Advtbox.com pop-up scam (Virus removal guide)

What is Advtbox.com?

Advtbox.com pop-ups are a social engineering attack that is designed to fool you and other users into allowing browser push notifications. Push notifications are originally developed to alert users of newly published blog posts. Cybercriminals abuse ‘browser notification feature’ to avoid anti-virus and ad blocker applications by displaying intrusive advertisements. These advertisements are displayed in the lower right corner of the screen urges users to play online games, visit scam web-sites, install harmful browser add-ons & so on.

QUICK LINKS

• What is Advtbox.com?
• Removal
• Protection

Advtbox.com Scam in detail

When you visit Advtbox.com, you will be shown a message asking you to press the “Allow” button. This site will tell you that you need to do so before you can view certain content or before you can use a certain feature of the site. In this particular case, the site requires you to click Allow to confirm that you are not a robot.

If you allow this malicious site to send notifications, it will send you unsolicited notifications, which in fact are advertisements promoting malicious browser extensions, phishing sites and various scams. Therefore, always be careful when accepting browser notifications in general.

Here are some examples of the scam notifications:

Threat Summary

Name	Advtbox.com pop-up, “Advtbox.com virus”
Type	spam push notifications, browser notification spam, pop-up virus
Fake claims	“Click Allow if you are not a robot”
Distribution	suspicious pop up advertisements, social engineering attack, fake and malicious streaming sites, adware
Symptoms	intrusive ads on desktop your web browser settings has modified without your permission advertising links appear in places they shouldn’t be slow Internet browsing speeds
Removal	Advtbox.com removal guide

Scam examples:

There are many scam sites like Advtbox.com online. Below are some examples.

How to protect against the Advtbox.com scam

Some of the best steps to take to avoid becoming a victim of browser notification scams;

• Be wary of accepting browser notifications in general!
• Remember, if you don’t allow scam sites to send notifications, they can’t send you any unsolicited notifications.
• Never click notifications from unknown sources.
• Avoid visiting untrusted websites.
• View streaming content on reputable sites.
• Use an ad blocker when browsing the internet. It can block known scams and protect you from scammers.

Where did Advtbox.com pop-ups come from?

Security experts have determined that users are redirected to Advtbox.com by adware or from misleading advertisements. Adware is a form of malicious software that displays unwanted ads on a computer, redirects search queries to advertising websites, and collects privacy data for marketing purposes. Adware can display banner ads, full-screen advertisements, pop-ups, videos, or other forms of online advertising. Perhaps you agree that ads or pop-ups are just a small problem. But these unwanted ads consume system resources and slows down the performance of your computer.

Usually, adware gets into computers as part of a bundle with freeware, sharing files and other unsafe programs which users downloaded from the Internet. Adware developers pays freeware creators for distributing adware within their programs. So, bundled software is often included as part of installation packages. In order to avoid the installation of any adware: choose only Manual, Custom or Advanced installation type and uncheck all bundled applications in which you are unsure.

Remove Advtbox.com notifications from internet browsers

If you have allowed Advtbox.com notifications by clicking the Allow button, then after a while you will notice that these push notifications are very intrusive. Here’s how to get rid of Advtbox.com push notifications from your web browser.

Google Chrome:

• In the top right corner of the browser window, click on Google Chrome’s main menu button, represented by three vertical dots.
• Select ‘Settings’. Then, scroll down to the bottom where it says ‘Advanced’.
• When the drop-down menu appears, tap ‘Settings’. Scroll down to ‘Advanced’.
• Go to Notifications settings.
• Click ‘three dots’ button on the right hand side of Advtbox.com URL or other dubious URL and click ‘Remove’.

Android:

• Open Chrome.
• In the top-right corner, find and tap the Chrome menu (three dots).
• In the menu tap ‘Settings’, scroll down to ‘Advanced’.
• Tap on ‘Site settings’ and then ‘Notifications’. In the opened window, find the Advtbox.com URL, other dubious URLs and tap on them one-by-one.
• Tap the ‘Clean & Reset’ button and confirm.

