Worldtimes.xyz uses cheap tricks to make users subscribe to intrusive notifications
Worldtimes.xyz looks like a news website, but it will start performing intrusive tasks if you allow push notifications
Worldtimes.xyz is a deceptive website that spams your screen with pop-up ads, banners even when the browser is closed. It could also potentially use Ad-Tracking[1] and collect data about your browsing habits, causing privacy issues. Ads shown by this website are intrusive, deceptive, can lead to other shady places, cause unwanted installations of potentially unwanted programs[2] and slow down your machine.
At first sight, the page looks like a normal news site, just with a more minimal approach. When opened, you can observe the titles of articles with pictures about politics, lifestyle, and other random topics. The site immediately asks for your permission to send you push notifications which the creators of Worldtimes.xyz use to make money with pay-per-view advertisements.
That is the reason for saying that ads shown by this site can lead to harmful pages. Creators are greedy and do not care about user safety, so they do not filter which advertisers they let through. Along with legitimate companies trying to get their products in front of customers, fraudsters get in the mix trying to spread their scam schemes on the internet.
Additionally, adware could be well involved in the scheme. Hence, if you get random redirects to this or other deceptive, ad-filled websites, your device could be infected without your knowledge. Adware can track user data and display unwanted and annoying ads at any time, hence you should definitely check your system carefully.
NAME
Worldtimes.xyz ads
TYPE
Adware, PUP, push notification spam
SYMPTOMS
Redirects, pop-up ads, push notifications fill the screen and slow down the machine
DISTRIBUTION
Freeware installations, deceptive sites
DANGERS
The use of Ad-tracking can record various data about users' habits online. This can result in privacy issues
ELIMINATION
PUPs are best removed with anti-malware tools that find all threats at once and can clear infections properly
FURTHER STEPS
Additional tools like FortectIntego can find and repair system data affected by the infection
To help you identify the traits of adware, we compiled this list:
Overwhelming amount of pop-up ads
Homepage suddenly changed
Performance of your device has decreased
Websites you visit frequently have changed in appearance
Redirects to spam websites
Ads showing up with spelling and grammar mistakes
Ads for dating websites
Messages popping up from supposedly real people on your screen
Pop-up ads can appear in your native language based on your location Knowing how you got here in the first place will help you avoid the same mistakes in the future
Users rarely find fishy web pages like Worldtimes.xyz on their own. Usually their hiding deep in the ocean of domains. But once someone ends up on the wrong side of the internet, it is easy to fall down the rabbit hole by getting redirected and clicking on random links.
So first, do not click on links that look suspicious. You can also look for messages commonly used by scammers. Those include warnings about your system's safety issues and other danger alerts that try to scare you into completing some kind of action. Sad to disappoint, but fun messages declaring that you have been selected to be the lucky winner of some prize, like a vacation, cash, or brand new phone, are also false. You can find out more about how these types of scams operate by reading “You’ve made the 9.68-billionth search scam”.
Another safe haven for PUAs is bundled software. This is a term used for software that comes as a package. When users download freeware, PUPs sneak their way in together if a person skips through the installation process and does not notice them. This is how you could have gotten infected with Worldtimes.xyz ads also. Think if you have downloaded any programs recently and from what source.
Lucky for you, removing website permissions from your search engine manually is not difficult if you follow our detailed instructions.
Remove unwanted notifications from Google Chrome (desktop):
Open Google Chrome browser and go to Menu > Settings.
Scroll down and click on Advanced.
Locate the 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.
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 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 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.
Websites that distribute potentially unwanted programs
PUPs can visit you through several different channels. They often lay in third-party websites, but in recent times, they also started to be distributed through legitimate sources. Quite a popular news media website, “CNET” has a download section on their page that suggests installing free versions of different types of popular programs. Well, it was found out that in these downloads, PUAs also are included, and the apps themselves are useless.
After installation, users start experiencing extremely erratic behavior. They hijack browsers, insert ads, track your data, and perform stealthy installations of other PUPs, making everything worse. Pushing lookalike copies of Google Chrome with adware bundled directly into them has been a trend for some time.
It is recommended to have a trusted security application ready when you need it to tackle the problem as quickly as possible. SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner and Malwarebytes will help you with performing system scans, finding malicious programs, and eliminating them from your machine.
Protect your online data from advertisers
Cookies and cache are used by almost every website that you visit on the internet. You are asked to “Accept” cookies constantly. What they do is track your browsing activity. Everything you do on websites, the links you click – all of this is collected and sold off to advertisers to help them best tailor their products to the right customers.
If you do not want companies to know about your habits, hobbies, interests which then try to sell you stuff based on that, you will not escape it unless you completely limit your internet usage, not register on any social media sites or have any other accounts.
The good news is – you can limit the information you give out by cleaning your browsers regularly, not accepting cookies on websites, and looking into tools that will help mask your identity while on search. If you want this to be done automatically, you can employ FortectIntego maintenance utility for the job.
Additionally, getting a trustworthy VPN[3] makes your location harder to trace by bouncing your connection around. Another good idea is getting a browser that respects user privacy. We did a review on Brave browser back in 2018 when it was still a newcomer in this industry, and to this day, it keeps surprising with its modern solutions.
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.
Compatible with Microsoft Windows
Compatible with macOS
What to do if failed?
If you failed to fix virus damage using Fortect Intego, submit a question to our support team and provide as much details as possible.
Fortect Intego has a free limited scanner. Fortect Intego offers more through scan when you purchase its full version. When free scanner detects issues, you can fix them using free manual repairs or you can decide to purchase the full version in order to fix them automatically.
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.
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 Worldtimes.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
Do not let government spy on you
The government has many issues in regards to tracking users' data and spying on citizens, so you should take this into consideration and learn more about shady information gathering practices. Avoid any unwanted government tracking or spying by going totally anonymous on the internet.
You can choose a different location when you go online and access any material you want without particular content restrictions. You can easily enjoy internet connection without any risks of being hacked by using Private Internet Access VPN.
Control the information that can be accessed by government any other unwanted party and surf online without being spied on. Even if you are not involved in illegal activities or trust your selection of services, platforms, be suspicious for your own security and take precautionary measures by using the VPN service.
Backup files for the later use, in case of the malware attack
Computer users can suffer from data losses due to cyber infections or their own faulty doings. Ransomware can encrypt and hold files hostage, while unforeseen power cuts might cause a loss of important documents. If you have proper up-to-date backups, you can easily recover after such an incident and get back to work. It is also equally important to update backups on a regular basis so that the newest information remains intact – you can set this process to be performed automatically.
When you have the previous version of every important document or project you can avoid frustration and breakdowns. It comes in handy when malware strikes out of nowhere. Use Data Recovery Pro for the data restoration process.
If this free guide helped you and you are satisfied with our service, please consider making a donation to keep this service alive. Even a smallest amount will be appreciated.
