Remove redirects to and from the central-messages.com website

What is central-messages[.]com?

central-messages[.]com is a rogue website designed to feed users with dubious content and redirect them to other untrustworthy sites. It is virtually identical to news-easy.com, forryortitwas.info, chanelets-aurning.com, and many others.

Research shows that users typically visit central-messages[.]com inadvertently - they are redirected by potentially unwanted applications (PUAs) and intrusive advertisements encountered on other sites. PUAs often infiltrate computers without users' consent. As well as causing redirects, they deploy intrusive advertisements and gather information relating to browsing activity.

PUAs force-open new browser tabs/windows and redirect to central-messages[.]com, which then determines the visitor's geolocation by checking the IP address. This is to ascertain whether the user should be redirected elsewhere or presented with certain dubious content (sometimes central-messages[.]com does both).

In any case, users might end up encountering malicious content. Thus, visiting central-messages[.]com can lead to various system infections. Note that intrusive advertisements (coupons, banners, pop-ups, and similar) usually redirect to dubious websites. Some even execute scripts that download/install unwanted applications.

Therefore, even a single accidental click might result in system infections. Furthermore, intrusive ads are often delivered using tools that allow placement of third party graphical content on any site. Therefore, they often conceal underlying content, thereby significantly diminishing the browsing experience.

Another important issue is information tracking. PUAs gather IP addresses, website URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries, and other similar data relating to browsing activity. The data often includes personal details that developers share with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) who misuse private information to generate revenue.

Therefore, information tracking can lead to serious privacy issues or even identity theft. All potentially unwanted applications should be uninstalled immediately.

Threat Summary:

Name	central-messages.com pop-up
Threat Type	Push notifications ads, Unwanted ads, Pop-up ads
Serving IP Address	172.64.199.20
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.

Research shows that there are hundreds of PUAs, all of which share many similarities . By offering many "useful features, they attempt to give the impression of legitimacy and trick users to install. In fact, they have just one purpose: to generate revenue for the developers.

Rather than giving any real value for regular users, PUAs cause redirects, gather information, and deliver intrusive advertisements.

How did adware install on my computer?

A small percentage of unwanted applications have official download/promotion sites, however, most are distributed using "bundling" and intrusive advertising methods. "Bundling" is essentially stealth installation of third party applications together with regular software. Developers know that users often rush when downloading and installing software.

Therefore, "bundled" apps are intentionally hidden behind "Custom/Advanced" settings (or other sections) of the download/installation processes. Furthermore, many users carelessly rush download/installation processes and skip download/installation steps - this often leads to inadvertent installation of rogue programs.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

To prevent this situation, be very cautious when browsing the Internet and downloading/installing software. Carefully analyze each window of the download/installation dialogs using the "Custom" or "Advanced" settings. Opt-out of additionally-included programs and decline offers to download/install them.

Avoid using third party downloaders/installers, since they often include rogue applications. Software should be downloaded from official sources only, preferably using direct download links. Third party downloaders/installers often include rogue apps and, therefore, using these tools is risky. Bear in mind that intrusive advertisements typically seem legitimate.

Once clicked, however, they redirect to dubious websites such as gambling, adult dating, pornography, and similar.

If you experience these ads/redirects, remove all suspicious applications and browser plug-ins. The key to computer safety is caution. 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 central-messages[.]com website (GIF)

Appearance of central-messages[.]com website on Mac computers (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 central-messages.com 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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