(No Ratings Yet)
Loading...
Ckk.ai ads affect trustworthy web browsers on both Windows and Mac systems. They aim to trick online users into visiting sponsored content which may be published on poorly secured websites. Their appearance may be related to the presence of an undesired program on the system like adware. To ensure that your browser and system are clear and secure we recommend that you follow the steps listed in our Ckk.ai ads removal guide.
Threat Summary
| Name | Ckk.ai ads |
| Type | Ads, Browser Redirect, PUP |
| Short Description | A deceptive web pages that present sponored content and attempt to trick you into allowing the generation of additional sponsored content. |
| Symptoms | Regular browsing is interrupted by annoying pop-up and other types of ads. |
| Distribution Method | Freeware Installations, Bundled Packages |
| Detection Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Ckk.ai ads Download Malware Removal Tool |
| User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss Ckk.ai ads. |
Ckk.ai Ads – Detailed Analysis
Ckk.ai is a domain used for advertising purposes. During our research, we identified that it is a URL shortener that provides users the opportunity to earn money. Hence, unknown actors can choose a web page, transform its URL address via Ckk.ai shortener and spread the generated link across the web.
Whenever the shortened URL is opened in a web browser, it generates revenue for its operators. It appears that Ckk.ai is part of Shrinkearn.com which is as stated on its website:
ShrinkEarn is a completely free tool where you can create short links, which apart from being free, you get paid!
So whenever you see a web page generated by Ckk.ai in your preferred web browser, it means that you see some kind of sponsored content. Beware as the tool ShrinkEarn which generates Ckk.ai ads may be used by anyone including cyber crooks.
This means that Ckk.ai ads may present misleading information and steps that attempt to trick you into providing sensitive credentials (see also: phishing websites) or redirect you to hacked websites that are designed to download malicious software directly on the operating system.
As of the program that is likely to be triggering redirects to Ckk.ai ads as well as to other different ad formats, it can be classified as a potentially undesired program. To be more precise we should note that this unwanted program is adware. Adware is an ad-supported software that generates online advertisements in its interface or in installed browsers to earn money for its creators from user clicks.
Adware programs tend to infiltrate computer systems with the help of shady spread techniques like software bundling, malvertising, website corruption, and fake software update notifications. Software bundles are widely used for the spread of PUPs. So the installation of a desired app with compromised installer may be the reason for all those annoying ads that flood the browser.
It is a good security practice to select the Advanced/Custom setup step when it is available in the installer of a freshly downloaded app. Once you are there you may be able to notice that some undesired apps are set to install by default, hence, you can unmark them and prevent them from affecting your system.
For the sake of the security of your privacy and system as well, you should prevent these ads from accessing your browser. You can do this by following our simple removal guide.
How to Remove Ckk.ai Ads from Browser and Potenitally Harmful Files from PC
In order to remove Ckk.ai ads along with all associated files that enable their appearance in the browser, you should complete several removal steps. The guide below presents all the steps required for the removal of infections like Ckk.ai in an accurate order. If you want to make sure that no undesired and potentially harmful files are running on your system, we recommend that you combine manual and automatic steps. Have in mind that some of the installed files associated with Ckk.ai browser ads may have completely different names in order to remain hardly noticeable.
In case you have further questions or need additional help with the removal process, don’t hesitate to leave a comment or contact us at our email.
Gergana Ivanova
Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for three years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections.
Follow Me:
Gergana Ivanova
Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for three years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections.
Follow Me:
Gergana Ivanova
Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for three years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections.
Follow Me:
Preparation before removing Ckk.ai ads.
Before starting the actual removal process, we recommend that you do the following preparation steps.
- Make sure you have these instructions always open and in front of your eyes.
- Do a backup of all of your files, even if they could be damaged. You should back up your data with a cloud backup solution and insure your files against any type of loss, even from the most severe threats.
- Be patient as this could take a while.
Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove Ckk.ai ads
Step 2: Clean any registries, created by Ckk.ai ads 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 Ckk.ai ads 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.Step 3: Find files created by Ckk.ai ads
For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10.
For Windows XP, Vista, and 7.For Newer Windows Operating Systems
1: On your keyboard press + R and write explorer.exe in the Run text box and then click on the Ok button.
2: Click on your PC from the quick access bar. This is usually an icon with a monitor and its name is either “My Computer”, “My PC” or “This PC” or whatever you have named it.
3: Navigate to the search box in the top-right of your PC’s screen and type “fileextension:” and after which type the file extension. If you are looking for malicious executables, an example may be “fileextension:exe”. After doing that, leave a space and type the file name you believe the malware has created. Here is how it may appear if your file has been found:
N.B. We recommend to wait for the green loading bar in the navination box to fill up in case the PC is looking for the file and hasn’t found it yet.
For Older Windows Operating Systems
In older Windows OS’s the conventional approach should be the effective one:
1: Click on the Start Menu icon (usually on your bottom-left) and then choose the Search preference.
2: After the search window appears, choose More Advanced Options from the search assistant box. Another way is by clicking on All Files and Folders.
