Special-offers.online POP-UP Redirect
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What is Special-offers.online?
Special-offers.online is a rogue website identical to karonty.com, ifortunne.com, click-now-on.me, and many others. Websites of this type cause redirects to other untrustworthy sites, and in most cases, the Special-offers.online site itself is often visited inadvertently - users are redirected to it by potentially unwanted programs (PUPs).
As a rule, PUPs are installed inadvertently and tend to deliver various intrusive ads, collect information, and misuse system resources.
When installed, potentially unwanted programs force browsers to open new windows/tabs, and cause redirects to the Special-offers.online site. From here, users are redirected to other (typically to 2 or 3 ) untrustworthy and potentially malicious websites that might contain malicious content. Visiting these sites can result in high-risk computer infections.
Furthermore, PUPs deploy unwanted, intrusive ads (coupons, banners, surveys, pop-ups, etc.) displayed via tools that enable placement of third party graphical content on any site and conceal underlying content.
Once clicked, the ads can also redirect to untrustworthy websites - some even execute scripts that download and install potentially unwanted programs (possibly, malicious). As mentioned above, PUPs track/record information - they collect data such as IP (Internet Protocol) addresses, search queries, visited websites, keystrokes, geo-locations, etc.
This information is often shared with third parties (potentially cyber criminals) to generate revenue. Information tracking can lead to serious privacy issues or even identity theft. Furthermore, some PUPs misuse computer resources by running background tasks, thereby reducing computer performance. You are strongly advised to remove these programs immediately.
Name | Special-offers.online 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. |
Most potentially unwanted programs are identical and share the same goals: to generate revenue by delivering various intrusive ads, cause unwanted redirects, and collect user-system information.
Developers often trick users into downloading them by offering various "useful" features or tools, however, most PUPs do not provide the functionality promised and provide no real value for regular users.
How did adware install on my computer?
Potentially unwanted programs can be downloaded from their official websites, however, most users install them inadvertently through intrusive ads or together with regular software. Developers often use a deceptive marketing method called "bundling" to stealthily install potentially unwanted programs with regular software.
They rarely disclose these installations properly and hide bundled programs in "Custom", "Advanced", and other similar sections of the installation processes. Developers are aware that many users skip installation steps (or click intrusive ads) and use this to their advantage. Thus, careless behaviour often leads to installation of potentially unwanted programs.
How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?
To avoid these installations, download software from official/trustworthy websites and use direct links only. Avoid using third party software downloaders/installers - these programs are often monetized by promoting various potentially unwanted programs.
Do not skip software installation steps - check all available settings (such as "Custom", "Advanced" and other similar settings) and opt-out of/deselect unwanted offers. Look for checkboxes that are ticked by default, since these are often used to cause inadvertent installations.
Avoid clicking on intrusive ads - they often seem legitimate and legitimate, however, they often cause unwanted redirects to gambling, pornography, adult dating, and other similar untrustworthy sites. If you have accidentally clicked one of these ads, close opened browser tabs/windows and check if there are any new plug-ins, add-ons, or extensions installed on your browser.
Also check for anyone unwanted programs installed on your computer. If you happen to find any, uninstall/remove them immediately. If your computer is already infected with rogue applications, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate them.
Appearance of special-offers.online website:
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 Special-offers.online?
- 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 Special-offers.online 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 special-offers.online 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 special-offers.online 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 special-offers.online 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 special-offers.online 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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