by Ventsislav Krastev | November 23, 2015 | 8 Comments Google, Google Analytics, scam

Threat Summary Sharebutton(.)to Blocking In Google Analytics Instructions Video Sharebutton Domains – More About Them

A new Referrer spam has become increasingly widespread over many URLs, such as the one going by the name of Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)Info. The website itself posts a link with its domain redirecting the user who clicks on it on one of the several domains of sharebutton – .to .net and .org, all of which have different codes for share buttons embedded on a site. Although it is advertised as a free service, users are strongly advised not to use this suspicious bunch of code due to the fact that it may be harmful to the website in several different ways. Users are also advised to keep away from Get-Your-Social-Buttons(.)info links and to scan their computer with an anti-malware program if they have visited third-party websites via this domain. In case you have seen referrer spam linking to sharebutton.to, make sure to follow the instructions after this article to remove it.

Threat Summary

Name	Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam
Type	Referral Spam
Short Description	The web page has been seen on many referral spams on predominantly medium sized and smaller blogs in traffic.
Symptoms	The user may witnes the spam on various places of the website that is being targeted, leading to Copyrightclaims.org which then redirects to a phishing website.
Distribution Method	Most often via spammed URL’s. Bundling or unwanted software as well as spammed advertisements also a scenario. Even possible via malware.
Detection Tool	See If Your System Has Been Affected by malware Download Malware Removal Tool
User Experience	Join Our Forum to Discuss Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam.

Sharebutton(.)to Blocking In Google Analytics Instructions Video

Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam – What Does it Do?

This particular type of referrer spam may be two types:

#1 – Web Crawler Spam

Web crawler spam, also known as spider, is named this way because the spam bot essentially ‘crawls’ the web looking for opportunities in the face of underdeveloped or small websites. It is not very persistent since the spam bot is usually programmed in a massive scale to stop spamming the same website after being deleted or flagged, however there may be advanced spammers that could develop such software into being a pain in the neck.

#2 – Ghost Referrer Spam

This particular type of spam is very sophisticated because it uses the free hype text protocol (HTTP) in order to take advantage of it and remain hidden and in some cases not even logically present in the website it spams. Ben Davis at vidget.com claims that such spam is not even present on the website it is spamming. What is more the spam may target different parts of the website.

Either way, referrer spam aims to drive hoax traffic to third-party websites and most spammers do not really mind what type of sites they advertise this way. It may be sites like the suspicious sharebutton(.)to. However, it may also be more dangerous web links that may either be phishing sites that aim to steal info, scamming sites or simply malicious URLs that may infect your PC.

Sharebutton Domains – More About Them

The Sharebutton network itself is potentially harmful and it has been advertised via other spam domains as well, such as buttons-for-website(.)com which advertises its .net domain. The website itself has been reported to be with an overall poor reputation with potential containing of malware in it by Scamanalyze.com researchers. According to Alexa around 30% of the visitors of the website are from India. However, there are also visitors from other countries such as Brasil, Turkey and Spain and also the US.

When entered, the website itself displays the following code to copy and each one of its domains contains different HTML based script:

This code links to its .org location and to the “cdn.script(.)to/share6(.)js” java script posted online, featuring a social map to the most widely used social networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Vkontakte, Tumblr and others. It has not been confirmed whether or not this script is dangerous for the user, however security experts strongly advise users to change their passwords in case they have used this share button.

Getting Rid of Sharebutton Domains Referrer Spam

Back to referrer spam, it primarily aims to drive traffic to third-party websites. However it should be noted that it may be dangerous in several different ways:

Devaluating website statistics.
Overcrowding the webiste with spam comments, causing Google to flag it from it search results.

This is why referral spam should not be underestimated. In order to remove sharebutton(.)to referral spam, it is highly advisable to try the following methods:

1: Filtering Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam 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 – Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam

Step 6: Select Views to Apply Filter.

Step 7: Save the filter, by clicking on the ‘Save’ button.

You are done! Congratulations!

Also, make sure you check out these several methods to help you further block out this referrer spam from Google Analytics:

More Methods To Stop Spam Bots and Spiders In Google Analytics

2: Block Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam from Your Server.

