How to remove the notifications/ads delivered by the protectdevice.org site

What kind of page is protectdevice[.]org?

Protectdevice[.]org is a rogue site that promotes scams, pushes browser notification spam, and redirects visitors to other (likely unreliable/malicious) webpages.

Our research team discovered the protectdevice[.]org page while inspecting websites using rogue advertising networks. It is pertinent to mention that the redirects caused by these webpages are how most users enter sites like protectdevice[.]org.

Protectdevice[.]org overview

The content encountered on and via rogue websites may be based on the visitor's IP address (geolocation). When we inspected protectdevice[.]org, it promoted a variant of the "McAfee - Your PC is infected with 5 viruses!" scam.

This content - the anti-virus interface, system scan, and threat reports are all fake. Additionally, it must be stressed that this scam is in no way associated with McAfee Corp.

At the time of research, this variant run on protectdevice[.]org did redirect to the real McAfee website. However, there are no guarantees that that will continue to be the case. Furthermore, scams of this kind are usually used to push adware, browser hijackers, fake anti-viruses, and PUAs. We have also observed instances where they were employed to proliferate trojans, ransomware, and other malware.

Additionally, protectdevice[.]org requested visitors to allow it to display browser notifications. These ads promote online scams, unreliable/harmful webpages and software, and even malware.

In summary, through sites like protectdevice[.]org - users can experience system infections, serious privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.

Threat Summary:

Name	Ads by protectdevice.org
Threat Type	Push notifications ads, Unwanted ads, Pop-up ads
Detection Names	Combo Cleaner (Phishing), ESET (Phishing), Fortinet (Phishing), G-Data (Phishing), Google Safebrowsing (Phishing), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address	164.92.69.238
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

We have inspected thousands of rogue webpages; advtbox[.]com, adsforcomputercity[.]com, notifsystems[.]com, and wholeniceblog[.]com are merely some examples.

These sites deliver browser notifications that push deceptive and malicious material. Note that any legitimate products encountered through these adverts are most likely endorsed by scammers abusing their affiliate programs to acquire illegitimate commissions.

How did protectdevice[.]org gain permission to deliver spam notifications?

Websites cannot deliver browser notifications without user consent. Therefore, you've likely visited protectdevice[.]org and permitted it to do so by clicking "Allow", "Allow Notifications", or a similar option presented on this page.

How to prevent deceptive sites from delivering spam notifications?

To avoid receiving undesirable browser notifications, do not enable dubious websites to deliver them (i.e., do not click "Allow", "Allow Notifications", etc.). Instead, we advise ignoring or denying notification delivery requests (i.e., selecting "Block", "Block Notifications", etc.).

Should your browser keep randomly force-opening suspicious sites unprompted, it could be caused by the presence of advertising-supported software (adware). If your computer is already infected with rogue applications, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate them.

Appearance of the protectdevice[.]org website (GIF):

Video showing how to eliminate ads delivered by protectdevice[.]org 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 protectdevice.org?
• 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 protectdevice[.]org in the right lower corner of my desktop?

Sites need user permission to deliver browser notifications. Therefore, you have likely entered protectdevice[.]org and pressed "Allow", "Allow Notifications", or an analogous option.

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

No, clicking on a browser notification is harmless in itself. However, the content promoted through these ads can be hazardous and cause serious problems (including malware infections).

Is protectdevice[.]org a virus?

No, protectdevice[.]org is not deemed to be a virus, but it can promote virulent content. Websites of this kind endorse online scams, fraudulent/harmful applications, and malware.

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

Yes, Combo Cleaner can scan systems and undo the permissions granted to the protectdevice[.]org page. It can also restrict all further access to this and other rogue, scam, and malicious websites. Hence, no additional steps will be necessary.

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