Avoid visiting/using the untrusted zooqle.com download website

What is zooqle[.]com?

zooqle[.]com is an untrusted P2P (Peer-to-Peer) sharing website, which allows users to share content through torrent files. In fact, this site infringes copyright laws and uses rogue advertising networks. Therefore, visitors to this website are redirected to other dubious, deceptive and malicious sites.

This is a common monetization tactic employed by torrents and other dubious sites. Additionally, web pages such as zooqle[.]com are known to offer Trojans, ransomware and other malware for download, disguised as, or bundled with, normal software and/or media files. You are strongly advised against using zooqle[.]com or other untrusted download sources.

Websites that use rogue advertising networks can display ads and contain hidden links that redirect to other untrusted, sale-based, deceptive/scam, compromised and malicious web pages. Therefore, direct or indirect interaction with material displayed on zooqle[.]com (and others akin to it) can lead to serious issues originating from the site, or the ones to which it redirects.

Furthermore, the intrusive advertisements (e.g. pop-ups, banners, coupons, etc.) present in web pages employing rogue advertising networks can be triggered to stealthily download/install content. When clicked, these ads can execute scripts designed to download/install software without users' permission.

Potentially Unwanted Applications (PUAs) are a prime example of content infiltrated into systems in this manner. They can have varied capabilities and cause a likewise broad range of problems. These unwanted apps can force-open dubious and malicious websites.

Another type, classified as adware, can run intrusive advertisement campaigns - they enable the placement of rogue ads on any visited site. The delivered intrusive advertisements can also cause the problems associated with PUAs.

Other PUAs called browser hijackers can reassign the homepage, default search engine and new tab/window URLs to addresses of bogus search engines. This forces people to use the promoted fake search engines, which are rarely capable of generating unique results.

These bogus search tools tend to redirect to Google, Yahoo, Bing and other genuine search engines. Browser hijackers also restrict/deny access to the affected browser settings and reset any permitted changes made. Furthermore, most PUAs (adware and browser hijackers included) can track data.

They can monitor browsing activity (browsing and search engine histories) and collect personal information (IP addresses, geolocations and other details). The gathered data is typically monetized by sharing with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) intent on misusing it for profit.

Therefore, PUAs can cause system infiltration and infections, lead to financial loss, serious privacy issues and even identity theft. To ensure device and user safety, remove all suspicious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins immediately upon detection.

Threat Summary:

Name	Ads by zooqle.com
Threat Type	Push notifications ads, Unwanted ads, Pop-up ads.
Serving IP Address	104.26.15.84
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.

eztv.io, thepiratebay.org and limetorrents.info are some examples of other torrent websites similar to zooqle[.]com. P2P sites are not the only ones that employ rogue advertising networks - savethevideo.com, kissanime, bc.vc, and mycouchtuner are just some other examples. Due to the many risks posed by these websites, you are strongly advised to avoid them.

How did adware install on my computer?

PUAs are often downloaded/installed inadvertently by people, or infiltrated into systems without their knowledge. The most common proliferation technique of these applications is via the download/install set-ups of other products. This deceptive marketing method of pre-packing regular software with unwanted or malicious additions is called "bundling".

Rushing download/installation processes (e.g. ignoring terms, skipping steps and sections, etc.) increases the risk of unintentionally allowing bundled content onto devices, despite the presence of any opt-out options. Some PUAs have "official" download web pages. When clicked, intrusive ads can execute scripts to stealthily download/install PUAs.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

You are strongly advised to use official and verified download channels. Peer-to-Peer sharing networks (Torrent clients, eMule, Gnutella, etc.), free file-hosting (freeware) sites and other third party downloaders are untrusted and can offer deceptive/bundled content.

When downloading/installing, it is important to read the terms, study all possible options, use the "Custom/Advanced" settings and opt-out of all supplementary apps, tools, features and other additions. Exercise caution when browsing - avoid dubious web pages and ads.

Intrusive advertisements usually seem legitimate and normal, however, they can redirect to dubious web pages (e.g. gambling, pornography, adult-dating, etc.).

If you encounter these ads/redirects, check the system and immediately eliminate all suspect applications and browser extensions/plug-ins. 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 zooqle[.]com 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 zooqle[.]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 applications, select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".

After uninstalling the potentially unwanted application that causes zooqle[.]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 ads by zooqle.com, 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 ads by zooqle.com, 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 ads by zooqle.com 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 ads by zooqle.com, 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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