Consertist.com Redirect

What is consertist.com?

consertist.com is a rogue website identical to primosearch.com, deloton.com, aptitudemedia.co, and many others. This site redirects to various other suspicious websites.

Furthermore, users often visit consertist.com inadvertently - they are redirected by various potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) that infiltrate systems without permission. Research also shows that, as well as causing redirects, potentially unwanted programs deliver 'malvertising' ads, record user-system information, and stealthily run unwanted processes.

Following infiltration, potentially unwanted programs randomly open new browser tabs/windows and redirect users to consertist.com. After visiting this site, they encounter several (usually 2 or 3) consecutive redirects to other suspicious sites. There is a high probability that these sites will contain malicious content.

These redirects can result in high-risk computer infections. As mentioned above, PUPs deliver various malicious ads (such as banners, coupons, pop-ups, etc.) To achieve this, developers employ various tools that enable placement of third party graphical content on any site. Therefore, intrusive ads often conceal underlying content.

In addition, some of these ads might lead to malicious websites and/or execute scripts that download and install malware. Clicking them can also result in various computer infections. Another downside is information tracking.

Most PUPs record various user-system information (for example, IP addresses, queries entered into search engines, website URLs visited, pages viewed, keystrokes, geo-locations, etc.) that might be personally identifiable. This information is sold to third parties (mostly, for marketing purposes).

Some PUPs are also known to perform various background tasks (such as mining cryptocurrency) without users' consent. By misusing computer resources, PUPs significantly diminish overall performance. These actions are performed only to generate revenue for the developers.

PUPs pose a direct threat to your privacy and Internet browsing safety. For these reasons, we strongly advise users to eliminate them immediately.

Threat Summary:

Name	consertist.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. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

There are hundreds of potentially unwanted programs that share many similarities. Most offer various "useful features", however, these claims are merely attempts to give the impression of legitimacy. In fact, only a small percentage of potentially unwanted programs provide the functionality promised.

The only purpose of these programs is to generate revenue for the developers. Rather than (or, in very few cases, together with) providing "useful features", PUPs cause unwanted redirects (thereby promoting suspicious websites), deliver malicious ads (via the "Pay Per Click" advertising model), record various user-system information, and misuse system resources.

How did adware install on my computer?

Although some PUPs have official download websites, most are proliferated using a deceptive marketing method called "bundling", and via the aforementioned ads. Therefore, PUPs often infiltrate systems without permission, or users install them inadvertently without their consent. Bundling is stealth installation of third party software together with regular (usually free) apps.

Developers know that users often rush the download/installation processes and skip steps. Aware of this, developers hide "bundled" programs (usually within the "Custom/Advanced" settings). By skipping download/installation steps and clicking ads, users often expose their systems to risk of infection and compromise their privacy.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

The main reasons for computer infections are poor knowledge and careless behavior. Therefore, never rush when downloading/installing software and be very cautious when browsing the Internet in general. Carefully analyze each window of the download/installation dialogs and opt-out of all additionally-included programs.

Third party download/installation tools are monetized using the "bundling" method (they promote other software). Therefore, these tools should never be used. Furthermore, malicious ads usually appear legitimate, however, they are distinguishable for their redirects - they usually lead to survey, adult dating, pornography, gambling, and other similar suspicious sites.

If you encounter such ads, uninstall all suspicious applications and browser plug-ins. 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:
▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

Quick menu:

• What is consertist.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 consertist.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 consertist.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 consertist.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 consertist.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 consertist.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.

Post a comment:
If you have additional information on consertist.com pop-up or it's removal please share your knowledge in the comments section below.

▼ Show Discussion