About Amznsale.info Scam Virus
The so-called Browser Hijackers are invasive ad-generating and page-redirecting software components that make changes to the user’s browser without their user’s authorization. Usually, people notice that they have been infected when they open their browser (Safari,Chrome,Firefox etc.) and come across a see that their homepage has been changed or that there’s some new strange toolbar and that their default search engine has been replaced. Another common symptom is the annoying automatic opening of random links, ads, pop-ups, and banners that immediately take over the screen the very moment the browser is opened and page-redirect the user to all kinds of sites. These modifications can dramatically affect your browsing speed and even prompt you to install some other potentially unwanted apps, add-ons or even lead you to some dangerous malware. That’s why it is not surprising that, usually, most web users mistake the Browser Hijackers for viruses and compare them to real threats such as Ransomware or Trojans. In reality, however, such pieces of software are harmless and can easily be removed once you understand their method of operation.
On this page, we will discuss one recently reported representative of this group (macOS Security Center or MyCouponsmart, called Amznsale.info, which seems to be causing disturbance to a big number of people. If you are one of those disgruntled users and you want to find out how to uninstall the changes that this particular hijacker has placed on your browser, stay with us. Below, you will find a detailed removal guide that works for browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Explorer and others and can help you to safely remove the components that you don’t want.
The most common method of Hijacker infection happens during downloading of free software such as free installation packages and program bundles. Generally, when the user enters a free download site and resolves to download something, they get presented with a labyrinth of clicks and acceptances. At the end of this process, it may turn out that the user has missed some additional agreements for the installation of free or bonus ad-generating and page-redirecting components and this is how they may end up with a hijacker like Amznsale.info on their machine.
You may be curious and asking yourself the question: “But what do the creators of Browser Hijackers gain from this form of invasion?”. Well, most of the changes imposed on your browser by such apps lead to the generation of advertisements which are paid or redirect you to certain sponsored pages. The developers of programs like the one that floods your browser with Amznsale.info-related content earn a small amount of money each time one of these pages with ads is opened. Thus, they are more than interested in advertising all sorts of pay-per-click messages on your screen during your web browsing. The end users, however, may have a hard time dealing with all those commercials during their web browsing as they may be overly intrusive and may initiate redirects to sites and unfamiliar webpages full of aggressive offers. What is more, there is no guarantee that all the displayed messages are safe and reliable, thus, clicking on them may be related to certain security risks such as close interaction with malicious ads and misleading messages which could be carriers of nasty viruses and real infections like Ransomware and Spyware. Therefore, even though from a legal point of view displaying sponsored advertisements is not a crime, it is generally a good idea to uninstall programs that automatically expose you to random ads.
SUMMARY:
| Name | Amznsale.info |
| Type | Browser Redirect or Adware for Mac |
| Danger Level | Medium (nowhere near threats like Ransomware, but still a security risk) |
| Symptoms | You may notice changes in your browser’s homepage or search engine and aggressive ad-generation all over your screen. |
| Distribution Method | Software bundling is a common method of distribution along with spam, torrents, ads and free downloads. |
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Remove Amznsale.info Virus
Step 1: Closing Safari (or any other browser that you may be using at the moment)
First, you will need to close your browser if it is still open. If you can’t do that normally, you will need to Force Quit it:
Open the Apple Menu and select Force Quit to do that. You can also use the ⌘ key + Option Key combination to open the Force Quit Applications dialog box. In this box, select the Safari browser (or whatever browser you are using) and then click on the Quit button. Confirm the action by selecting Force Quit again.
Step 2: Killing suspicious processes
Open Finder and go to Applications > Utilities and then open Activity Monitor. Now take a careful look at the processes there – look for any that seem suspicious, unknown and questionable. If you think that a given process may be the culprit behind the issue or may at least be related to it, highlight it with the mouse and select the i option at its top.
In the box that opens, click on Sample.
Scan the sample files with the online scanner we have on this page and if any of them get flagged as malicious, delete them and then kill their processes.
Step 3: Safely launching the browser
Hold the Shift from your keyboard and then launch Safari – holding Shift will prevent any previously opened pages to load again, just in case any of them were related to the problem.
