2021 Guide. URL:Mal alerts explained

What is URL:Mal?

URL:Mal is a threat warning message, although adware authors can use such alerts to redirect online traffic

URL:Mal is a term used to describe either an adware or a false positive.

URL:Mal is a heuristic name of a possible threat that shows up on AVG and Avast scans or directly before accessing the suspicious site. This is a warning message that is displayed by various anti-virus engines but can indicate different issues. Typically, it pops up whenever users are about to visit a malicious website, and the security software blocks the entry. This is normal behavior, and users should not ignore it.

However, cybercriminals managed to utilize this alert and display it as a fake message in order to trick users into installing bogus software, redirecting their traffic to ad-supported sites, or retrieving personal information. The questionable rundll32.exe also is associated with this alert warning. This fact only raises more questions even though the executable is mainly reported as safe and legitimate. If you want to know more about what is URL:Mal and what causes those suspicious alerts, keep on reading this article.

URL:Mal warnings started to spark suspicions when users noticed the alert is popping up whenever they visit a website which is entirely legitimate, like Amazon.com or Wikipedia.com – these sites do not display advertisement content, and neither they are harmful.

The malicious URL:Mal virus looks identical to the original alert message. In most cases, it starts showing up after the user falls for installing a malicious add-on, plugin or extension on his/her computer. It can also block you from entering your favorite websites, so there is a high risk that you can fall into believing that the pop-up message is real.

Similar alerts about errors or even threats appear on the browser due to the corruption of a file associated to URL:Mal – rundll32.exe, so these messages may be fake and the issue is this executable file. The best tip to know what is the reason for this behavior is to disable third-party antivirus tools and other applications and scan the system with one powerful anti-malware program that should indicate all possible threats and diagnose the corrupted executables.

The URL:Mal alert shows up with a similar warning:

We have safely aborted the [link] connection because it was infected by URL:Mal

URL:Mal is a detection code for the malware-laden websites by Avast, AVG and other antivirus. However, it might also be a fake alert created by cybercrooks.

In most of the cases, URL:Mal fake alert is used to swindle the money away from unsuspecting users.^[1] However, it can also trick them into installing other PUPs, redirect to other suspicious websites or show fake surveys that are used for personal data harvesting.

Finally, the fake URL:Mal message can lead victims to domains that advise downloading and installing questionable software (usually scareware or bloatware). If you have any doubts about the legitimacy of URL:Mal warning message, make sure you ignore suggestions to download/install programs or their upgrades offered to you by them.

The particular URL:Mal alerts show up on many people' computers and browsers, as we can find on various forums and discussions online.^[2] These messages cause frustration because of many things:

• pop-ups appear continuously;
• alerts come up while visiting certain sites;
• there is no particular threat that can be removed;
• warnings show up on social media, Wikipedia, other safe and commonly visited pages.

Additionally, you should complete URL:Mal removal as soon as possible since these types of viruses could stealthily infiltrate other high-risk computer infections such as Trojan Horses, spyware, etc. According to the Virusi.hr^[3] experts, you should not try to eliminate these cyber threats by yourself. URL:Mal virus is a warning message that can be falsely caused by the adžsupported program.

Malware alerts indicating threats or messages appearing out of nowhere?

Generally, seeing such pop-up alerts means that your antivirus blocked a suspicious domain from opening on your browser. It may be caused by malicious page, ad-supported website or PUP-filled site.

However, this alert can also be caused by two different AV programs interacting with each other and causing such alerts to show up. It usually appears people have a few anti-malware or security tools and they cannot work properly due to the existence of the other one, so blocks various safe sites instead.

Another thing that may be the issue causing such messages about URL:Mal threat is potentially unwanted programs. This alert can be used by a cyber threat developer that attempts to trick users into accessing their sites, sponsor domains or even purchase promoted applications.

Besides the fake message, PUP is capable of the following:

• installing additional software without users' knowledge;
• modifying certain system settings to avoid elimination;
• slowing down the computer;
• disturbing web browsing activities by covering up contents with annoying ads.

If you think that you are infected with such adware, you can remove URL:Mal by scanning your computer with FortectIntego. It will detect all potentially unwanted programs which cause false positive detection and eliminate the adware from your computer.

Unfortunately, there is no particular program that we could offer to remove and the associated file has a low detection rate^[4], but you should disable all your AV tools, choose one of many reliable anti-malware programs and then scan the machine fully. This way, your computer gets thoroughly checked and cleaned, so all the malicious programs get removed entirely.

URL:Mal is the heuristic name of a possible threat that various AV engines indicate once you get on the malicious page.

Potentially unwanted programs distributed in software bundles

The most common way of how the potentially unwanted program enters your system is software-bundling. Usually, people are unaware that once they download a free application, it can secretly install the additional one. This marketing strategy is widely used by the developers of PUPs^[5].

However, you can easily avoid adware programs if you pay attention during the download/installation procedure. Firstly, you should opt for Advanced or Custom settings during the process. They will reveal the previously selected checkmarks which allow installing the potentially unwanted program. Do not forget to de-select them.

Also, we recommend you to stay away from online ads. Once clicked, they might even help to infiltrate the adware or other high-risk computer infections. Therefore, use a robust anti-spyware software to protect your computer and valuable information stored on it.

The best way for URL:Mal removal – professional anti-malware tools

Since it might be hard to determine whether Avast URL:Mal warning is real, you should double-check your system using a professional security software. Scan your computer and make sure that the adware is not present on your PC. If it is compromising your computer, the antivirus tool will eliminate it.

Additionally, keep in mind that adware programs do not travel alone — its components might also damage your system. Therefore, it is vital to not only remove URL:Mal but its elements as well. For that, use one of the anti-malware tools from the list below.

If you want to complete URL:Mal removal manually, make sure to check the instructions below. They will help you to detect adware-related components and eliminate the hidden hazard.

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.