Remove GoGoAnime ads virus in Chrome, Firefox, IE, Safari

Those who watch their favorite Japanese-style cartoons on the GoGoAnime service should beware of several nontrivial security pitfalls.

1. What is GoGoAnime?
2. Automated removal of GoGoAnime virus
3. GoGoAnime redirect removal for Android
4. Restore web browser settings to their original defaults

What is GoGoAnime?

The Internet is rife with websites that don’t show due respect for copyright. GoGoAnime is one of them. It provides a huge catalogue of animated materials that are undoubtedly a lure for fans, but with the caveat that it doesn’t possess any rights to stream them. Unsurprisingly, the makers of this service are switching to new domains off and on. At the time of writing, the “official” one is parked at gogoanime.cm, with a few reserve pages ending with .be and .pro. This volatility is a verbose sign of permanent abuse reports from anime proprietors and conscious users. And yet, when it comes to the ethical side of the matter, many people couldn’t care less. What they should pay heed to, though, is that there are additional things on the minus side of using this site. Controversial advertising is probably the biggest catch.

When visiting GoGoAnime.cm or its other clones, users see ads that don’t fit the mold of legitimacy. These items often try to deceive a person into thinking their device is riddled with malicious software or misconfigured to such an extent that their privacy could be at risk. Also, whenever you attempt to watch an anime of choice, the first few clicks on the “Play” button trigger interstitial browser tabs or windows that lead to online scams. Some of these landing pages are fake “prize won” notifications. Some push adware that ends up hijacking your browser under the guise of doing something useful. At the end of the day, you will actually watch the cartoon you want, but there is a high chance that your computer or mobile device may be compromised.

GoGoAnime is chock-full of pop-ups that promote software bundles. These entities aren’t necessarily dangerous per se, but they gained notoriety for spreading potentially unwanted programs (PUPs). The logic is to cloak foul play beneath the shiny-looking “express” installation, which only mentions the good part – a free, potentially in-demand application such as a streaming video downloader or file format converter. People are clueless that the package contains another component, an evil one that’s hidden in plain sight. All it takes to deselect it is to choose the custom installation mode, but unfortunately, not many users ever explore such bundles that deeply.

In summary, visiting GoGoAnime is risky business. Although it hosts some interesting content, there are hazards that run the gamut from copyright violation to various Internet scams. The former is more of a responsibility of the party that’s distributing these pirated materials. The latter is the user’s direct concern, though. The site displays misleading pop-up ads that fuel phishing and other social engineering hoaxes. It also redirects web traffic to pages that disseminate malware. Obviously, such a mix of adverse characteristics suffices to stay away from gogoanime.cm and its replicas. If you have recently watched something there, checking your device for harmful code is a good idea.

Use Combo Cleaner for Windows to remove GoGoAnime ads virus

When faced with malware like GoGoAnime, one of the best shortcuts in terms of removal is to use Combo Cleaner, a lightweight and incredibly effective application with PC security and optimization features under the hood. It detects and thoroughly deletes threats while giving you insights into the overall health of your computer.

This program’s protection power spans modules that forestall all known types of malware, including ransomware and browser hijackers, and take your online security to the next level by blocking phishing sites and other suspicious web pages. Follow these simple steps to eliminate the infection for good:

1. Download Combo Cleaner installer.

Download GoGoAnime ads virus remover

^{Combo Cleaner scans your PC with no strings attached, but you’ll have to buy its fully functional version to remove the threats it detects. The disk optimization tools that find large files and duplicates are free to use.}

2. Open the CCSetup.exe file to get started. Several subsequent screens will allow you to make initial customizations so that the program works exactly as you need from the get-go.

3. The installation will be followed by an update of malware signatures. Once this process is through, click the Start Scan button in the left-hand sidebar.

4. Combo Cleaner will then check system locations that are most often polluted by Windows malware. The first scan can take a while to finish.

5. Combo Cleaner will display a system tray notification as soon as the scan is over. Click the Resolve found threats button to view the results.