Mozilla Firefox:

• In the top right corner of the Firefox, click the Menu button, represented by three horizontal stripes.
• In the menu go to ‘Options’, in the menu on the left go to ‘Privacy & Security’.
• Scroll down to ‘Permissions’ and then to ‘Settings’ next to ‘Notifications’.
• Locate sites you down’t want to see notifications from (for example, Advtbox.com), click on drop-down menu next to each and select ‘Block’.
• Save changes.

Edge:

• In the right upper corner, click the Edge menu button (three dots).
• Scroll down, find and click ‘Settings’. In the left side select ‘Advanced’.
• Click ‘Manage permissions’ button, located beneath ‘Website permissions’.
• Click the switch below the Advtbox.com so that it turns off.

Internet Explorer:

• Click ‘Tools’ button in the top right hand corner.
• Go to ‘Internet Options’ in the menu.
• Select the ‘Privacy’ tab and click ‘Settings under ‘Pop-up Blocker’ section.
• Select the Advtbox.com URL and other dubious URLs under and delete them one by one by clicking the ‘Remove’ button.

Safari:

• Click ‘Safari’ button on the left upper corner and select ‘Preferences’.
• Select the ‘Websites’ tab and then select ‘Notifications’ section on the left panel.
• Check for Advtbox.com site, other dubious sites and apply the ‘Deny’ option for each.

How to remove Advtbox.com popup advertisements (removal steps)

There are several methods you can use to remove adware and get rid of Advtbox.com pop-ups. But not every adware can be completely removed manually. We recommend that you try removing Advtbox.com pop-ups manually, and if that doesn’t work, use reliable removal tools. Most IT security researchers argue that Zemana, MalwareBytes AntiMalware or Hitman Pro are the right choice. These free malware removal tools can remove adware, help you get rid of rogue pop-ups, and restore your browser’s default settings.

To remove Advtbox.com pop ups, execute the steps below:

1. Remove Advtbox.com notifications
2. Check the list of installed programs first
3. Get rid of Advtbox.com ads from Internet Explorer
4. Remove Advtbox.com from Mozilla Firefox
5. Remove Advtbox.com advertisements from Chrome
6. Automatic Removal of Advtbox.com popups
7. Stop Advtbox.com pop ups

In this part of our guide, we will show how to remove Advtbox.com pop-ups from your web browser manually. If you have little experience in using computers, we recommend that you use free removers listed below.

Check the list of installed programs first

We recommend starting the adware removal process by checking the list of installed programs and removing any unknown or questionable programs. This is a very important step because, as mentioned above, very often malicious applications such as adware and hijackers can be bundled with free software. Removing unwanted applications can remove intrusive ads or browser redirects.

Windows 7	Windows 8
Click ‘Start’. In the Start menu select ‘Control Panel’. Find and select ‘Programs and Features’ or ‘Uninstall a program’. Select the program. Click ‘Uninstall’.	Press and hold Windows key and hit X key. Select ‘Programs and Features’ from the menu. Select the program. Click ‘Uninstall’.
Windows 10	Mac OS
Press and hold Windows key and hit X key. Select ‘Programs and Features’ from the menu. Select the program. Click ‘Uninstall’.	On the top menu select ‘Go’, then ‘Applications’. Drag an unwanted application to the Trash bin. Right-click on the ‘Trash’ and select ‘Empty Trash’.

Get rid of Advtbox.com ads from Microsoft Internet Explorer

By resetting the Internet Explorer browser, you restore your browser settings to their default state. This is basic when troubleshooting problems that may have been caused by adware.

First, run the Microsoft Internet Explorer, then press ‘gear’ icon . It will show the Tools drop-down menu on the right part of the internet browser, then click the “Internet Options” as shown on the image below.