In case you have a server that is Apache HTTP Server, you may want to try the following commands to block Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam domains in the .htaccess file:

RewriteEngine on

RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} ^https://.*sharebutton \.to/ [NC,OR]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} ^https://.*sharebutton \-for\-website\.to/ [NC,OR]

RewriteRule ^(.*)$ – [F,L]

Also here is a web link to some spam URLs being blacklisted from other servers:

Ultimate Referrer Blacklist by Perishablepress.com

Disclaimer: This type of domain blocking in Apache servers has not yet been tested and it should be done by experienced professionals. Backup is always recommended.

3: Stop Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam via WordPress.

There is a method outlined by security researchers online that uses WordPress plugins to block referrer spams from sites. There are many plugins that help deal with referrer spam, simply do a google search. We have currently seen one particular plugin reported to work, called WP-Ban, but bear in mind that you may find an equally good or better. WP-Ban has the ability to block users based on their IP address and other information such as the URL, for example.

Also, in case you feel like you may have clicked and been redirected to one of the domains mentioned in the spam message, and you believe your system may be compromised, you should scan your computer with a particular anti-malware tool. Downloading such software will also make sure your computer is safe against any future intrusions as well.

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

Ventsislav Krastev

Ventsislav is a cybersecurity expert at SensorsTechForum since 2015. He has been researching, covering, helping victims with the latest malware infections plus testing and reviewing software and the newest tech developments. Having graduated Marketing as well, Ventsislav also has passion for learning new shifts and innovations in cybersecurity that become game changers. After studying Value Chain Management, Network Administration and Computer Administration of System Applications, he found his true calling within the cybersecrurity industry and is a strong believer in the education of every user towards online safety and security.

How to Remove Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam from Windows.

Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam

OFFER

Manual Removal Usually Takes Time and You Risk Damaging Your Files If Not Careful!

We Recommend To Scan Your PC with SpyHunter

Keep in mind, that SpyHunter’s scanner is only for malware detection. If SpyHunter detects malware on your PC, you will need to purchase SpyHunter's malware removal tool to remove the malware threats. Read our SpyHunter 5 review. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter's EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria

1. Hold Windows key() + R

2. The "Run" Window will appear. In it, type "msconfig" and click OK.

3. Go to the "Boot" tab. There select "Safe Boot" and then click "Apply" and "OK".

Tip: Make sure to reverse those changes by unticking Safe Boot after that, because your system will always boot in Safe Boot from now on.

4. When prompted, click on "Restart" to go into Safe Mode.

5. You can recognise Safe Mode by the words written on the corners of your screen.

Step 2: Uninstall Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam and related software from Windows

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:

1. Hold the Windows Logo Button and "R" on your keyboard. A Pop-up window will appear.

2. In the field type in "appwiz.cpl" and press ENTER.

3. This will open a window with all the programs installed on the PC. Select the program that you want to remove, and press "Uninstall"

Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall most programs.

Step 3: Clean any registries, created by Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam on your computer.

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 Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:

1. Open the Run Window again, type "regedit" and click OK.

2. When you open it, you can freely navigate to the Run and RunOnce keys, whose locations are shown above.

3. You can remove the value of the virus by right-clicking on it and removing it.

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.

IMPORTANT!
Before starting "Step 4", please boot back into Normal mode, in case you are currently in Safe Mode.
This will enable you to install and use SpyHunter 5 successfully.

Step 4: Scan for Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool

1. Click on the "Download" button to proceed to SpyHunter's download page.

Download

Malware Removal Tool

It is recommended to run a scan before purchasing the full version of the software to make sure that the current version of the malware can be detected by SpyHunter. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter's EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria.

2. After you have installed SpyHunter, wait for it to update automatically.

3. After the update process has finished, click on the 'Malware/PC Scan' tab. A new window will appear. Click on 'Start Scan'.

4. After SpyHunter has finished scanning your PC for any files of the associated threat and found them, you can try to get them removed automatically and permanently by clicking on the 'Next' button.

If any threats have been removed, it is highly recommended to restart your PC.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Get rid of Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam from Mac OS X.

Step 1: Uninstall Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam and remove related files and objects

OFFER

Manual Removal Usually Takes Time and You Risk Damaging Your Files If Not Careful!

