by Berta Bilbao | October 10, 2016 | 0 Comments adware

OnClickAds.net is a website is a monetization platform. The site spreads advertisements and you it can redirect you to other, similar advertisement networks. That is why it is considered adware. The owners of such advertising platforms make their revenue from adverts and by monetizing online traffic generated through them. To remove all of the advertisements and the platform, you should read the full article.

Threat Summary

Name	OnClickAds.net
Type	Adware, PUP
Short Description	The site generates advertisements, which can show on other websites when you browse.
Symptoms	You will see advertisements all over your browsers, like pop-ups, message boxes, in-text links or other ad types.
Distribution Method	Freeware Installations, Bundled Packages
Detection Tool	See If Your System Has Been Affected by malware Download Malware Removal Tool
User Experience	Join Our Forum to Discuss OnClickAds.net.

OnClickAds.net – How Does It Spread?

The OnClickAds.net website mainly spreads with third-party installation setups. Without your knowledge, the adware could be placed computer device with third-party installer setups through bundled programs or freeware. Installers might be set by default to add components with the primary software of the installation. Preventing any unwanted components from installing is doable if you find a Custom or an Advanced options.

OnClickAds.net advertises itself throughout the Internet and lots of sites display those adverts. Banners, pop-up and pop-under adverts are used for spreading the adware, and can penetrate your computer’s defenses and nesting itself there. Visiting websites with an origin that is unknown or others that seem suspicious is one way for the adware to spread. Using redirects on similar websites is another. Browsers that can get affected are the following: Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer and Safari.

OnClickAds.net – What Does It Do?

OnClickAds.net is the primary page of an advertising platform using the same name. Bulks of advertising content, as well as redirects, are pushed by it. That can happen when you are browsing the Web and if you have an application tied to OnClickAds on your computer. The platform and each related application are all considered adware. From the snapshot displayed down here you can see the homepage of OnClickAds.net:

From looking at that page, we see that it is “powered by Propeller Ads.” This means that OnClickAds.net is a subsidiary site of the Propeller advertising network. Targeted advertisement content is possible to appear from customers of the service.

In case your personal computer has some software residing on it, which is related to OnClickAds.net, you will see a multitude of advertisements on every site that you visit. If your browsers have an extension, add-on or a plug-in connected to the adware, you will witness even more adverts. You might be redirected to similar sites of advertising networks, which can be partnered up or affiliated with the owners of Propeller Ads.

Advertisements spread by the platform can show one of these texts:

Ads by OnClickAds.net
Advertisement by OnClickAds.net
Ad by OnClickAds.net
Advert from OnClickAds.net
Powered by OnClickAds.net
Brought to you by OnClickAds.net

Redirects can show in the shape of in-text advertisements, buttons or links. The OnClickAds.net platform will generate those and put them on websites to generate online traffic. That will inevitably spread targeted ads and sponsored content for the website owners. The Web traffic that is gathered can be easily turned into actual money with using a pay-per-click scheme.

Advertisements can be of mixed kinds, but all of them will serve one and the same purpose – making revenue for the platform owners. Adverts associated with OnClickAds.net can be shown around the Internet as pop-ups, in-text links, pop-unders, banners, interstitial or transitional ads. More advertising types are not entirely excluded from appearing, too.

OnClickAds.net – Privacy Policy

As OnClickAds.net is a subsidiary platform of the Propeller Ads advertising network, its Privacy Policy is the same. The website collects both personally identifying and non-personally identifying information. Some of the information is disclosed to third parties, advertising networks, and related websites.

You can view the Privacy Policy right here:

Information that can be collected from you:

Personally identifying information:

Your email address
Information you provide

Non-personally identifying information:

The type of Internet browser
The type of computer operating system
The domain name of the website visited
Information related to websites and web pages a user is viewing when an advertisement is shown

Cookies, as well as other Internet tracking technologies, such as pixels, will track your interaction with the website, advertisements and other websites you land on.

The following quotations from the Privacy Policy do not sound convincing:

We do not collect PII via our Services, and therefore, we do not sell, rent, or share PII collected on our customer’s websites to non-affiliated third parties.

So, the contact line of the service is where Propeller Ads get their personally identifying information, as is admitted after that quote from the Policy. That means that they do collect PII, and can disclose it or do something else with it as long as it is with affiliated third parties, and the selling, renting and sharing of that information happens outside the “customer’s websites.” That does not necessarily mean that affiliates cannot gather 100% of that data.

And the second quotation is:

The use of cookies by our affiliates, service providers or tracking utility company is not covered by our Privacy Policy. We do not have access or control over these cookies. These third parties use session ID cookies to make it easier for you to navigate our site.

The above quote is a way of saying that Propeller Ads, plus OnClickAds.net cookies which are used by any other sites, might collect your personal information, although Propeller Ads have agreed to that by signing a contract with them.

The recommended action for you is to remove the adware and everything that is connected to it, as you do not know what data might be collected from you where it will be sent.

Remove OnClickAds.net Effectively

To remove OnClickAds.net manually from your computer, follow the step-by-step removal tutorial provided below. In case this manual removal does not get rid of the ads completely, you should search for and remove any leftovers with an advanced anti-malware tool. Such an application can keep your computer secure in the future.

Berta Bilbao

Berta is a dedicated malware researcher, dreaming for a more secure cyber space. Her fascination with IT security began a few years ago when a malware locked her out of her own computer.

Guide 1: How to Remove OnClickAds.net from Windows.
Guide 2: Get rid of OnClickAds.net on Mac OS X.
Guide 3: Remove OnClickAds.net in Google Chrome.

Guide 4: Erase OnClickAds.net from Mozilla Firefox.
Guide 5: Uninstall OnClickAds.net from Microsoft Edge.
Guide 6: Remove OnClickAds.net from Safari.
Guide 7: Eliminate OnClickAds.net from Internet Explorer.
Guide 8: Disable OnClickAds.net Push Notifications in Your Browsers.

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

How to Remove OnClickAds.net from Windows.

Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove OnClickAds.net

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 OnClickAds.net 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 OnClickAds.net 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 OnClickAds.net 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 OnClickAds.net 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 OnClickAds.net from Mac OS X.

Step 1: Uninstall OnClickAds.net 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 OnClickAds.net:

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 OnClickAds.net. 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 OnClickAds.net. 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 OnClickAds.net 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 OnClickAds.net. 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 OnClickAds.net files from your Mac

When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as OnClickAds.net, 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 OnClickAds.net:

Download

SpyHunter for Mac

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

Remove OnClickAds.net 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 OnClickAds.net 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 OnClickAds.net 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 OnClickAds.net 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 OnClickAds.net 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 OnClickAds.net 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.