How to recognize scams like advanced-checker.com?

What is advanced-checker[.]com website?

Websites like advanced-checker[.]com often use scare tactics to trick visitors into downloading (and installing) a potentially unwanted application (PUA). Most of them display fake virus notifications suggesting that a device is infected. Advanced-checker[.]com offers visitors to clean up their phones.

Advanced-checker[.]com in detail

There are at least two variants of pop-ups that advanced-checker[.]com can display. Both of them offer visitors to install a PUA that is supposed to clean up iPhones to make them work faster. It is possible that advanced-checker[.]com is used to promote adware, browser hijacker, or some other potentially unwanted application.

Threat Summary:

Name	advanced-checker.com pop-up
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Mac malware, Mac virus
Fake Claim	iPhone could work faster after cleaning it with the downloaded application
Detection Names	ESET (Malware), Full List (VirusTotal)
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.

Advanced-checker[.]com in general

It is strongly recommended not to trust advanced-checker[.]com. This page is likely to be promoted through other untrustworthy pages, shady advertisements, or PUAs (it is unlikely for this page to be opened intentionally). More examples of similar sites are nicyaboyenan[.]com, secure-support[.]space, and track-app[.]fun.

How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?

Users cause unwanted downloads and installations through deceptive ads that can run certain scripts or downloaders and installers for other programs or fake installers. In the second case, users download, install PUAs when they leave checkboxes ticked or "Custom", "Advanced" and other similar settings unchanged.

Most fake installers are downloaded from deceptive websites. Advertisements that can cause unexpected downloads or installations are displayed on dubious, potentially malicious sites.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

Unwanted downloads and installations can be avoided by downloading apps and files from official websites and via direct links. Also, it can be done by checking "Custom", "Advanced" and other similar settings of downloaders or installers before downloading or installing programs.

Additionally, it is recommended not to click on ads that appear on questionable pages (for example, on adult sites). 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 first advanced-checker[.]com variant:

Apple iPhone cleanup might be required!
Your Apple iPhone might be slowed down and your battery may discharges quickly.

Please clean your phone memory to solve this problem and increase speed.

Install recommended app for FREE to clean your Apple iPhone immediately!

Cancel
Install

Screenshot of the second advanced-checker[.]com variant:

Text in this  variant:

Cleaner Update for Apple is Recommended!
Your phone mobile can work faster, we released a Cleaner update, and it is recommended for every phone.

If you do not upgrade, your mobile might be slowed down and your battery may discharge quickly.

Update now for FREE to clean and boost your Apple immediately!

5 minutes 52 seconds

CANCEL
UPDATE NOW

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 advanced-checker[.]com?
• 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.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is a pop-up scam?

A pop-up scam is a fake system, virus, or another notification designed to trick users into downloading questionable software, providing personal information, or performing other actions.

What is the purpose of a pop-up scam?

Most pop-up scams are used to proliferate malicious software, extract sensitive information or for other purposes. Gathered information could be sold used for illegal activities (for example, to steal identities).

Why do I encounter fake pop-ups?

Pop-up scams are delivered by untrustworthy websites that users open unintentionally. It is common for these scams to be opened by present malicious applications or through sites that use questionable advertising networks.

Will Combo Cleaner protect me from pop-up scams?

Combo Cleaner can scan all websites that users visit and detect the malicious ones. Websites delivering pop-up scams also fall under the category of malicious pages. Thus, Combo Cleaner warns users about malicious sites and restricts access to them.

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