We Recommend To Scan Your Mac with SpyHunter for Mac

Keep in mind, that SpyHunter for Mac needs to purchased to remove the malware threats. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA and Privacy Policy

1. Hit the ⇧+⌘+U keys to open Utilities. Another way is to click on “Go” and then click “Utilities”, like the image below shows:

2. Find Activity Monitor and double-click it:

3. In the Activity Monitor look for any suspicious processes, belonging or related to Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam:

Tip: To quit a process completely, choose the “Force Quit” option.

4. Click on the "Go" button again, but this time select Applications. Another way is with the ⇧+⌘+A buttons.

5. In the Applications menu, look for any suspicious app or an app with a name, similar or identical to Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam. If you find it, right-click on the app and select “Move to Trash”.

6: Select Accounts, after which click on the Login Items preference. 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 Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam. Check the app you want to stop from running automatically and then select on the Minus (“-“) icon to hide it.

7: Remove any left-over files that might be related to this threat manually by following the sub-steps below:

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 Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam 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:

Disclaimer! If you are about to tamper with Library files on Mac, be sure to know the name of the virus file, because if you delete the wrong file, it may cause irreversible damage to your MacOS. Continue on your own responsibility!

1: Click on "Go" and Then "Go to Folder" as shown underneath:

2: Type in "/Library/LauchAgents/" and click Ok:

3: Delete all of the virus files that have similar or the same name as Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam. If you believe there is no such file, do not delete anything.

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 Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam files from your Mac

When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam, 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.

Click the button below below to download SpyHunter for Mac and scan for Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam:

Download

SpyHunter for Mac

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Remove Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam 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.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Erase Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam 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.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Uninstall Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam 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.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Remove Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam 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 Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam will be removed.

How to Reset Safari
IMPORTANT: Before resetting Safari make sure you back up all your saved passwords within the browser in case you forget them.

Start Safari and then click on the gear leaver icon.

Click the Reset Safari button and you will reset the browser.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Eliminate Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam 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 caused by Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam 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.

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

opera

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".

8 Comments

BizVista November 5, 2016 at 4:16 am

The site you mentioned” persihablepress” has got huge list of spamming website. Thanks for sharing.

Reply ↓
1. SensorsTechForum November 7, 2016 at 9:09 am
  
  You are welcome! Stay tuned :)
  
  Reply ↓
Linda Means-Kassis November 7, 2016 at 8:20 pm

Thank you for such an informative article. What is the web address to the whois site you mention in the video, please?

Reply ↓
Linda Means-Kassis November 7, 2016 at 8:27 pm

Also, how do these get into my website?

Reply ↓
1. Vencislav Krustev November 8, 2016 at 2:45 pm
  
  they use a sophisticated software that allows them to connect to your website without having to visit it. This means that they use the information and the security settings on your website against you. This means that you should increase the security, apply captcha and other measures as well as other services that conceal as much information from your website as possible.
  
  Reply ↓
2. Vencislav Krustev November 8, 2016 at 2:47 pm
  
  they have found your website via a special tactic spammers use about which I will not type in detail, but it is basically taking advantage of google via specific codes during searching that allow it to display certain websites based on their interests
  
  Reply ↓
  1. Vencislav Krustev November 8, 2016 at 2:48 pm
    
    the technique is called “Google Dorking”
    
    Reply ↓
abramo franco March 22, 2018 at 7:49 am

software che permette???

Reply ↓

Get Rid of Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam from Google Analytics

Threat Summary

Sharebutton(.)to Blocking In Google Analytics Instructions Video

Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam – What Does it Do?

#1 – Web Crawler Spam

#2 – Ghost Referrer Spam

Sharebutton Domains – More About Them

Getting Rid of Sharebutton Domains Referrer Spam

Ventsislav Krastev

How to Remove Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam from Windows.

Get rid of Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam from Mac OS X.

Remove Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam from Google Chrome.

Erase Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam from Mozilla Firefox.

Uninstall Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam from Microsoft Edge.

Remove Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam from Safari.

Eliminate Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam from Internet Explorer.

Remove Push Notifications caused by Sharebutton(.)to Referral Spam from Your Browsers.

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