SoftSafe – shopping app that spams you with ads
SoftSafe is another potentially unwanted program that may slow down your computer one day and start disrupting your daily activities online. No matter if you are using Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Internet Explorer, you may receive tons of commercial advertisements in various forms – pop-ups, in-text links, pop-unders, banners, etc. In some cases, these ads might even cover most of the page that you visit, which greatly diminishes your time online.
| Name | SoftSafe |
| Type | Adware |
| Distribution | Software bundling, third-party websites, ads |
| Symptoms | Web browser starts showing intrusive ads on most pages that you visit; redirects can also occur |
| Uninstall | Uninstall PUPs by following our manual guide or use an antivirus program |
| System fix | After the elimination of adware or malware, we highly recommend running a scan with FortectIntego repair software to fix virus damage automatically |
Disruptive online behavior is just one of many unwanted traits of the app. Its suspicious behavior begins with its distribution – users do not install it intentionally in most cases. Instead, they do it during the installation of freeware apps acquired from third-party websites.
Once installed, the program begins changing the way the browser operates – it may even change the homepage, new tab, and the search engine of your browser. This is especially true when another potentially unwanted app is installed alongside it.
The main reason we urge people to get rid of the virus is not related to the annoyance of its advertisements. That's because of the risk of exposing your computer to various cyber threats.
The main task of this app is to deliver sponsored advertisements, which, once clicked, would reroute people to predetermined websites. This is where the problem lies. Even though most ads are linked to shopping websites, gaming portals, blogs, and similar things, no one guarantees that some of them are not linked to suspicious websites full of misleading content.
In addition to that, be careful with fake update alerts brought by this domain. It may inform about missing Java, Flash Player, and similar updates, which, in reality, are filled with suspicious installers and, once clicked, activates adware, browser hijacker, or another PUP.
Finally, you have to know that this adware may also install cookies and continuously track you. No, it does not collect personal information; however, it collects non-personal data related to your weaknesses on the Internet and in this way may further try to trick you. Therefore, use SpyHunterCombo Cleaner and get rid of the SoftSafe virus ASAP.
Distribution techniques of PUPs
SoftSafe is another dubious adware that claims to provide users deals, coupons, price comparisons, promo codes, and similar deals to make shopping easier. Of course, some people prefer such a service and opt for installing such and similar shopping helpers.
However, in most cases, adware infiltrates computers without asking the user's permission directly. It may travel alongside freeware as an 'additional component.' Such distribution method is called 'bundling' and is widely used since it allows freeware developers to earn easy money.
Unfortunately, people frequently get tricked into installing various unwanted programs without even suspecting that. If you want to prevent installing unwanted apps, it's very important to pay an appropriate amount of attention to the installation process of free apps you download from the internet.
You should always check all the provided information carefully and never rush through steps (for example, clicking “Next” several times until the process is done is a bad idea). Also, select the Advanced or Custom installation option and read every notification carefully. Make sure that you uncheck ticks that are marked alongside notifications claiming that you accept to install a suspicious browser add-on, plug-in, toolbar, or extension.
SoftSafe removal steps
You need to keep in mind that there might be several potentially unwanted programs on your system installed at the same time. As already mentioned, bundles can hold several apps at once, so if you don't perform this step carefully, you might end up with multiple PUPs on your system.
Thus, you should access the Control Panel or Applications folder (macOS), and check which programs reside there – delete everything you don't recognize. Of course, if you are not very familiar with which apps are meant to be there in the first place, you should rather let antivirus software handle the whole process automatically.
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.
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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