How to remove apps causing redirects to private-message.live

What is private-message[.]live?

Sharing many similarities with download-app.net, omarona.com, mekiroki.com, and countless others, private-message[.]live is a rogue website. It is designed to present visitors with dubious material and redirect them to other untrusted/malicious pages.

Users seldom access these sites intentionally - most are redirected to them by intrusive ads or installed Potentially Unwanted Applications (PUAs). These apps do not need explicit permission to be installed onto systems, and thus users may be unaware of their presence.

PUAs operate by causing redirects, running intrusive advertisement campaigns, and collecting browsing-related information.

When accessed, private-message[.]live first checks visitors' IP (Internet Protocol) addresses to learn their geolocations. This data is crucial to determining the site's further course of action. I.e., whether visitors are redirected elsewhere and/or are presented with dubious content depends on their geolocations.

Additionally, most rogue websites use deceptive tactics (e.g., clickbait, fake CAPTCHA verification, etc.) to trick visitors into enabling their browser notifications. Should the private-message[.]live page's notifications be allowed, it starts running intrusive advertisement campaigns.

The delivered ads are more than just a nuisance, they are also dangerous. These ads promote various rogue, untrusted, sale-based, deceptive/scam, compromised, and malicious websites. Furthermore, intrusive advertisements can be triggered (when clicked) to execute scripts designed to download/install software (e.g., PUAs) without users' consent.

PUAs can have different dangerous functionality, and the functions can be in varied combinations. For example, these apps can force-open sites and deliver intrusive ad campaigns.

Most PUAs have data tracking capabilities as well. They can record browsing activity (URLs visited, web pages viewed, search queries typed, etc.) and gather sensitive information extracted from it (IP addresses, geolocations, and personally identifiable details). The collected data is then shared with and/or sold to third-parties (potentially, cyber criminals).

To summarize, the presence of unwanted software on devices can result in system infections, financial loss, serious privacy issues, and even identity theft. Therefore, it is crucial to remove all suspicious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins immediately upon detection.

Threat Summary:

Name	private-message.live pop-up
Threat Type	Push notifications ads, Unwanted ads, Pop-up ads
Serving IP Address	213.227.149.216
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.

PUAs may seem legitimate and harmless, and users are lured into download/installation and purchase with offers of various features, however, the functionality seldom work as advertised, and, in most cases, do not work at all.

The sole purpose of PUAs is to generate revenue for the developers. PUAs cause redirects, deliver intrusive advertisement campaigns, and collect private data.

How did adware 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 to research all software before download/installation or purchase. All downloads must be done from official and verified sources, since dubious channels such as unofficial and free file-hosting websites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks and other third party downloaders commonly offer deceptive or bundled content.

When downloading/installing, read the terms, explore all possible options, use the "Custom/Advanced" settings and opt-out of supplementary apps, tools, features, etc. Intrusive ads may seem normal and harmless, however, they can redirect to various dubious web pages (e.g. gambling, pornography, adult-dating, and many others).

If you encounter ads or redirects of this kind, inspect the system and remove any suspicious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins 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.

Screenshots of advertisements delivered by the private-message[.]live website:

Appearance of the private-message[.]live 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 private-message.live 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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