If any problematic pages still load after you safe-launch the browser, then do the following:
Force-Quit the browser (Safari) again and then turn off your Wi-Fi connection by clicking on the Wi-Fi off option from the Mac Menu. If you are using cable Internet, simply disconnect the cable from your Mac.
Step 4: Uninstalling suspicious extensions
After you safe-launch Safari and are sure none of the previously opened pages load now, go to Preferences > Extensions.
Select and uninstall (by clicking on the Uninstall button) all extensions there that are unfamiliar to you or that you think may be suspicious. If you are not sure about a certain extension, it’s better to uninstall it – no extension is required for the normal functioning of the browser.
Step 5: Cleaning Safari
If you have other browsers aside from Safari, do the following:
In Safari, open Preferences from the browser’s menu and go to Privacy.
Select Remove All Website Data and then Remove Now. Note that this will delete all stored site data including any saved passwords and usernames. In other words, you will have to manually log-in to every site where you have a registration so make sure you remember your usernames and passwords.
Back in Preferences, click on General and see what your Safari’s homepage is. If it has been changed without your permission, change it back to what it used to be or to whatever you like it to be now.
Now go to the History menu and select the Clear History option.
Do the same to all other browsers you may have in your computer – here are examples with Chrome and Firefox.
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Cleaning Chrome
Open Chrome and open its main menu, then go to More Tools > Extensions. Click on the Remove button next to all of the extensions that you do not trust.
Next, from the main menu, go to Settings and type Manage Search Engines in the search bar. Open the result that shows up and then delete all search engines other than the one you normally use by clicking on the three-dot icon next to the other ones and selecting Remove from list.
Back in Settings, type Reset and clean up and open the option that shows up (Restore settings to their original defaults). Confirm by selecting Reset Settings.
Cleaning FirefoOpen Firefox and then open its main menu. Go to Add-ons and open the Extensions menu from the left. Look at the extensions and Remove the ones you do not trust.
Next, open the menu again, go to Help > Troubleshooting information and in the page that opens, select Refresh Firefox and then confirm the action in the window that opens.
Remove Amznsale.info from iPhone
The following instructions will help you get rid of Amznsale.info on your iPhone device. Carefully execute each step and if you run into any trouble while completing the guide, be sure to ask for our assistance from within the comment section.
Step 1: Closing the open ads/pop-ups
First, you will need to try closing any pop-ups and ads that are currently displayed on your screen. Normally, they should have a Close or an X button so tap on that to close the unpleasant advert/pop-up/banner.
If there is a checkbox labeled something along the lines of Do not show any more ads/alerts from this website make sure to check that before closing the advert.
Step 2: If the pop-up doesn’t close
Oftentimes you might encounter the problem of not being able to initially close the advert. If this happens, press your device’s Home Button two times in a quick succession to see a list of all recently used applications. Swipe left until you find your Safari browser (or whatever other browser you might be using). Once you find it, swipe up the application’s preview tile – that will close the browser and any adverts that might have been opened with it.
Step 3: Clean unwanted extensions
In this step of guide, you will need to make sure that all your browser have been cleaned from any extensions and add-ons that might be causing the ads to pop-up on your screen. To do that, open Safari or whatever other browser you tend to use and open its Extensions menu. Look through all the extensions there and see if any of them appear suspicious. If you have recently installed a browser app and this is when the generation of ads and pop-ups started, there’s high chance that this recently installed application is the culprit behind the unpleasant and obstructive adverts that get shown on your display. Uninstall any such fishy applications to be sure that they no longer bother you.
Step 4: Cleaning your browser
Next, you will need to clean your browser from anything that might be causing unpleasant adverts to pop-up. To do that, go to Settings > Safari. There, tap on Clear History and on Clear Website Data.
Step 5: Blocking future pop-ups
Open Safari and go to its main menu. There, choose Preferences and then select the security icon. Tap on the Block pop-up windows option – this will stop most forms of intrusive pop-ups that might get displayed on your screen while surfing the Internet.
Also, go to your browser’s homepage and search engine settings. See if anything has been changed there – for example, your regular frontpage or search engine might have been replaced by Amznsale.info. If that is the case, change them back to what they used to be.
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