How to remove apps that promote department.limited and similar sites

What is department[.]limited?

department[.]limited cannot be trusted because it attempts to trick users into believing that their devices are infected, and into downloading a potentially unwanted application (PUA), which will supposedly remove detected threats.

Typically, users do not visit websites such as department[.]limited intentionally - they are promoted via deceptive ads, other dubious web pages, and certain PUAs.

There are different versions/variants of the department[.]limited website in English, German, and Russian.

The main purpose of all department[.]limited versions/variants is to trick visitors into believing that this website has detected a number of viruses on their devices. Unless visitors remove them, the viruses will supposedly cause serious damage (data loss, issues relating to online privacy, and so on).

To remove the viruses, visitors are encouraged to use a specific app, which can be downloaded by following instructions provided on department[.]limited. At the time of research, this page offered download of an app called VPN Jungle Protect, however, it is likely that it could be used to promote other apps as well.

As mentioned, these sites are often promoted via PUAs, which can also generate ads and gather data.

They usually target IP addresses, websites of visited pages, entered search queries, geolocations, etc., however, it is possible that they will also access private, sensitive details. The data is monetized by selling it to third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) or in another ways. PUAs can generate coupons, banners, surveys, pop-ups, and other ads that, if clicked, open untrusted websites or even cause download/installation of unwanted applications.

Threat Summary:

Name	department.limited pop-up
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Mac malware, Mac virus
Fake Claim	iPhone is infected with malware, viruses
Serving IP Address	136.243.81.39
Promoted Unwanted Application	VPN Jungle Protect
Symptoms	Your Mac becomes slower than normal, you see unwanted pop-up ads, you are redirected to dubious websites.
Distribution methods	Deceptive pop-up ads, free software installers (bundling), fake Flash Player installers, torrent file downloads.
Damage	Internet browser tracking (potential privacy issues), display of unwanted ads, redirects to dubious websites, loss of private information.
Malware Removal (Mac)	To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your Mac with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner for Mac To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. Limited seven days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

There are many sites similar to department[.]limited including, for example, spaceshellvpn[.]com, peachlandeu[.]com and moderation-support[.]network. Despite their differences, all are designed to deceive visitors into downloading and installing potentially unwanted applications.

They may seem like official pages, however, neither Apple nor other legitimate companies have anything do to with these bogus web pages.

How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?

PUAs are distributed via download/installation set-ups of other products. This deceptive marketing tactic of packing regular software with unwanted or malicious additions is called "bundling".

Rushing download/installation processes (e.g. ignoring terms, skipping steps and settings, etc.) increases the risk of inadvertently allowing bundled content into the system.

Some PUAs have "official" download sites. Intrusive advertisements proliferate these applications as well. Once clicked, they can execute scripts to download/install PUAs without users' consent.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

You are advised not to use Peer-to-Peer networks (such as eMule, torrent clients, etc.), unofficial websites, third party downloaders, installers, etc. to download or install software or files. Use official pages and direct links.

Check download/installation set-ups for settings such as "Advanced", "Manual, or "Custom" (or include certain checkboxes) and decline offers to download or install unwanted apps before completing the process.

Additionally, do not trust or click advertisements that are displayed on dubious web pages - they can open other rogue sites or cause unwanted downloads and installations.

Remove any suspicious or unknown extensions, add-ons and plug-ins installed on the browser. The same applies to software of this kind that is installed on the operating system.

If your computer is already infected with PUAs, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate them.

Text in the pop-up window of the English department[.]limited version:

(1) SYSTEM NOTIFICATION
Please Read Important Notification Regarding Your iOS Device.
OK

Screenshot of the background page of this version:

Text in this page:

Apple Security Tuesday
29 December 2020
(3) Viruses has been detected on your iPhone and battery has been infected and damaged.

If you do not remove this malware now, it may cause more damage to your device. How to fix this:

Step 1: Tap the button below & install the recommended virus protection tool for free from the AppStore.

Step 2: Run the app to remove all malware to repair your phone to 100%
1 minutes and 49 seconds
Install & Remove Virus
Detected By Apple.

Screenshot of the pop-up window of the German department[.]limited version:

Text in this pop-up window:

IHR IPHONE WURDE KOMPROMITTIERT
Sofortiges Handeln ist erforderlich!
OK

Screenshot of the background page of this version:

Text in this page:

Apple Security Dienstag
29 Dezember 2020
Auf Ihrem iPhone wurden (3) Viren erkannt und der Akku wurde infiziert und beschädigt.

Wenn Sie die Malware jetzt nicht entfernen, kann dies zu weiteren Schäden an Ihrem Gerät führen. So beheben Sie das Problem:

Schritt 1: Tippen Sie auf die Schaltfläche unten und installieren Sie das empfohlene Virenschutz-Tool kostenlos im App Store.

Schritt 2: Führen Sie die App aus, um alle Malware zu entfernen und Ihr Smartphone zu 100 % zu reparieren.
1 minuten und 57 sekunden
Virus entfernen
Von Apple erkannt.

