Creativesrv.com Redirect
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What is creativesrv.com?
creativesrv.com is a deceptive website identical to tc-clicks.com, clicknshare.net, spzan.com, and many others. Research shows that creativesrv.com redirects to various other suspicious websites.
Furthermore, users often visit creativesrv.com inadvertently - they are redirected by potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) that infiltrate systems without permission. In addition, PUPs deliver intrusive online advertisements and continually gather various information relating to Internet browsing activity.
Following infiltration, PUPs randomly open new browsing windows/tabs and redirect to creativesrv.com. After visiting this site, users immediately encounter a second redirect to a random suspicious website that might contain malicious content. Therefore, visiting creativesrv.com can lead to high-risk adware or malware infections.
Be aware that PUPs deliver coupon, banner, pop-up, and other similar advertisements. To achieve this, developers employ various tools (including a "virtual layer") that enable placement of third party graphical content on any site. Therefore, the ads often conceal website content, significantly diminishing the browsing experience.
In addition, some might redirect to malicious websites or even activate scripts that download and install malware. Clicking them can also result in various computer infections. Another downside is information tracking. PUPs monitor Internet browsing activity by collecting various data that might be personally identifiable.
PUP developers aim to generate as much revenue as possible by collecting private information to sell to third parties (potentially, cyber criminals).
These prople also aim to increase their revenue by misusing personal details. Therefore, the presence of information-tracking apps can lead to serious privacy issues or even identity theft. For these reasons, all PUPs should be eliminated immediately.
Name | creativesrv.com pop-up |
Threat Type | Adware, Unwanted ads, Pop-up Virus |
Symptoms | Seeing advertisements not originating from the sites you are browsing. Intrusive pop-up ads. Decreased Internet browsing speed. |
Distribution methods | Deceptive pop-up ads, free software installers (bundling), fake flash player installers. |
Damage | Decreased computer performance, browser tracking - privacy issues, possible additional malware infections. |
Malware Removal (Windows) | To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. |
There are dozens of PUPs, all of which are virtually identical. By offering a large variety of "useful features", they often trick users into believing that these apps are legitimate and useful. In fact, PUPs are designed only to generate revenue for the developers and deliver no significant value for regular users.
PUPs promote various websites (by causing unwanted redirects), generate advertisements, and track web browsing activity. Furthermore, the promoted websites are often fake search engines. As with PUPs, fake search engines are designed only to generate revenue for the developers.
They also promote other dubious sites (by generating false search results), display ads, and record user-system information. As with intrusive ads, fake search results can lead to malicious websites. Therefore, fake search engines pose a direct threat to your privacy and Internet browsing safety - they should never be used.
How did adware install on my computer?
Some PUPs have an official promotion websites, however, most are promoted using intrusive ads, and via a deceptive marketing method called "bundling". Therefore, PUPs often infiltrate systems without permission, or users install them inadvertently without their consent. Bundling is stealth installation of PUPs with regular software/apps.
Developers know that users often rush the download/installation processes and skip steps. Therefore, they hide "bundled" apps within the "Custom" or "Advanced" settings. Skipping this section (and clicking intrusive ads) exposes systems to risk of various infections and compromises users' privacy. This behavior often leads to various computer infections.
How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?
Lack of knowledge and careless behavior are the main reasons for computer infections. Therefore, be cautious when downloading/installing software and browsing the Internet in general.
Download your software from official sources only and use a direct download link rather than using third party download/installation tools (they often bundle third party apps and using them is very risky). When downloading, carefully analyze each step (especially the "Custom/Advanced" options) and decline offers to download/install additional applications.
Avoid clicking ads. Rogue ads often appear genuine and it is virtually impossible to determine if they originate from visited (legitimate websites). No matter how tempting these ads may seem, do not take the risk of clicking them. The key to computer safety is caution.
Instant automatic malware removal:
Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
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Quick menu:
- What is creativesrv.com?
- STEP 1. Uninstall adware applications using Control Panel.
- STEP 2. Remove adware from Internet Explorer.
- STEP 3. Remove rogue plug-ins from Google Chrome.
- STEP 4. Remove adware-type extensions from Mozilla Firefox.
- STEP 5. Remove malicious extensions from Safari.
- STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.
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 any potentially unwanted programs, select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".
After uninstalling the potentially unwanted program that causes creativesrv.com redirects, scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components or possible malware infections. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.
Remove adware from 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 creativesrv.com pop-up, 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 "More 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 creativesrv.com pop-up, 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 creativesrv.com pop-up 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 creativesrv.com pop-up, 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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