Name | Unfollow Alert |
Type | Adware, PUP |
Short Description | The application triggers the display of advertisements and may slow down the browser. It is promoted as a Twitter assistance tool. |
Symptoms | Display of unwanted advertisements, monitoring of browsing activities, sensitive data collection. |
Distribution Method | Ad-supported software is often spread via the bundling method. Also, the application may have been downloaded from a freeware page/ its official page. |
Detection tool | Download SpyHunter, to See If Your System Has Been Affected ByUnfollow Alert |
What Is Unfollow Alert?
Unfollow Alert is a program that is supposed to help users keep track of their Twitter followers. It should provide you with information such as who has unfollowed you, who you have unfollowed, and who has deactivated their account. Some users may find this program helpful. There is a striking resemblance between Unfollow Alert and Unfriend Watch, a program that does pretty much the same, but for Facebook. The latter has been identified as a potentially unwanted program and as adware. The same can be said for Unfollow Alert. It will start presenting advertisements after it has been installed. We recommend getting rid of it as it is doubtful that it will be of any use, and its activities may turn out to be a risk for your system’s security.
What Does Unfollow Alert Do?
Once installed, Unfollow Alert will attach an extension to your browser. This will start displaying advertisements whenever you browse the web. These ads will be labeled as “Ads by Unfollow Alert,” “Unfollow Alert Ads,” “Brought by Unfollow Alert,” etc. So it will be pretty evident who the culprit is. The program can also collect data on your browsing. This will allow it to deliver targeted ads. After all, the more clicks that users generate, the more money the developers of Unfollow Alert will earn. If you go to Unfollow Alert’s web page, you will not find any information saying that it will display ads even though it does, which is very suspicious in itself.
Is Unfollow Alert Dangerous?
The program itself is harmless. However, there are some risks related to its activities. The websites that it promotes are not reviewed. This means that cyber criminals can take advantage and use it to lure unsuspecting users onto their harmful websites. Some ads may very well be misleading and transfer you to malicious websites. Then it is very likely that your system will become a target for virtual attacks. A phishing scheme may also be used to trick you into sharing your personal data.
How Did Unfollow Alert Get on My Computer?
Unfollow Alert can be downloaded from its official website. However, most users do not acquire it from there. In fact, most of the time the program gets installed without users even realizing until they start seeing the ads. This is because Unfollow Alert uses bundling as a distribution method. In other words, it is attached to installers of freeware. It will be set for installation by default, so unless you decline it, you will get it on your computer. This is why you have to be really careful when installing free applications on your PC if you do not want to get additional software.
How Do I Remove Unfollow Alert?
As Unfollow Alert is not malicious, you will not have troubles removing it. You can do this yourself by going to Control Panel and opening the list of programs. Then all you need to do is locate and uninstall it. You should keep in mind, however, that there may be more unwanted programs or even malware on your computer. This is why it is best to acquire a reliable security tool that will get rid of all intruders and prevent them from entering your PC in the future. This way you will no longer have to worry about your system getting compromised.
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 Unfollow Alert from Windows.
Step 1: Scan for Unfollow Alert with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
Step 2: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode
Step 3: Uninstall Unfollow Alert 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:
Step 4: Clean Any registries, Created by Unfollow Alert 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 Unfollow Alert 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 Unfollow Alert (Windows).
Get rid of Unfollow Alert from Mac OS X.
Step 1: Uninstall Unfollow Alert 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 Unfollow Alert. 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 Unfollow Alert 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 Unfollow Alert files from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as Unfollow Alert, 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 Unfollow Alert (Mac)
Remove Unfollow Alert 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 Unfollow Alert 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 Unfollow Alert 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 Unfollow Alert 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 Unfollow Alert will be removed.
Eliminate Unfollow Alert 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".
Unfollow Alert-FAQ
What Is Unfollow Alert?
The Unfollow Alert 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 Unfollow Alert?
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 Unfollow Alert?
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 Unfollow Alert Work?
Once installed, Unfollow Alert 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.
Unfollow Alert 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 Unfollow Alert 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 Unfollow Alert Research
The content we publish on SensorsTechForum.com, this Unfollow Alert 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 Unfollow Alert?
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 Unfollow Alert threat is backed with VirusTotal.
To better understand this online threat, please refer to the following articles which provide knowledgeable details.