How to uninstall software force-opening the special-for.me website?

What is the special-for[.]me site?

Special-for[.]me is a rogue website that loads questionable content and/or redirects visitors to other (likely unreliable or malicious) pages. The Internet is rife with such sites; thehotposts.com, goodsurvey.site, hereforthejob.top, and captchaverifier.top are a few examples.

Users usually enter rogue webpages via redirects caused by untrustworthy websites, intrusive ads, or installed PUAs (Potentially Unwanted Applications).

Special-for[.]me in detail

How special-for[.]me behaves depends on its visitors' IP addresses/geolocations. In other words, this information determines whether users are presented with dubious material and/or get redirected elsewhere. What is more, special-for[.]me uses deceptive instructions - "Press 'Allow' to watch the video" - to trick visitors into enabling their browser notifications.

Should the notifications be allowed, the webpage will start running intrusive advertisement campaigns. Intrusive ads endorse various sale-based, untrustworthy, scam, and malicious websites. Some of these adverts can stealthily download/install software (e.g., PUAs) - when they are clicked on.

Threat Summary:

Name	special-for.me pop-up
Threat Type	Push notifications ads, Unwanted ads, Pop-up ads
Detection Names	alphaMountain.ai (Suspicious), Fortinet (Spam), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Observed Domains	b8q5n.special-for[.]me; uoxte.special-for[.]me; yxzhj.special-for[.]me; kgbx4.special-for[.]me; l2scq.special-for[.]me; e906b.special-for[.]me; acwts.special-for[.]me; 0than.special-for[.]me; b8tyb.special-for[.]me; khwio.special-for[.]me; wmvqs.special-for[.]me; 483bt.special-for[.]me; etc.
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.

Potentially unwanted application overview

PUAs pose a threat to device and user safety. They appear ordinary and offer "handy" functionalities. However, the advertised features are seldom operational. Unwanted apps can cause redirects (e.g., to special-for[.]me), deliver intrusive advertisement campaigns, collect private data, and so on.

The presence of PUAs on systems can lead to system infections, severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft. Therefore, it is crucial to remove all suspect applications and browser extensions/plug-ins immediately upon detection.

How did adware install on my computer?

PUAs are proliferated through the "bundling" marketing method - packing regular programs with unwanted/malicious additions. Rushed download/installation processes increase the risk of allowing bundled content into the system. Intrusive adverts spread PUAs as well. Once clicked on, the ads can execute scripts to download/install these applications without user permission. Some PUAs also have "official" promotional/download sites.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

It is recommended to research software and download only from official/trustworthy channels. Dubious sources, e.g., unofficial and free file-hosting websites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks, and other third-party downloaders - commonly offer bundled content.

When downloading/installing, it is advised to read terms, study possible options, use the "Custom/Advanced" settings to opt-out from all additions. Intrusive ads appear legitimate; however, they redirect to questionable sites (e.g., gambling, pornography, adult-dating, etc.).

In case of encounters with such advertisements and/or redirects, the system must be checked and all suspicious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins detected - removed from it without delay. 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 ads delivered by the special-for[.]me website:

Appearance of the special-for[.]me 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-for.me 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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