Screenshot of a second variant of the department[.]limited page:

Text in this page:

VPN Update
Please Download The Free VPN App and Continue Watching in safe mode

Screenshot of the app that is promoted through this variant:

Screenshot of the Russian variant of the department[.]limited page:

Text in this variant:

ВНИМАНИЕ!
Ваш Apple iPhone серьезно пострадал от 14 вирусов!
Мы определили, что ТРОЯНСКИЕ ВРЕДОНОСНЫЕ ПРОГРАММЫ ПОВРЕДИЛИ ваш браузер на (50.9%). Ваш телефон был заражен во время посещения сайтов злоумышленников.
Для предотвращения распространения вируса и заражения важной для вас информации, а также доступа к учетной записи в Facebook, сообщениям и фотографиям в WhatsApp, также к вашим личным приложениям, требуется немедленное действие.
Вот, что нужно сделать, чтобы решить данную проблему всего за несколько секунд (пошаговая инструкция)
Шаг 1: Нажмите УДАЛИТЬ ВИРУС, чтобы установить VPN из App Store.
Шаг 2: Запустите приложение, чтобы активировать последнее обновление и удалить старые (зараженные) версии приложения.
Удалить вирус

Another example of a pop-up scam delivered by department.limited:

Text presented within:

Pop-up:

 

YOUR IPHONE HAS BEEN COMPROMISED
Immediate Action Is Required!
OK

Background:

 

Apple Security

Friday
22 January 2021
WARNING! Your Apple iPhone is severely damaged by 13 viruses!

We have detected that your Browser is (62%) DAMAGED by BROWSER TROJAN VIRUSES picked up while surfing recent corrupted sites.
Immediate action is required to prevent it from spreading and infecting sensitive data like your Facebook account, Whatsapp messages photos and private applications.

Here is how you can solve this in just a few seconds (Step by Step)

Step 1: Tap REMOVE VIRUS to install VPN from the App Store.

Step 2: Open the app to activate the latest update and remove any older (Infected) versions.
1 minutes and 53 seconds
Remove Virus
Detected By Apple.

To enable pop-up blocking, fraudulent website warnings, and remove web browsing data in mobile Apple devices, follow these steps:

First, go to "Settings", and then scroll down to find and tap "Safari".

Check if the "Block Pop-ups" and "Fraudulent Website Warning" toggles are enabled. If not, enable them immediately. Then, scroll down and tap "Advanced".

Tap "Website Data" and then "Remove All Website Data".

Instant automatic Mac 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 Mac malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner for Mac 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. Limited seven 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 department[.]limited?
• STEP 1. Remove PUA related files and folders from OSX.
• STEP 2. Remove rogue extensions from Safari.
• STEP 3. Remove rogue add-ons from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove potentially unwanted plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox.

Video showing how to remove adware and browser hijackers from a Mac computer:

Potentially unwanted applications removal:

Remove potentially unwanted applications from your "Applications" folder:

Click the Finder icon. In the Finder window, select "Applications". In the applications folder, look for "MPlayerX", "NicePlayer", or other suspicious applications and drag them to the Trash. After removing the potentially unwanted application(s) that cause online ads, scan your Mac for any remaining unwanted components.

Remove adware-related files and folders

Click the Finder icon, from the menu bar. Choose Go, and click Go to Folder...

Check for adware generated files in the /Library/LaunchAgents/ folder:

In the Go to Folder... bar, type: /Library/LaunchAgents/

In the "LaunchAgents" folder, look for any recently-added suspicious files and move them to the Trash. Examples of files generated by adware - "installmac.AppRemoval.plist", "myppes.download.plist", "mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist", "kuklorest.update.plist", etc. Adware commonly installs several files with the exact same string.

Check for adware generated files in the ~/Library/Application Support/ folder:

In the Go to Folder... bar, type: ~/Library/Application Support/

In the "Application Support" folder, look for any recently-added suspicious folders. For example, "MplayerX" or "NicePlayer", and move these folders to the Trash.

Check for adware generated files in the ~/Library/LaunchAgents/ folder:

In the Go to Folder... bar, type: ~/Library/LaunchAgents/

In the "LaunchAgents" folder, look for any recently-added suspicious files and move them to the Trash. Examples of files generated by adware - "installmac.AppRemoval.plist", "myppes.download.plist", "mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist", "kuklorest.update.plist", etc. Adware commonly installs several files with the exact same string.

Check for adware generated files in the /Library/LaunchDaemons/ folder:

In the "Go to Folder..." bar, type: /Library/LaunchDaemons/

In the "LaunchDaemons" folder, look for recently-added suspicious files. For example "com.aoudad.net-preferences.plist", "com.myppes.net-preferences.plist", "com.kuklorest.net-preferences.plist", "com.avickUpd.plist", etc., and move them to the Trash.

Scan your Mac with Combo Cleaner:

If you have followed all the steps correctly, your Mac should be clean of infections. To ensure your system is not infected, run a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus. Download it HERE. After downloading the file, double click combocleaner.dmg installer. In the opened window, drag and drop the Combo Cleaner icon on top of the Applications icon. Now open your launchpad and click on the Combo Cleaner icon. Wait until Combo Cleaner updates its virus definition database and click the "Start Combo Scan" button.

Combo Cleaner will scan your Mac for malware infections. If the antivirus scan displays "no threats found" - this means that you can continue with the removal guide; otherwise, it's recommended to remove any found infections before continuing.

After removing files and folders generated by the adware, continue to remove rogue extensions from your Internet browsers.

Remove malicious extensions from Internet browsers

Remove malicious Safari extensions:

Open the Safari browser, from the menu bar, select "Safari" and click "Preferences...".

In the preferences window, select "Extensions" and look for any recently-installed suspicious extensions. When located, click the "Uninstall" button next to it/them. Note that you can safely uninstall all extensions from your Safari browser - none are crucial for regular browser operation.

• If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Safari.

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 extensions, select these entries and click "Remove".

• If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Google Chrome.

Remove malicious extensions from Mozilla Firefox:

Click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window) and select "Add-ons and themes". Click "Extensions", in the opened window locate all recently-installed suspicious extensions, click on the three dots and then click "Remove".

• If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Mozilla Firefox.

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