6. The scan summary shows the names and types of the detected threats as well as their statuses and locations. Click the Remove all threats button and follow further on-screen prompts to get rid of these items.

Use Control Panel to get rid of GoGoAnime virus

• Open up the Control Panel from your Start menu in Windows. Depending on the OS build, select Uninstall a program (Windows 10, 7 and Vista) or Add or Remove Programs (Windows 8).

• To facilitate the process of locating the threat, sort the programs list by date to get the latest ones displayed at the very top. Find an unfamiliar, suspicious entry under the Name column, click Uninstall and follow further directions to get the removal done.

GoGoAnime redirect removal for Android

Here’s a walkthrough to sort out the GoGoAnime ads virus issue on an Android device, which might also be a target in this malvertising campaign. Keep in mind, though, that uninstall attempts in regular mode may be futile due to the mechanics of this persistent infection. Therefore, you need to perform the procedure in safe mode. Go ahead and do the following:

• Press and hold the Power button. Then, tap and hold the Power off option on the screen. Doing so will boot your device into safe mode.

• Android will ask you to confirm that you’d like to enter safe mode. Tap OK on the dialog.

• You will now see the Safe mode inscription at the bottom left of your screen. Go to Settings and choose Apps.

• Scroll down the list of applications, focusing on the ones that were installed recently. Find GoGoAnime or another sketchy entry with a different name that could as well be the culprit.

• Select the misbehaving app and tap Uninstall.

• Confirm removal on the relevant dialog box and reboot your device. By default, Android will get you back into regular mode. You should now be good to go – the GoGoAnime ads virus won’t be triggering any redirects or irritating popups anymore.

Restore web browser settings to their original defaults

In the circumstances of a complex browser hijack like this, executing a reset makes the most sense despite a few obvious downsides. Customizations such as saved passwords, bookmarked pages etc. will be gone, but so will all the changes made by the potentially unwanted program. The instructions below address the workflow for the web browsers most targeted by the GoGoAnime ads virus.

Reset Google Chrome

• Open Chrome, expand the Customize and control Google Chrome menu and choose Settings.

• Click Advanced in the sidebar, scroll down to Reset and clean up, and select this option.

• Click Restore settings to their original defaults.

• Finally, confirm the restoration by clicking Reset settings on the warning message.

• Restart Chrome.

Reset Mozilla Firefox

• Open Firefox, type about:support in the URL area and press Enter. Alternatively, you can click on the Open menu icon in the top right-hand part of the browser window, then select the Help option and proceed to Troubleshooting Information.

• On the Troubleshooting Information screen, spot the Refresh Firefox button and click on it.

• Follow subsequent directions to reset Firefox to its original settings.

• Restart the browser.

Reset Internet Explorer

• Select Internet options under IE’s Tools (Alt+X).

• Proceed by clicking on Advanced tab, then select Reset.

• To confirm the intended changes, click Reset on the Reset Internet Explorer Settings screen after ascertaining that the Delete personal settings checkbox is enabled.

• Reboot the machine to fully implement the fix.

Reset Safari

• Go to the Safari menu and select Preferences.

• When on the Preferences screen, select the Privacy tab and hit the Manage Website Data button.

• Click the Remove All button to purge all website data. Be advised this will log you out of online services and undo personalized web browser settings such as saved passwords, etc. If you aren’t okay with this, proceed to the next step.

• Safari also allows deleting data for specific sites rather than all sites in general. To use this option, select the unwanted site in the ‘Manage Website Data’ list and click Remove. Then, click Done.

• Click the Develop menu in the Finder bar and select Empty Caches.

• Finally, expand the History menu from the Finder bar and click Clear History.

• Make sure all history is selected on the dialog that will appear and click Clear History to get rid of cookies and other potentially unwanted data.

• Restart Safari.

Revise your security status

Post-factum assessment of the accuracy component in malware removal scenarios is a great habit that prevents the comeback of harmful code or replication of its unattended fractions. Make sure you are good to go by running an additional safety checkup.

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