Removal instructions for the ads displayed by gapscult.com website

What kind of page is gapscult[.]com?

Detected when our research team was investigating untrustworthy websites, gapscult[.]com is a rogue page designed to load dubious content, promote spam browser notifications, and redirect visitors to other suspect/malicious sites. Websites like gapscult[.]com are typically accessed via others that use rogue advertising networks.

Gapscult[.]com overview

It is noteworthy that what rogue webpages load/promote depends on the visitor's IP address/ geolocation. Therefore, what users see when visiting them - may vary.

When we accessed gapscult[.]com, it displayed a pop-up window with a fake CAPTCHA verification test stating - "We want to make sure that you are not a robot" and "I'm not a robot" with a checkbox beside it. Clicking the checkbox closed the pop-up, and another one appeared.

This deceptive pop-up claimed that "Windows Cleanup is recommended!" and proceeded to instruct users how to download/install an app to complete it. When we clicked the "Install" button, it redirected us to an invalid page on the Google Play store, which likely hosted a dubious application that has since been removed.

Using fake pop-ups is a common scam tactic used to promote untrustworthy and potentially harmful software. While legitimate content can be encountered through this questionable marketing, it is worth noting that legitimate developers practically never use such methods. Therefore, the promotion is undertaken by scammers abusing affiliate programs to obtain illegitimate commissions.

Furthermore, gapscult[.]com requests visitors to enable its browser notifications. If allowed, the website will begin delivering notifications/ intrusive advertisements. These ads are employed to endorse rogue and dangerous sites/software, online scams, and even malware. Should you come across genuine products through spam notifications, the previous statements concerning affiliate programs apply.

Threat Summary:

Name	Ads by gapscult.com
Threat Type	Push notifications ads, Unwanted ads, Pop-up ads
Detection Names	Avira (Phishing), CRDF (Malicious), CyRadar (Malicious), Fortinet (Phishing), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Observed Domains	k.gapscult[.]com; s.gapscult[.]com; v.gapscult[.]com; g.gapscult[.]com; j.gapscult[.]com; z.gapscult[.]com; d.gapscult[.]com; f.gapscult[.]com; w.gapscult[.]com; h.gapscult[.]com; y.gapscult[.]com; l.gapscult[.]com; 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, false claims within visited websites, 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.

Browser notification spam in general

The Internet is rife with webpages similar to gapscult[.]com; news-sojulu.cc, facebookteens.com, investmentstar.org, windows-secureit.com, and finkeapp.com are some examples of those we have researched. Visiting/Using websites of this kind can lead to a wide variety of severe issues. Due to how widespread they are online, we strongly recommend exercising caution when browsing.

How did gapscult[.]com gain permission to deliver spam notifications?

Websites deliver browser notifications with user permission. Hence, if you are seeing adverts from gapscult[.]com, you have likely visited this page and permitted it (i.e., clicked "Allow", "Allow Notifications", etc.).

How to prevent deceptive sites from delivering spam notifications?

Do not permit suspicious sites to display browser notifications (i.e., don't press "Allow", "Allow Notifications", etc.), as that will enable them to run intrusive advertisement campaigns. We advise ignoring notification requests or denying them (e.g., clicking "Block", "Block Notifications", etc.).

Should your browser randomly force-open dubious webpages (e.g., gapscult[.]com), it could be due to the presence of adware on the browser/system. 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 the notifications/adverts displayed by the gapscult[.]com website:

Appearance of the gapscult[.]com website (GIF):

Appearance of gapscult[.]com promoting "Norton Security - Your Pc Is Infected With 5 Viruses!" pop-up scam:

Video showing how to eliminate ads delivered by gapscult[.]com using Combo Cleaner:

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 Ads by gapscult.com?
• 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.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why am I seeing ads (browser notifications) delivered by gapscult[.]com in the right lower corner of my desktop?

Sites require user consent to deliver browser notifications (intrusive ads). Therefore, you've likely visited the gapscult[.]com webpage and allowed it to do so. It is pertinent to mention that such sites are typically accessed unintentionally, and they tend to use deception (e.g., clickbait, fake CAPTCHA, etc.) to trick visitors into allowing the notifications.

I have clicked on notification ads, is my computer infected?

No, clicking on a browser notification will not trigger any system infection processes. However, the websites/apps promoted via these adverts can be untrustworthy/malicious and cause serious issues (including malware infections).

Is gapscult[.]com a virus?

While sites like gapscult[.]com are not classified as viruses, they can endorse virulent content. To elaborate, these webpages are commonly used to promote scams, unreliable and harmful software, and even malware.

Will Combo Cleaner remove gapscult[.]com ads automatically or manual steps are still required?

Yes, Combo Cleaner will scan your device and remove the permissions given to gapscult[.]com. Additionally, it will block all further access to this and other deceptive/malicious websites. Hence, no extra steps will be required.

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