There is a new referral spam redirect circling around the Web and messing with various websites and Google Analytics. It boosts the internet traffic of its affiliate websites by infecting as many targeted websites as possible. That is how the spam spreads and popularizes affiliate websites.
| Name | Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info |
| Type | Malicious domain being spammed by Referrer Spams |
| Short Description | The domain may do various malicious things to a website or a compromised PC. |
| Symptoms | The user may witness multiple redirects to other potentially harmful domains. |
| Distribution Method | Clicking on links (E.g. Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info/?hrefhjsd/). By being redirected to it via a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Program), Ghost Traffic |
| Detection Tool | Download Malware Removal Tool, to See If Your System Has Been Affected by malware |
The new referral spam in town is called Get-your-social-buttons.info and it redirects to the sharebutton.to domain:
Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info Description
The referral traffic from Get-your-social-buttons(.)info aims towards a targeted website’s analytical data calculated by Google Analytics. It can disrupt that data with fraudulent referral traffic, also known as “ghost traffic”. This way it promotes its affiliate websites that want to get higher hits from visits.
The referral spam usually redirects to sharebutton.to,although other domains of the same website, such as sharebutton.org and sharebutton.net do exist as well.
Get-your-social-buttons(.)info is capable of doing the following:
• The spam domain could replace its URL with that of the targeted website, making that website appear as the spamming one. This can happen without any knowledge of the user.
• Spammers can modify the SEO calculations of targeted websites by adding links in their access logs, if such SEO info is present. Spammers apply such tactics to make their links popular in Google search results. That harms any website where such referral links are inserted. Any website with analytical data is a potential victim and can be affected.
• The spam domain can even distribute malware by creating links from sites that include it in their content. This scenario is quite perilous due to the fact that data can be obtained directly from the website, thus allowing spammers to send even more spam. Another unfavorable outcome is loss of personal information.
In conclusion, Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info can affect any website by generating fake referral traffic from various locations using Bots, compromised computers and other techniques. The generated fake Internet traffic is used to boost Get-your-social-buttons(.)info its domains and affiliate websites, all of which gain a better SEO ranking as a result.
How to Deal with Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info?
Method 1: Filtering Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info in Google Analytics:
Step 1: Click on the ‘Admin’ tab on your GA web page.
Step 2: Choose which ‘View’ is to be filtered and then click the ‘Filters’ button.
Step 3: Click on ‘New Filter’.
Step 4: Write a name, such as ‘Spam Referrals’.
Step 5: On Filter Type choose Custom Filter –>Exclude Filter –> Field: Campaign Source–> Filter Pattern. Then on the Pattern, enter the domain name – Get-your-social-buttons(.)info
Step 6: Select Views to Apply Filter.
Step 7: Save the filter, by clicking on the ‘Save’ button.
Make sure you check out the methods from this article to help you to further block out this referrer spam from Google Analytics!
We have also researched other methods to remove this spam:
Method 2: Block it from your server.
In case you have a server that is an Apache HTTP Server, you may want to try the following commands to block Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info and Sharebutton(.)to domains in the .htaccess file: RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} ^https://.*Get-your-social-buttons.info \-for\-website\.info/ [NC,OR]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} ^https://.*Sharebutton.to \.org/ [NC,OR]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} ^https://.*Sharebutton.to \.net/ [NC,OR]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} ^https://.*Sharebutton.to \.to/ [NC,OR]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} ^https://.*Sharebutton.to \-for\-website\.to/ [NC,OR]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ – [F,L]
RewriteEngine on
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} ^https://.*Get-your-social-buttons.info \.info/ [NC,OR]
Also, have a look at the link below to get to know other spam URLs being blacklisted from other servers:
https://perishablepress.com/blacklist/ultimate-referrer-blacklist.txt
Disclaimer:This type of domain blocking for servers in an Apache environment has not been fully tested and it should be done by experienced professionals. Backup is always recommended.
Method 3 – Via WordPress
There is another method, which uses WordPress plugins to block referral spams from websites. We have recently seen one particular plugin reported to work, called WP-Ban. You can research and find others that are as efficient as this one. WP-Ban has the ability to block users based on their IP address and other information such as the URL.
If you are constantly being redirected to dubious websites or keep seeing intrusive spam advertisements, we recommend you to use an advanced anti-malware program to determine if your computer has been infected by malware or other threats related to Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info and Sharebutton.to.
