Ads by USB Locker

What is USB Locker?

USB Locker is presented as a legitimate application that supposedly allows users to modify access to various external drives (USB, SSD, memory cards, etc.) On initial inspection, this app may seem legitimate and useful, however, due to rogue behavior (stealth installation, display of intrusive advertisements, tracking of browsing activity), USB Locker is classed as a potentially unwanted program (PUP) and adware.

Following successful infiltration, USB Locker generates various intrusive online advertisements. To achieve this, developers employ a 'virtual layer' - a tool that enables placement of third party graphical content on any site.

None of the displayed advertisements originate from users' visited websites and conceal underlying content, significantly diminishing the Internet browsing experience. In addition, these ads can lead to malicious websites containing infectious content - clicking them is risky and might cause high-risk adware or malware infections.

In addition, USB Locker gathers various information relating to Internet browsing activity including IP addresses, website URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries, and other similar data.

This may seem insignificant, however, the information might contain personally identifiable details that developers of USB Locker share with third parties (who misuse private data to generate revenue). This behavior can lead to serious privacy issues or even identity theft. We strongly advise you to eliminate USB Locker adware immediately.

USB Locker shares similarities with hundreds of other adware-type applications that also offer 'useful functions' including VMC Media Player, BrowsingGuard, QkSee - these are just some examples from many. Note that all adware claims to be legitimate and useful, however, the only purpose of this software is to generate revenue for the developers.

Most of these apps provide no value for regular users. PUPs such as USB Locker gather personally identifiable information (which is later sold to third parties) and deliver intrusive online advertisements (via the "Pay Per Click" advertising model).

How did USB Locker install on my computer?

USB Locker has an official promotion website, however, many users install this PUP inadvertently, without their consent, since they do not express enough caution during the download/installation processes.

Research shows that developers of USB Locker employ a deceptive marketing method called "bundling" - stealth installation of PUPs with regular software - and hide bundled programs within the "Custom" or "Advanced" settings of the download/installation processes. Therefore, skipping this section exposes systems to risk of various infections and puts users' privacy at risk.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

Installation of potentially unwanted programs can be prevented by taking two simple steps. Firstly, closely analyze each step of the download/installation processes using the "Custom" or "Advanced" settings. Secondly, opt-out of third party applications and decline offers to download/ install them.

Deceptive free software installer distributing USB Locker adware:

Screenshot of USB Locker application:

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Quick menu:

• What is USB Locker?
• STEP 1. Uninstall USB Locker application using Control Panel.
• STEP 2. Remove adware from Internet Explorer.
• STEP 3. Remove unwanted add-ons from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove rogue add-ons from Mozilla Firefox.
• STEP 5. Remove adware from Safari.
• STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.

USB Locker adware removal:

Windows 11 users:

Right-click on the Start icon, select Apps and Features. In the opened window search for the application you want to uninstall, after locating it, click on the three vertical dots and select Uninstall.

Windows 10 users:

Right-click in the lower left corner of the screen, in the Quick Access Menu select Control Panel. In the opened window choose Programs and Features.

Windows 7 users:

Click Start (Windows Logo at the bottom left corner of your desktop), choose Control Panel. Locate Programs and click Uninstall a program.

macOS (OSX) users:

Click Finder, in the opened screen select Applications. Drag the app from the Applications folder to the Trash (located in your Dock), then right click the Trash icon and select Empty Trash.

In the uninstall programs window, look for "USB Locker", select this entry and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".

After uninstalling the potentially unwanted program that causes USB Locker ads, scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components or possible malware infections. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.

Remove USB Locker adware from Internet browsers:

At time of research, USB Locker did not install its browser plug-ins on Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, or Mozilla Firefox, however, it was bundled with other adware. Therefore, you are advised to remove all potentially unwanted browser add-ons from your Internet browsers.

Video showing how to remove potentially unwanted browser add-ons:

Remove malicious add-ons from Internet Explorer:

Click the "gear" icon (at the top right corner of Internet Explorer), select "Manage Add-ons". Look for any recently-installed suspicious browser extensions, select these entries and click "Remove".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the usb locker adware, reset your Internet Explorer settings to default.

Windows XP users: Click Start, click Run, in the opened window type inetcpl.cpl In the opened window click the Advanced tab, then click Reset.

Windows Vista and Windows 7 users: Click the Windows logo, in the start search box type inetcpl.cpl and click enter. In the opened window click the Advanced tab, then click Reset.

Windows 8 users: Open Internet Explorer and click the gear icon. Select Internet Options.

In the opened window, select the Advanced tab.

Click the Reset button.

Confirm that you wish to reset Internet Explorer settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

Remove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "Tools" and click "Extensions". Locate all recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons, select these entries and click the trash can icon.

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the usb locker adware, reset your Google Chrome browser settings. Click the Chrome menu icon  (at the top right corner of Google Chrome) and select Settings. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen. Click the Advanced… link.

After scrolling to the bottom of the screen, click the Reset (Restore settings to their original defaults) button.

In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Google Chrome settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

Remove malicious plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox:

Click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window), select "Add-ons". Click "Extensions", in the opened window, remove all recently-installed suspicious browser plug-ins.

Optional method:

Computer users who have problems with usb locker adware removal can reset their Mozilla Firefox settings.

Open Mozilla Firefox, at the top right corner of the main window, click the Firefox menu, in the opened menu, click Help.

Select Troubleshooting Information.

In the opened window, click the Refresh Firefox button.

In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Mozilla Firefox settings to default by clicking the Refresh Firefox button.

Remove malicious extensions from Safari:

Make sure your Safari browser is active, click Safari menu, and select Preferences....

In the opened window click Extensions, locate any recently installed suspicious extension, select it and click Uninstall.

Optional method:

Make sure your Safari browser is active and click on Safari menu. From the drop down menu select Clear History and Website Data...

In the opened window select all history and click the Clear History button.

Remove malicious extensions from Microsoft Edge:

Click the Edge menu icon  (at the upper-right corner of Microsoft Edge), select "Extensions". Locate all recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons and click "Remove" below their names.

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the usb locker adware, reset your Microsoft Edge browser settings. Click the Edge menu icon  (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge) and select Settings.

In the opened settings menu select Reset settings.

Select Restore settings to their default values. In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Microsoft Edge settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

• If this did not help, follow these alternative instructions explaining how to reset the Microsoft Edge browser.

Summary:

Commonly, adware or potentially unwanted applications infiltrate Internet browsers through free software downloads. Note that the safest source for downloading free software is via developers' websites only. To avoid installation of adware, be very attentive when downloading and installing free software. When installing previously-downloaded free programs, choose the custom or advanced installation options – this step will reveal any potentially unwanted applications listed for installation together with your chosen free program.

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