Remove redirects to the special-news.online rogue website

What is special-news[.]online?

special-news[.]online is virtually identical to hundreds of other rogue websites such as redtext[.]biz, ciessimple[.]pro, and storynnews[.]com.

Once opened, the site redirects visitors to other untrusted websites or displays dubious content. Typically, sites such as special-news[.]online are opened by PUAs (potentially unwanted apps) and most people do not visit them intentionally. Furthermore, PUAs display intrusive ads and collect browsing data.

PUAs open rogue websites (in this case, special-news[.]online) in new browser windows or tabs. When opened, special-news[.]online causes additional redirects and opens about two or three other untrustworthy sites that could be malicious. Rather than opening these sites, however, it might alternatively display dubious content.

The actions of special-news[.]online depend on the user's geolocation. In any case, visiting this web page might lead to computer infections with malicious software. PUAs also show unwanted, intrusive advertisements - usually coupons, banners, surveys, pop-ups, etc.

Clicking them risks being redirected to dubious sites or causing download/installation of unwanted applications. PUAs often record browsing data such as users' geolocations, IP address, URLs of opened web pages, entered search queries, etc. Some collect personal, sensitive details.

All data is shared with other people (potentially, cyber criminals) who misuse it to generate revenue. People with PUAs installed on their systems might thus experience problems with privacy and browsing safety. We advise you to uninstall all PUAs immediately.

Threat Summary:

Name	special-news.online pop-up
Threat Type	Push notifications ads, Unwanted ads, Pop-up ads
Detection Names	Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address	213.227.145.147
Observed Domains	wqlbv.special-news[.]online, cjxgp.special-news[.]online, 55nh1.special-news[.]online, vvqai.special-news[.]online, qgpjc.special-news[.]online, b78tf.special-news[.]online, r9i15.special-news[.]online, fvq1e.special-news[.]online, r62dr.special-news[.]online
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, potentially unwanted applications (adware)
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 many PUAs online, however, most operate as information tracking tools, cause redirects to dubious sites, and display advertisements. People who download these apps usually expect them to be legitimate and useful (as developers promote), however, they cause only problems.

How did adware install on my computer?

Most users install PUAs through intrusive ads that they willingly or accidentally click, or together with other software. PUAs are often bundled into download/installation set-ups, however, this information is not properly disclosed and hidden in "Custom", "Advanced" and other settings of software set-ups.

This is to trick people into downloading/installing PUAs through download and installation of other programs - this often works, since many people fail to check settings that are included in software setups.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

Download all software from official web pages and through direct download links. Do not use third party software installers, downloaders, Peer-to-Peer networks, and other similar channels/tools. Check "Custom", "Advanced" and other available options of any download or installation setup.

If it contains bundled apps, deselect them. Avoid visiting untrustworthy websites and never click intrusive ads displayed on them. Intrusive ads can cause redirects to possibly malicious web pages or download/installation of PUAs. To stop unwanted redirects and  intrusive ads, uninstall all unwanted extensions, add-ons, and plugins from your web browser.

The same applies to unwanted programs installed on the operating system. 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-news[.]online website (GIF):

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 special-news.online pop-up?
• STEP 1. Remove spam notifications from Google Chrome
• STEP 2. Remove spam notifications from Google Chrome (Android)
• STEP 3. Remove spam notifications from Mozilla Firefox
• STEP 4. Remove spam notifications from Microsoft Edge
• STEP 5. Remove spam notifications from Safari (macOS)

Disable unwanted browser notifications:

Video showing how to disable web browser notifications:

Remove spam notifications from Google Chrome:

Click the Menu button (three dots) on the right upper corner of the screen and select "Settings". In the opened window select "Privacy and security", then click on "Site Settings" and choose "Notifications".

In the "Allowed to send notifications" list search for websites that you want to stop receiving notifications from. Click on the three dots icon near the website URL and click "Block" or "Remove" (if you click "Remove" and visit the malicious site once more, it will ask to enable notifications again).

Remove spam notifications from Google Chrome (Android):

Tap the Menu button (three dots) on the right upper corner of the screen and select "Settings". Scroll down, tap on "Site settings" and then "Notifications".

In the opened window, locate all suspicious URLs and tap on them one-by-one. Once the pop-up shows up, select either "Block" or "Remove" (if you tap "Remove" and visit the malicious site once more, it will ask to enable notifications again).

Remove spam notifications from Mozilla Firefox:

Click the Menu button (three bars) on the right upper corner of the screen. Select "Settings" and click on "Privacy & Security" in the toolbar on the left hand side of the screen. Scroll down to the "Permissions" section and click the "Settings" button next to "Notifications".

In the opened window, locate all suspicious URLs and block them using the drop-down menu or either remove them by clicking "Remove Website" at the bottom of the window (if you click "Remove Website" and visit the malicious site once more, it will ask to enable notifications again).

Remove spam notifications from Microsoft Edge:

Click the menu button (three dots) on the right upper corner of the Edge window and select "Settings". Click on "Cookies and site permissions" in the toolbar on the left hand side of the screen and select "Notifications".

Click three dots on the right hand side of each suspicious URL under "Allow" section and click "Block" or "Remove" (if you click "Remove" and visit the malicious site once more, it will ask to enable notifications again).

Remove spam notifications from Safari (macOS):

Click "Safari" button on the left upper corner of the screen and select "Preferences...". Select the "Websites" tab and then select "Notifications" section on the left pane.

Check for suspicious URLs and apply the "Deny" option using the drop-down menu or either remove them by clicking "Remove" at the bottom of the window (if you click "Remove" and visit the malicious site once more, it will ask to enable notifications again)

How to avoid browser notification spam?

Internet users should be very skeptical when being asked to allow notifications. While this is a useful feature that allows you to receive timely news from websites you like, deceptive marketers frequently abuse it.

Only allow notifications from websites that you fully trust. For added security - use an anti-malware application with a real-time web browsing monitor to block shady websites that tries to trick you into allowing spam notifications. We recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.

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