Spy Hunter scanner will only detect the threat. If you want the threat to be automatically removed, you need to purchase the full version of the anti-malware tool.Find Out More About SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool/How to Uninstall SpyHunter
- Windows
- Mac OS X
- Google Chrome
- Mozilla Firefox
- Microsoft Edge
- Safari
- Internet Explorer
- Stop Push Pop-ups
How to Remove Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info from Windows.
Step 1: Scan for Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
Step 2: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode
Step 3: Uninstall Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info and related software from Windows
Uninstall Steps for Windows 11
Uninstall Steps for Windows 10 and Older Versions
Here is a method in few easy steps that should be able to uninstall most programs. No matter if you are using Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista or XP, those steps will get the job done. Dragging the program or its folder to the recycle bin can be a very bad decision. If you do that, bits and pieces of the program are left behind, and that can lead to unstable work of your PC, errors with the file type associations and other unpleasant activities. The proper way to get a program off your computer is to Uninstall it. To do that:
Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall most programs.
Step 4: Clean Any registries, Created by Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info on Your PC.
The usually targeted registries of Windows machines are the following:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
You can access them by opening the Windows registry editor and deleting any values, created by Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:
Tip: To find a virus-created value, you can right-click on it and click "Modify" to see which file it is set to run. If this is the virus file location, remove the value.
Video Removal Guide for Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info (Windows).
Get rid of Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info from Mac OS X.
Step 1: Uninstall Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info and remove related files and objects
Your Mac will then show you a list of items that start automatically when you log in. Look for any suspicious apps identical or similar to Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info. Check the app you want to stop from running automatically and then select on the Minus (“-“) icon to hide it.
- Go to Finder.
- In the search bar type the name of the app that you want to remove.
- Above the search bar change the two drop down menus to “System Files” and “Are Included” so that you can see all of the files associated with the application you want to remove. Bear in mind that some of the files may not be related to the app so be very careful which files you delete.
- If all of the files are related, hold the ⌘+A buttons to select them and then drive them to “Trash”.
In case you cannot remove Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info via Step 1 above:
In case you cannot find the virus files and objects in your Applications or other places we have shown above, you can manually look for them in the Libraries of your Mac. But before doing this, please read the disclaimer below:
You can repeat the same procedure with the following other Library directories:
→ ~/Library/LaunchAgents
/Library/LaunchDaemons
Tip: ~ is there on purpose, because it leads to more LaunchAgents.
Step 2: Scan for and remove Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info files from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info, the recommended way of eliminating the threat is by using an anti-malware program. SpyHunter for Mac offers advanced security features along with other modules that will improve your Mac’s security and protect it in the future.
Video Removal Guide for Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info (Mac)
Remove Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info from Google Chrome.
Step 1: Start Google Chrome and open the drop menu
Step 2: Move the cursor over "Tools" and then from the extended menu choose "Extensions"
Step 3: From the opened "Extensions" menu locate the unwanted extension and click on its "Remove" button.
Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Google Chrome by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.
Erase Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info from Mozilla Firefox.
Step 1: Start Mozilla Firefox. Open the menu window:
Step 2: Select the "Add-ons" icon from the menu.
Step 3: Select the unwanted extension and click "Remove"
Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Mozilla Firefox by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.
Uninstall Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info from Microsoft Edge.
Step 1: Start Edge browser.
Step 2: Open the drop menu by clicking on the icon at the top right corner.
Step 3: From the drop menu select "Extensions".
Step 4: Choose the suspected malicious extension you want to remove and then click on the gear icon.
Step 5: Remove the malicious extension by scrolling down and then clicking on Uninstall.
Remove Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info from Safari
Step 1: Start the Safari app.
Step 2: After hovering your mouse cursor to the top of the screen, click on the Safari text to open its drop down menu.
Step 3: From the menu, click on "Preferences".
Step 4: After that, select the 'Extensions' Tab.
Step 5: Click once on the extension you want to remove.
Step 6: Click 'Uninstall'.
A pop-up window will appear asking for confirmation to uninstall the extension. Select 'Uninstall' again, and the Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info will be removed.
Eliminate Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info from Internet Explorer.
Step 1: Start Internet Explorer.
Step 2: Click on the gear icon labeled 'Tools' to open the drop menu and select 'Manage Add-ons'
Step 3: In the 'Manage Add-ons' window.
Step 4: Select the extension you want to remove and then click 'Disable'. A pop-up window will appear to inform you that you are about to disable the selected extension, and some more add-ons might be disabled as well. Leave all the boxes checked, and click 'Disable'.
Step 5: After the unwanted extension has been removed, restart Internet Explorer by closing it from the red 'X' button located at the top right corner and start it again.
