Totalcoolblog.com is a push notification scam that spams you with links to insecure websites

If Totalcoolblog.com ads won't stop showing up on your screen, you have been a victim of a scam or enabled notifications on the site by accident. To be more precise, you clicked the “Allow” button within the notification prompt shown to you upon entry. To convince users that doing so is a good idea, crooks commonly use various social engineering tricks, which is a type of fraud that exploits the inexperience or naivety of people.
As evident, most users do not deliberately access websites that would put their computers at risk. However, redirects to Totalcoolblog.com can occur at any time when browsing less secure websites or clicking links. After being rerouted, people are presented with a message which claims something that is not true, all in order to make them allow notifications. Some examples include:
- There is a video to be watched – click “Allow” to continue
- Enable notifications to verify that you are not a robot
- The download is ready! Click Allow to download the file
- If you are 18+, tap Allow, etc.
These are mere few examples that the crooks come up with, and most of the websites of similar content, such as Cowboy2u4me.me, Funlife.info, or Ngecauuksehi.xyz, use the same tactics and even the same pictures to convince users to do what they otherwise wouldn't. In reality, these sites have no other content within them, and the only purpose of those is to make users interact with the notification prompt. There is no content to explore because there is simply none there.
If you have been a victim of this scam, you should not worry and follow the guidelines we prepared for you below. Also, we will provide instructions on how to clean your browsers properly and ensure that no potentially unwanted programs are running in the background, feeding you ads everywhere you go.
| Name | Totalcoolblog.com |
|---|---|
| Type | Push notifications, pop-ups, ads |
| Distribution | Pop-ups start showing at some point after the “Allow” button is pressed within the notification prompt |
| Symptoms | Intrusive desktop notifications show up on the desktop at any time, promoting websites of dubious content |
| Risks | Ads and links to sites displayed by the website might be dangerous: users might suffer from monetary losses, install malware or potentially unwanted programs on their systems, or disclose their sensitive data to cybercrooks |
| Deletion | Notifications can be disabled via the browser settings; in case you experience more ads and redirects to suspicious sites, you should also get rid of adware – use antivirus software for a quick elimination |
| Further steps | Cleaning web browsers is just as important when dealing with potentially unwanted programs, so do so by following the instructions below or using FortectIntego for a quicker solution |
Remove Totalcoolblog.com ads easily
There are plenty of misconceptions about push notifications. While they have been around on some Apple devices for as long as over a decade, push notifications on Chrome, or other browsers were only introduced in 2015. That being said, some people are still not that familiar with it, even if they have seen plenty of prompts regarding it on many websites.
Push notifications themselves are not malicious as it is simply a tool used by crooks to deliver ads to users. Thus, since it's a part of the web browser, you can't completely remove them (although you could meddle with browser settings in order to make the prompts not show up for you at all).
That being said, since many people believe that push notifications are the same as pop-up ads, they start scanning their devices with security software in the hopes of a successful Totalcoolblog.com removal. This, however, will not help to get rid of notifications, although doing so is something that everyone experiencing strange computer behavior should do.
Below you will find the instructions on how to stop a website from showing you notifications for good. These settings will allow you to prevent push notification prompts from being shown to you from Totalcoolblog.com in case you access it again by accident.
Google Chrome
- 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.
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.

Microsoft Edge (legacy)
- 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.

Safari
- Click on Safari > Preferences…
- Go to Websites tab and, under General, select Notifications.
- Select the web address in question, click the drop-down menu and select Deny.

These instructions can be used to block any other website from showing you notifications. Likewise, using a similar method, you can add any website URL to the “Allowed” section if you'd like that.
How to stay away from high-risk websites
As previously mentioned, users don't load up their browsers with the thought of visiting websites that would trick them into doing something they normally wouldn't. In fact, phishing commonly relies on the element of surprise, when people don't expect to see something, but they do. Thus, redirects and malicious links are very important for malicious acts online.
In order to prevent unexpected redirects, we recommend using special software, including ad-blockers (make sure it's a legitimate one, as there are plenty of ad-blockers that bring their own ads and fail at what they are supposed to be doing) and security software that provides web shield protection. This way, you can be warned about online dangers and diverted to safety before something bad happens.
That being said, there are always those who do visit websites of dubious nature intentionally. They include illegal video streaming, torrents, software cracks, and similar sites. Keep in mind that pirated software installers are sometimes booby-trapped with Zaps ransomware[1] or similar dangerous malware.
Likewise, illegal video streaming sites often ask users to create accounts, stealing their emails or passwords; in some cases, they are also asked to provide credit card details for the alleged verification process. Make sure you ignore these requests or you could be subjected to suffering from privacy issues or even identity theft.[2]

Scam sites show up on machines infected by adware
Random redirect after clicking a link somewhere is not the only way to end up on Totalcoolblog.com or similar malicious websites. In some cases, the browser might seem to be acting on its own – opening new tabs or windows or engaging in redirects seemingly without anything triggering it.
If that is the case, then it is likely that your system is infected with adware, which is a type of potentially unwanted program. These apps are not generally considered malicious, although they definitely fall into the gray area. Some adware comes very close to malware, and many security experts advocate for it being treated as such.[3]
Nevertheless, if you noticed that your browsers are showing ads way more frequently than they should be and you commonly see websites of dubious content, it is worth checking your device for adware infection. The best way of doing that is by employing SpyHunterCombo Cleaner, MalwarebytesMalwarebytes, or another reputable anti-malware.
Security software can also check your device for malicious processes or files and remove them as necessary. Likewise, keeping up-to-date anti-malware is very important to prevent the intrusion of malicious programs in the first place.
If you indeed find adware or malware on your system, we also recommend cleaning your web browsers from various caches and cookies. Otherwise, the removal process might not be successful. For that, we recommend using FortectIntego PC maintenance utility or referring to the manual guidelines at the bottom of this post.
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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