Pac-Man Adware

What is Pac-Man?

Developed by Western Web Applications LLC, Pac-Man is a potentially unwanted application claiming to provide Internet users with an opportunity to play a popular game called Pac-Man. Although this may seem legitimate functionality, be aware that Pac-Man is categorized as adware.

This rogue browser add-on employs a deceptive software marketing method called 'bundling' (stealth installation of additional applications together with the chosen free software) to install on Internet browsers without users' permission.

Following successful infiltration on Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox, Pac-Man generates intrusive online advertisements and tracks users' Internet browsing activity.

These intrusive advertisements include banner, pop-up, in-text, interstitial, and text-link ads. There is a high probability that clicking these advertisements will cause high-risk adware or malware infections.

Furthermore, this potentially unwanted application monitors users' Internet browsing activity by collecting various software and hardware information, which may be personally identifiable.

For example, operating systems, browser types, URLs visited, pages viewed, cookies, IP addresses, geo-locations, and other similar information. This behavior may lead to serious privacy issues or identity theft, and therefore, you are strongly advised to uninstall Pac-Man adware from your computer.

Pac-Man is similar to other rogue browser add-ons claiming to allow users to play certain games on their Internet browsers (for example, Blasteroids, Radsteroids, Websteroids, etc.). None of these plug-ins add any real value for users - their purpose is to generate income by the display of intrusive online advertisements.

Most users inadvertently install adware such as Pac-Man during download of free software via 'download clients' on freeware download websites including download.com, soft32.com, and softonic.com amongst many others.

Download clients are used to monetize these websites' free services by offering installation of promoted 'virus-free' browser add-ons together with the chosen free software. Thus, careless download and installation of freeware often results in adware or malware infections.

To prevent installation of Pac-Man or other similar adware, Express caution when installing free software and click 'Decline' when installation of any additional programs is offered.

If you are installing downloaded software, be sure to choose the 'Advanced' or 'Custom' installation options - this will reveal any hidden applications listed for installation and allow you to decline them. Internet users who have already installed Pac-Man adware should follow this removal guide to eliminate it from their Internet browsers.

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Quick menu:

• What is Pac-Man?
• STEP 1. Uninstall Pac-Man application using Control Panel.
• STEP 2. Remove Pac-Man add-on from Internet Explorer.
• STEP 3. Remove Pac-Man plugin from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove Pac-Man extension from Mozilla Firefox.
• STEP 5. Remove Pac-Man extension from Safari.
• STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.

Pac-Man adware removal:

Windows 11 users:

Right-click on the Start icon, select Apps and Features. In the opened window search for the application you want to uninstall, after locating it, click on the three vertical dots and select Uninstall.

Windows 10 users:

Right-click in the lower left corner of the screen, in the Quick Access Menu select Control Panel. In the opened window choose Programs and Features.

Windows 7 users:

Click Start (Windows Logo at the bottom left corner of your desktop), choose Control Panel. Locate Programs and click Uninstall a program.

macOS (OSX) users:

Click Finder, in the opened screen select Applications. Drag the app from the Applications folder to the Trash (located in your Dock), then right click the Trash icon and select Empty Trash.

In the uninstall programs window, look for "Pac-Man", select this entry and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".

After uninstalling Pac-Man, scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components or possible malware infections. Recommended malware removal software.

Remove Pac-Man from Internet browsers:

Video showing how to remove potentially unwanted browser add-ons:

Remove malicious add-ons from Internet Explorer:

Click the "gear" icon (at the top right corner of Internet Explorer) select "Manage Add-ons". Look for "Pac-Man" and disable it.

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the pac-man ads, reset your Internet Explorer settings to default.

Windows XP users: Click Start, click Run, in the opened window type inetcpl.cpl In the opened window click the Advanced tab, then click Reset.

Windows Vista and Windows 7 users: Click the Windows logo, in the start search box type inetcpl.cpl and click enter. In the opened window click the Advanced tab, then click Reset.

Windows 8 users: Open Internet Explorer and click the gear icon. Select Internet Options.

In the opened window, select the Advanced tab.

Click the Reset button.

Confirm that you wish to reset Internet Explorer settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

Remove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome) select "Tools" and click on "Extensions". Locate: "Pac-Man", select it and click the trash can icon.

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the pac-man ads, reset your Google Chrome browser settings. Click the Chrome menu icon  (at the top right corner of Google Chrome) and select Settings. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen. Click the Advanced… link.

After scrolling to the bottom of the screen, click the Reset (Restore settings to their original defaults) button.

In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Google Chrome settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

Remove malicious plugins from Mozilla Firefox:

Click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window) select "Add-ons". Click on "Extensions" and remove "Pac-Man".

Optional method:

Computer users who have problems with pac-man ads removal can reset their Mozilla Firefox settings.

Open Mozilla Firefox, at the top right corner of the main window, click the Firefox menu, in the opened menu, click Help.

Select Troubleshooting Information.

In the opened window, click the Refresh Firefox button.

In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Mozilla Firefox settings to default by clicking the Refresh Firefox button.

Remove malicious extensions from Safari:

Make sure your Safari browser is active, click Safari menu, and select Preferences....

In the opened window click Extensions, locate any recently installed suspicious extension, select it and click Uninstall.

Optional method:

Make sure your Safari browser is active and click on Safari menu. From the drop down menu select Clear History and Website Data...

In the opened window select all history and click the Clear History button.

Remove malicious extensions from Microsoft Edge:

Click the Edge menu icon  (at the upper-right corner of Microsoft Edge), select "Extensions". Locate all recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons and click "Remove" below their names.

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the pac-man ads, reset your Microsoft Edge browser settings. Click the Edge menu icon  (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge) and select Settings.

In the opened settings menu select Reset settings.

Select Restore settings to their default values. In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Microsoft Edge settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

• If this did not help, follow these alternative instructions explaining how to reset the Microsoft Edge browser.

Summary:

Commonly, adware or potentially unwanted applications infiltrate Internet browsers through free software downloads. Note that the safest source for downloading free software is via developers' websites only. To avoid installation of adware, be very attentive when downloading and installing free software. When installing previously-downloaded free programs, choose the custom or advanced installation options – this step will reveal any potentially unwanted applications listed for installation together with your chosen free program.

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