Remove Push Notifications from Your Browsers
Turn Off Push Notifications from Google Chrome
To disable any Push Notices from Google Chrome browser, please follow the steps below:
Step 1: Go to Settings in Chrome.
Step 2: In Settings, select “Advanced Settings”:
Step 3: Click “Content Settings”:
Step 4: Open “Notifications”:
Step 5: Click the three dots and choose Block, Edit or Remove options:
Remove Push Notifications on Firefox
Step 1: Go to Firefox Options.
Step 2: Go to “Settings”, type “notifications” in the search bar and click "Settings":
Step 3: Click “Remove” on any site you wish notifications gone and click “Save Changes”
Stop Push Notifications on Opera
Step 1: In Opera, press ALT+P to go to Settings.
Step 2: In Setting search, type “Content” to go to Content Settings.
Step 3: Open Notifications:
Step 4: Do the same as you did with Google Chrome (explained below):
Eliminate Push Notifications on Safari
Step 1: Open Safari Preferences.
Step 2: Choose the domain from where you like push pop-ups gone and change to "Deny" from "Allow".
Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info-FAQ
What Is Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info?
The Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info threat is adware or browser redirect virus.
It may slow your computer down significantly and display advertisements. The main idea is for your information to likely get stolen or more ads to appear on your device.
The creators of such unwanted apps work with pay-per-click schemes to get your computer to visit risky or different types of websites that may generate them funds. This is why they do not even care what types of websites show up on the ads. This makes their unwanted software indirectly risky for your OS.
What Are the Symptoms of Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info?
There are several symptoms to look for when this particular threat and also unwanted apps in general are active:
Symptom #1: Your computer may become slow and have poor performance in general.
Symptom #2: You have toolbars, add-ons or extensions on your web browsers that you don't remember adding.
Symptom #3: You see all types of ads, like ad-supported search results, pop-ups and redirects to randomly appear.
Symptom #4: You see installed apps on your Mac running automatically and you do not remember installing them.
Symptom #5: You see suspicious processes running in your Task Manager.
If you see one or more of those symptoms, then security experts recommend that you check your computer for viruses.
What Types of Unwanted Programs Are There?
According to most malware researchers and cyber-security experts, the threats that can currently affect your device can be rogue antivirus software, adware, browser hijackers, clickers, fake optimizers and any forms of PUPs.
What to Do If I Have a "virus" like Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info?
With few simple actions. First and foremost, it is imperative that you follow these steps:
Step 1: Find a safe computer and connect it to another network, not the one that your Mac was infected in.
Step 2: Change all of your passwords, starting from your email passwords.
Step 3: Enable two-factor authentication for protection of your important accounts.
Step 4: Call your bank to change your credit card details (secret code, etc.) if you have saved your credit card for online shopping or have done online activities with your card.
Step 5: Make sure to call your ISP (Internet provider or carrier) and ask them to change your IP address.
Step 6: Change your Wi-Fi password.
Step 7: (Optional): Make sure to scan all of the devices connected to your network for viruses and repeat these steps for them if they are affected.
Step 8: Install anti-malware software with real-time protection on every device you have.
Step 9: Try not to download software from sites you know nothing about and stay away from low-reputation websites in general.
If you follow these recommendations, your network and all devices will become significantly more secure against any threats or information invasive software and be virus free and protected in the future too.
How Does Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info Work?
Once installed, Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info can collect data using trackers. This data is about your web browsing habits, such as the websites you visit and the search terms you use. It is then used to target you with ads or to sell your information to third parties.
Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info can also download other malicious software onto your computer, such as viruses and spyware, which can be used to steal your personal information and show risky ads, that may redirect to virus sites or scams.
Is Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info Malware?
The truth is that PUPs (adware, browser hijackers) are not viruses, but may be just as dangerous since they may show you and redirect you to malware websites and scam pages.
Many security experts classify potentially unwanted programs as malware. This is because of the unwanted effects that PUPs can cause, such as displaying intrusive ads and collecting user data without the user’s knowledge or consent.
About the Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info Research
The content we publish on SensorsTechForum.com, this Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info how-to removal guide included, is the outcome of extensive research, hard work and our team’s devotion to help you remove the specific, adware-related problem, and restore your browser and computer system.
How did we conduct the research on Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info?
Please note that our research is based on independent investigation. We are in contact with independent security researchers, thanks to which we receive daily updates on the latest malware, adware, and browser hijacker definitions.
Furthermore, the research behind the Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info threat is backed with VirusTotal.
To better understand this online threat, please refer to the following articles which provide knowledgeable details.