In the “Internet Options” screen, select the “Advanced” tab, then click the “Reset” button. The Microsoft Internet Explorer will open the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” dialog box. Further, press the “Delete personal settings” check box to select it. Next, click the “Reset” button as shown on the screen below.

When the process is complete, press “Close” button. Close the Microsoft Internet Explorer and reboot your computer for the changes to take effect. This step will help you to restore your web-browser’s search provider by default, homepage and new tab page to default state.

Remove Advtbox.com from Mozilla Firefox by resetting web browser settings

The Mozilla Firefox reset will remove redirects to the Advtbox.com scam, fix modified preferences, disable malicious extensions and restore security settings. Keep in mind that resetting your web-browser will not remove your history, bookmarks, passwords, and other saved data.

Click the Menu button (looks like three horizontal lines), and press the blue Help icon located at the bottom of the drop down menu as shown below.

A small menu will appear, click the “Troubleshooting Information”. On this page, click “Refresh Firefox” button as shown on the screen below.

Follow the onscreen procedure to return your Firefox web-browser settings to their default state.

Remove Advtbox.com advertisements from Chrome

Resetting Google Chrome will help you remove Advtbox.com pop-ups from your internet browser and also restore your browser settings that are changed by adware. All unwanted, malicious and “adware” add-ons will also be removed from the web browser. It will save your personal information such as saved passwords, bookmarks, autofill data, and open tabs.

Open the Google Chrome menu by clicking on the button in the form of three horizontal dotes (). It will show the drop-down menu. Select More Tools, then click Extensions.

Carefully browse through the list of installed extensions. If the list has the extension labeled with “Installed by enterprise policy” or “Installed by your administrator”, then complete the following instructions: Remove Google Chrome extensions installed by enterprise policy otherwise, just go to the step below.

Open the Google Chrome main menu again, click to “Settings” option.

Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the “Advanced” link. Now scroll down until the Reset settings section is visible, as displayed below and click the “Reset settings to their original defaults” button.

Confirm your action, click the “Reset” button.

Automatic Removal of Advtbox.com popups

To completely remove Advtbox.com pop-ups, you not only need to remove the adware from your PC, but also remove all of its components on your personal computer, including Windows registry entries. We recommend downloading and using free utilities to automatically remove adware.

How to remove Advtbox.com with MalwareBytes AntiMalware

We suggest using the MalwareBytes. You can download and install MalwareBytes Anti-Malware to remove adware and get rid of Advtbox.com pop up advertisements from your browsers. When installed and updated, this free malware remover automatically searches for and removes all threats exist on the computer.

Download MalwareBytes on your Microsoft Windows Desktop by clicking on the following link.

After downloading is finished, close all programs and windows on your device. Open a directory in which you saved it. Double-click on the icon that’s called MBSetup as displayed in the following example.

When the installation starts, you will see the Setup wizard which will help you install Malwarebytes on your device.

Once setup is finished, you will see window as displayed in the following example.

Now click the “Scan” button to begin scanning your computer for the adware which causes the intrusive Advtbox.com advertisements. This task can take quite a while, so please be patient. When a malware, adware or potentially unwanted software are detected, the number of the security threats will change accordingly.

Once the scan is complete, MalwareBytes Anti-Malware will show a scan report. Once you’ve selected what you wish to delete from your device press “Quarantine” button.

Malwarebytes will now remove adware that causes Advtbox.com advertisements and move the selected threats to the program’s quarantine. Once the clean up is done, you may be prompted to reboot your computer.

The following video explains steps on how to remove browser hijacker, adware and other malicious software with MalwareBytes.

How to delete Advtbox.com pop-up advertisements with Zemana AntiMalware

Zemana Anti-Malware is extremely fast and ultra light weight malicious software removal tool. It will help you delete Advtbox.com advertisements, adware software, potentially unwanted applications and other malicious software. This application gives real-time protection which never slow down your computer. Zemana Anti-Malware is developed for experienced and beginner computer users. The interface of this utility is very easy to use, simple and minimalist.

