Cobalten.com POP-UP Redirect

What is cobalten.com?

cobalten.com is a rogue site similar to onclickbright.com, pttsite.com, obeyter.com, and many others. It cause redirects to various other untrustworthy (potentially, malicious) websites. Many visitors arrive at cobalten.com inadvertently - they are redirected by potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) or advertisements delivered by other rogue sites.

In most cases, PUPs infiltrate systems without permission and, as well as causing redirects, generate intrusive ads and gather sensitive information.

Potentially unwanted programs open new browser tabs/windows and redirect users to cobalten.com Immediately after visiting this site, they encounter a number (typically 2-3) of successive redirects to other deceptive sites, at least one of which is likely to contain malicious content.

Therefore, redirects to/from cobalten.com can result in various computer infections. With regard to redirects, potentially unwanted programs also generate ads that redirect to dubious websites and may even execute scripts that stealthily download/install malware. Therefore, clicking them can also result in high-risk computer infections.

Note also that intrusive ads are delivered using tools that enable placement of third party graphical content on any visited site. Therefore, they often conceal underlying content, significantly diminishing the web browsing experience. Information tracking is also an issue. Most PUPs gather information such as IP addresses, URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries, and so on.

The data usually includes personal information. Therefore, data tracking can lead to serious privacy issues or even identity theft. You are strongly advised to eliminate all potentially unwanted programs immediately.

Threat Summary:

Name	cobalten.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 PUPs, all of which are virtually identical. Most claim to enable "useful features", however, these programs deliver no real value for regular users - their only purpose is to generate revenue for the developers. False promises to enable functions are merely attempts to give the impression of legitimacy and trick users to install.

PUPs record sensitive data, deliver advertisements, and cause redirects, thereby posing a direct threat to your privacy and Internet browsing safety.

How did adware install on my computer?

Some PUPs are free for anyone to download on their official websites, however, due to the lack of knowledge and careless behavior of many users, they often infiltrate systems without permission.

Research shows that many PUPs are distributed using a deceptive marketing method called "bundling" (stealth installation of unwanted software with regular apps) together with intrusive advertisements. Developers do not disclose installation of PUP properly.

They conceal all information within "Custom/Advanced" or other sections of the download/installation processes. Furthermore, many users are likely to skip these steps and click various advertisements - behavior that often leads to inadvertent installation of potentially unwanted programs. This exposes systems to risk of various infections and compromises users' privacy.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

To prevent system infiltration by PUPs, pay close attention when browsing the Internet and downloading/installing software. Developers invest many resources into intrusive ad design, thereby making them seem legitimate. In fact, they often redirect to untrustworthy sites (gambling, adult dating, and similar).

If you experience these redirects, immediately eliminate dubious applications and browser plug-ins. Furthermore, analyze each window of the download/installation processes using the "Custom" or "Advanced" settings. During the procedure, opt-out of all additionally-included programs and decline offers to download/install them.

You are advised to download software from official sources only, using direct download links. Third party download/installation tools should never be used, since developers monetize them by "bundling" PUPs. The key to computer safety is caution.

If your computer is already infected with cobalten.com, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate this adware.

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 cobalten.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 cobalten.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 cobalten.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 and remove them.

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the cobalten.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 cobalten.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 cobalten.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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