| Name | 4-you.net |
| Type | Browser Hijacker, PUP, adware |
| Short Description | The page may look like a useful website, but it may serve as an indication of adware infiltration. |
| Symptoms | The user may have the website set as his homepage. Unapproved Registry alterations. |
| Distribution Method | Bundling. |
| Detection tool | Download Malware Removal Tool, to See If Your System Has Been Affected By 4-you.net |
4-you.net is a website that belongs to Via Advertising Group Ltd. According to an analysis by HerdProtect, the group is located in Nicosia Cyprus and is a primary developer of ad-supported software and a distributor of bundled products.
According to security researchers, 4-you.net falls into the category of browser hijackers and ad-supported pages. Due to the downloading of a potentially unwanted application (PUA), the website may overtake the user’s homepage, search page, new tab page or/ and error page. 4-you.net is not a malicious site, but it may obtain sensitive information from its users. If you see it as your homepage or if you are redirected to it without your consent, you may want to check your system for PUPs and adware.
What Software Made 4-you.net My Homepage?
As we already mentioned, Via Advertising Group Ltd. is a distributor of adware that has adopted the bundled distribution policy. The bundler developed by the company has been identified by several anti-virus products as riskware:
- Reason Heuristics detects it as PUP.Via Advertising.ViaAdvertisingGroup.Bundler (M)
- Avast detects it as Win32:Downloader-UEO [PUP]
- AVG detects it as Adware BundleApp_r, Adware Generic_r, BundleApp_r.B
- MalwareBytes detects it as PUP.Optional.Downloader, PUP.Optional.YFDownloader, PUP.Optional.YourFile
- Avira AntiVirus detects it as APPL/Downloader.Gen4, ADWARE/Adware.Gen2, APPL/Downloader.Gen8
If you see 4-you.net set as your homepage without your initial knowledge or consent, you can be sure that a PUP developed by Via Advertising Group has entered your system.
Via Advertising Group Ltd. Products
What is YourFileDownloader
One product developed by the company that has been reported to be suspicious is YourFileDownloader. During the installation, the application will add itself to the Windows Schedule Task to run automatically upon reboot. The program can be started at scheduled times. It is also designed to connect to the Internet and add a Windows Firewall exception to avoid detection. The primary file of YourFileDownloader is YourFileUpdater.exe. The software installer consists of 9 files.
IMPORTANT
Researchers have concluded that the program may have malware components and should be removed instantly from the machine.
Additionally, having 4-you.net set as your homepage probably means that you have YourFileDownloader installed.
4-you.net General Description
The page is designed to offer several links to other pages such as Booking.com, Vimeo, Groupon, Foursquare, and Amazon. It also has links to three other sections – Movies, TV shows, and Games. The page may appear user-friendly, but it may serve as an indication of unwanted software that has been installed silently on the PC.
If you have recently downloaded a freeware product, 4-you.net may have been included in its Download Agreement or Terms of Use as a homepage. You may have been offered the chance to deselect it. However, by going quickly through the installation process, users often deprive themselves of the opportunity to choose what options they prefer.
4-you.net, PUP Removal Options
To clean your system and rid your browser of 4-you.net, you will have to remove all potentially unwanted applications. If you are an experienced user, you can try and locate PUP.Via Advertising.ViaAdvertisingGroup.Bundler (M) or other products by Via Advertising manually. However, such removal process requires understanding of the Windows Registry and other system functionalities.
Whatever you decide to do, you can refer to the removal steps below the article. We have explained how to remove unwanted pages from the browser, and how to uninstall unwanted software from the system.
1. Remove/Uninstall 4-you.net in Windows
Here is a method in few easy steps to remove that program. No matter if you are using Windows 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 get left behind, and that can lead to unstable work of your PC, mistakes 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:
Select the program that you want to remove, and press “Uninstall” (fig.3).
Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall 4-you.net.
2. Remove 4-you.net from your browser
Remove a toolbar from Mozilla Firefox
Remove a toolbar from Google Chrome
Remove a toolbar from Internet Explorer
Remove a toolbar from Safari
Select the “Add-ons” icon from the menu
Select 4-you.net and click “Remove”
After 4-you.net is removed, restart Mozilla Firefox by closing it from the red “X” in the top right corner and start it again.
Select 4-you.net to remove, and then click ‘Disable’. A pop-up window will appear to inform you that you are about to disable the selected toolbar, and some additional toolbars might be disabled as well. Leave all the boxes checked, and click ‘Disable’.
After 4-you.net has been removed, restart Internet Explorer by closing it from the red ‘X’ in the top right corner and start it again.
Open the drop menu by clicking on the sprocket icon in the top right corner.
From the drop menu select ‘Preferences’
In the new window select ‘Extensions’
Click once on 4-you.net
Click ‘Uninstall’
A pop-up window will appear asking for confirmation to uninstall 4-you.net. Select ‘Uninstall’ again, and the 4-you.net will be removed.
In order to remove any associated objects that are left after uninstall and detect any other threats, you should:
3. Start Your PC in Safe Mode to Remove 4-you.net.
For Windows XP, Vista, 7 systems:
1. Remove all CDs and DVDs, and then Restart your PC from the “Start” menu.
2. Select one of the two options provided below:
– For PCs with a single operating system: Press “F8” repeatedly after the first boot screen shows up during the restart of your computer. In case the Windows logo appears on the screen, you have to repeat the same task again.
– For PCs with multiple operating systems: Тhe arrow keys will help you select the operating system you prefer to start in Safe Mode. Press “F8” just as described for a single operating system.
3. As the “Advanced Boot Options” screen appears, select the Safe Mode option you want using the arrow keys. As you make your selection, press “Enter“.
4. Log on to your computer using your administrator account
While your computer is in Safe Mode, the words “Safe Mode” will appear in all four corners of your screen.
For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10 systems:
Step 1: Open the Start Menu
Step 2: Whilst holding down Shift button, click on Power and then click on Restart.
Step 3: After reboot, the aftermentioned menu will appear. From there you should choose Troubleshoot.
Step 4: You will see the Troubleshoot menu. From this menu you can choose Advanced Options.
Step 5: After the Advanced Options menu appears, click on Startup Settings.
Step 6: Click on Restart.
Step 7: A menu will appear upon reboot. You should choose Safe Mode by pressing its corresponding number and the machine will restart.
4. Remove 4-you.net automatically by downloading an advanced anti-malware program.
To clean your computer you should download an updated anti-malware program on a safe PC and then install it on the affected computer in offline mode. After that you should boot into safe mode and scan your computer to remove all 4-you.net associated objects.
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