1. Installing the Zemana Anti-Malware is simple. First you will need to download Zemana on your personal computer by clicking on the link below.
   
   

   Zemana AntiMalware
   164107 downloads
   Author: Zemana Ltd
   Category: Security tools
   Update: July 16, 2019
   
2. At the download page, click on the Download button. Your browser will open the “Save as” dialog box. Please save it onto your Windows desktop.
3. Once the downloading process is complete, please close all apps and open windows on your computer. Next, launch a file called Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup.
4. This will run the “Setup wizard” of Zemana AntiMalware onto your computer. Follow the prompts and don’t make any changes to default settings.
5. When the Setup wizard has finished installing, the Zemana will launch and open the main window.
6. Further, press the “Scan” button to detect adware software responsible for Advtbox.com popups. This procedure can take quite a while, so please be patient. While the Zemana application is scanning, you can see how many objects it has identified as threat.
7. After Zemana has completed scanning, it will open the Scan Results.
8. You may delete threats (move to Quarantine) by simply click the “Next” button. The utility will remove adware related to the Advtbox.com advertisements and move the selected threats to the program’s quarantine. When that process is complete, you may be prompted to reboot the computer.
9. Close the Zemana Anti-Malware and continue with the next step.

Remove Advtbox.com pop-ups and harmful extensions with Hitman Pro

Hitman Pro is one of the most useful utilities for removing adware, potentially unwanted programs and other malicious software. It can search for hidden adware in your PC and delete all malicious folders and files related to adware. HitmanPro will help you to remove Advtbox.com pop ups from your computer and Google Chrome, MS Edge, Microsoft Internet Explorer and Firefox. We strongly advise you to download this tool as the creators are working hard to make it better.

HitmanPro can be downloaded from the following link. Save it on your Desktop.

When the downloading process is complete, open the folder in which you saved it. You will see an icon like below.

Double click the HitmanPro desktop icon. After the tool is launched, you will see a screen as displayed on the screen below.

Further, press “Next” button to perform a system scan with this tool for the adware related to the Advtbox.com pop-up ads. This task can take quite a while, so please be patient. Once the scanning is finished, HitmanPro will show a screen that contains a list of malware that has been detected as displayed in the following example.

Review the scan results and then click “Next” button. It will open a dialog box, click the “Activate free license” button.

Stop Advtbox.com pop ups

Run an ad blocking utility such as AdGuard to protect you from harmful ads and content. Moreover, you may find that AdGuard has the ability to protect your privacy and block phishing and spam websites. In addition, ad blocking apps will help you avoid annoying pop-ups and unverified links, which is also a good way to stay safe online.

Installing the AdGuard is simple. First you’ll need to download AdGuard by clicking on the following link.

After downloading it, launch the downloaded file. You will see the “Setup Wizard” screen as displayed in the following example.

Follow the prompts. After the setup is finished, you will see a window as displayed on the image below.

You can click “Skip” to close the setup program and use the default settings, or click “Get Started” button to see an quick tutorial which will help you get to know AdGuard better.

In most cases, the default settings are enough and you don’t need to change anything. Each time, when you start your device, AdGuard will start automatically and stop unwanted advertisements, block Advtbox.com, as well as other harmful or misleading webpages. For an overview of all the features of the program, or to change its settings you can simply double-click on the AdGuard icon, which is located on your desktop.

To sum up

We suggest that you keep AdGuard (to help you block unwanted pop up ads and unwanted malicious websites) and Zemana Anti-Malware (to periodically scan your computer for new adware software and other malware). Probably you are running an older version of Java or Adobe Flash Player. This can be a security risk, so download and install the latest version right now.

If you are still having problems while trying to remove Advtbox.com pop up advertisements from Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, IE and Mozilla Firefox, then ask for help here.