3: After that type the name of the file you are looking for and click on the Search button. This might take some time after which results will appear. If you have found the malicious file, you may copy or open its location by right-clicking on it.
Now you should be able to discover any file on Windows as long as it is on your hard drive and is not concealed via special software.
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 Ckk.ai ads with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
Step 5 (Optional): Try to Restore Files Encrypted by Ckk.ai ads.
Ransomware infections and Ckk.ai ads aim to encrypt your files using an encryption algorithm which may be very difficult to decrypt. This is why we have suggested a data recovery method that may help you go around direct decryption and try to restore your files. Bear in mind that this method may not be 100% effective but may also help you a little or a lot in different situations.
For more “how-to” file recovery methods and steps, you can visit our instructive article on “How to Restore Files Encrypted by Ransomware (Without Decrypter)“.
Gergana Ivanova
Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for three years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections.
Follow Me:
Preparation before removing Ckk.ai ads.
Before starting the actual removal process, we recommend that you do the following preparation steps.
- Make sure you have these instructions always open and in front of your eyes.
- Do a backup of all of your files, even if they could be damaged. You should back up your data with a cloud backup solution and insure your files against any type of loss, even from the most severe threats.
- Be patient as this could take a while.
Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove Ckk.ai ads
Step 2: Clean any registries, created by Ckk.ai ads 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 Ckk.ai ads 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.Step 3: Find files created by Ckk.ai ads
For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10. For Windows XP, Vista, and 7.For Newer Windows Operating Systems
1: On your keyboard press + R and write explorer.exe in the Run text box and then click on the Ok button.
2: Click on your PC from the quick access bar. This is usually an icon with a monitor and its name is either “My Computer”, “My PC” or “This PC” or whatever you have named it.
3: Navigate to the search box in the top-right of your PC’s screen and type “fileextension:” and after which type the file extension. If you are looking for malicious executables, an example may be “fileextension:exe”. After doing that, leave a space and type the file name you believe the malware has created. Here is how it may appear if your file has been found:
N.B. We recommend to wait for the green loading bar in the navination box to fill up in case the PC is looking for the file and hasn’t found it yet.
For Older Windows Operating Systems
In older Windows OS’s the conventional approach should be the effective one:
1: Click on the Start Menu icon (usually on your bottom-left) and then choose the Search preference.
2: After the search window appears, choose More Advanced Options from the search assistant box. Another way is by clicking on All Files and Folders.
3: After that type the name of the file you are looking for and click on the Search button. This might take some time after which results will appear. If you have found the malicious file, you may copy or open its location by right-clicking on it.
Now you should be able to discover any file on Windows as long as it is on your hard drive and is not concealed via special software.
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 Ckk.ai ads with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
Gergana Ivanova
Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for three years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections.
Follow Me:
Preparation before removing Ckk.ai ads.
Before starting the actual removal process, we recommend that you do the following preparation steps.
- Make sure you have these instructions always open and in front of your eyes.
- Be patient as this could take a while.
Step 1: Uninstall Ckk.ai ads 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:
Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall most programs.Step 2: Clean your Browsers from Ckk.ai ads.
Remove an extension from Mozilla Firefox
Remove an extension from Google Chrome
Remove an extension from Internet Explorer
Remove an extension from Microsoft Edge
2. Select the “Add-ons” icon from the menu.
3. Select the unwanted extension and click “Remove“
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.
2. Move the cursor over “Tools” and then from the extended menu choose “Extensions“
3. From the opened “Extensions” menu locate the unwanted extension and click on its “Remove” button.
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.
2. Click on the gear icon labeled ‘Tools’ to open the drop menu and select ‘Manage Add-ons’
3. In the ‘Manage Add-ons’ window.
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’.
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.
2. Open the drop menu by clicking on the icon at the top right corner.
3. From the drop menu select “Extensions”.
4. Choose the suspected malicious extension you want to remove and then click on the gear icon.
5. Remove the malicious extension by scrolling down and then clicking on Uninstall.
Step 3: Clean any registries, created by Ckk.ai ads 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 Ckk.ai ads 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.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 Ckk.ai ads with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
Gergana Ivanova
Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for three years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections.
Follow Me:
Preparation Phase:
Before starting to follow the steps below, be advised that you should first do the following preparations:
- Backup your files in case the worst happens.
- Make sure to have a device with these instructions on standy.
- Arm yourself with patience.
Step 1: Uninstall Ckk.ai ads and remove related files and objects
1. Hit the ⇧+⌘+U keys to open Utilities. Another way is to click on “Go” and then click “Utilities”, like the image below shows:
- 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 Ckk.ai ads 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: Remove Ckk.ai ads – related extensions from your Mac’s browsers
Remove a toolbar from Mozilla FirefoxRemove a toolbar from Google Chrome
Remove an extension from Safari and reset it.
Step 3: Scan for and remove Ckk.ai ads files from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as Ckk.ai ads, the recommended way of eliminating the threat is by using an anti-malware program. Combo Cleaner offers advanced security features along with other modules that will improve your Mac’s security and protect it in the future.
Gergana Ivanova
Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for three years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections.
Follow Me:
