possible, choose Custom or Advanced settings for the installation. These will give you an opportunity to review all extra files and programs suggested to you. Clearly, you will get a chance to drop unwanted items off. Sadly, trustworthy-looking Default/Standard installation settings won’t allow you to decompose the software pack in such way.
Be careful when choosing software to install and better avoid files accessible via P2P file sharing software. It goes without saying that you should never attempt to install illegal software, either. Such downloads often carry unexpected files that can pose a threat to the computer system.
Remove Shmokiads.com virus from your computer for good
There are several techniques to remove Shmokiads virus, so do not give up if one method won’t help you to resolve the issue. We have provided an in-detail guide on how to get rid of Shmoki Ads and added it right below the description of this threat.
After removing all files associated with the virus, perform a system scan using anti-malware software. Automatic Shmokiads removal tool will not only delete this particular virus but will cleanse the system by removing all other files rated as potentially unwanted or dangerous.
Uninstall from Windows
Uninstall from Windows 10/8:
- Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
- Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.

Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:
- Click on Windows Start > Control Panel (Windows XP users should click on Add/Remove Programs).
- In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.

Remove the unwanted program:
- In the Programs and Features window, look for any recently installed suspicious entries, select them, and click Uninstall.
- If User Account Control appears, click Yes to confirm, then complete the removal.

Delete from macOS
Remove the unwanted application:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).

Delete leftover files and folders:
- Select Go > Go to Folder.
- Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
- Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.

- Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.
Reset Internet Explorer
Remove dangerous add-ons:
- Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
- Pick Manage Add-ons.
- You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.

Change your homepage if it was altered:
- Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
- Select Internet Options.
- In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
- Click Apply and then select OK.

Delete temporary files:
- Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
- Under Browsing history, click Delete...
- Select relevant fields and press Delete.

Reset Internet Explorer:
- Click on Gear icon > Internet options and select Advanced tab.
- Select Reset.
- In the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset.

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 Remove.

Clear cookies and other browser data:
- Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Select Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files. (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 Remove next to any suspicious startup page.
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.

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.
- This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.

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 the unwanted extension and click Remove.

Reset the homepage:
- Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
- Choose Settings.
- Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.
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 and Temporary cached files and pages, then click 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 suspicious extensions 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 dangerous extensions:
- Open Safari, click Safari in the menu at the top-left of the screen, and select Preferences.
- Go to the Extensions tab, look for any suspicious entries, and click Uninstall to remove them.

Clear history and website data:
- Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
- Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.

Reset Safari:
- Click Safari in the menu and select Preferences > Advanced.
- Enable Show Develop menu in menu bar.
- From the menu bar, click Develop and select Empty Caches.

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