OFFERWhat is Highcpmgate?
Highcpmgate is a rogue website that redirects internet users to aggressive adverts and questionable websites. It is part of the redirect chain of an adware program, which also includes ad placement elements.
Users who have had a close encounter with it explain that their internet browsers, most often Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, start to display bogus virus alerts, illicit gambling platforms, and adult video chat sites, which is, of course, undesirable. The interaction with such platforms could cause numerous issues, and comes with certain security risks. That’s why, on this page, we will tell you how to deal with this disturbance.
Why is Highcpmgate constantly redirecting you?
Highcpmgate constantly redirects your browsing searches to other websites in order to make money for its developers through affiliate marketing and advertising. It basically serves as a middle platform, sending users to other websites that distribute software or generate Pay-Per-Click (PPC) profits.
The hijacker increases web traffic to certain web pages by compelling your browser to visit them. These pages are typically full of advertising messages, or promote particular goods, and services. If you click on them, or purchase something, this can lead to financial gains through PPC ads or affiliate link commissions.
Furthermore, Highcpmgate might contain a hijacker code, or spread other browser hijacking software through drive-by downloads in order to generate income from sponsored installations.
Why is Highcpmgate considered unsafe?
The reason why Highcpmgate is deemed unsafe is that its root URL does not lead to a specific webpage or a website. Technically, access from the primary domain is not possible. Rather, the malicious software reroutes your searches to various other links, that its creators would like you to visit. This is one possible way that phishing webpages could be displayed by the hijacker.
There are many other websites, such as Boyu.com.tr and iStart Search Bar, that can function in similar fashion as Highcpmgate and security researchers deem them as untrustworthy. The reason is that these kinds of pages can easily function as command and control servers (C2). This gives hackers the ability to take control of compromised systems, send commands, and perform other malicious tasks.
These are, of course, the most harmful uses for hazardous domains, and it’s not guaranteed it will do any of them. In our case, Highcpmgate seems to be a website mainly utilized for displaying sponsored messages and page redirects. Usually, it accomplishes this by showing a pop-up window in the primary web browser, asking the user to approve their “notifications.”
What are our observations on Highcpmgate?
Further research into Highcpmgate showed us that, each time we launch the impacted browser, the Highcpmgate.com domain loads in a new tab, taking us to an unknown website. The most frequent reroutes we encountered led to websites with cracked downloads for programs, and unofficial torrent platforms. Naturally, we checked that we had never visited these websites before, but as soon as we launched the browser that was impacted by Highcpmgate.com, we were taken to these pages.
We can only draw the conclusion that this domain’s primary goal is to reroute the traffic with barely any logic where. Even though this type of potentially unwanted software isn’t as harmful as a Trojan or a ransomware cryptovirus, it can nonetheless seriously disrupt the computer and your online browsing experience.
We even observed that even when the browser is not open, the disturbing software frequently launches it only to reroute to Highcpmgate.com. We didn’t click on any malicious ads, but they are still there, and will cause the browser to unexpectedly redirect us anytime. Malicious software could potentially be installed on the computer the next time this happens. This is a risk that you should consider.
How can you install Highcpmgate?
There are several ways to install advertising-supported software like Highcpmgate on your computer. This includes executables and torrent files that have been infected with malware. However, the hijacker is typically packaged with third-party installers available in a variety of application marketplaces.
Victims of Highcpmgate.com reported receiving annoying redirects after installing another free programs. We, therefore, presume external programs users have previously downloaded are the source of the Highcpmgate browser hijacker. That’s why, we strongly advise you to carefully read the installer of new software to prevent unintentionally downloading bundled apps.
How is the Highcpmgate.com link being distributed?
Our deeper look into the distribution tactics of Highcpmgate.com and its associated links indicates the intrusive software is being shared on social media sites. This includes Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and the Meta platform Threads.
When clicked, these links start a redirect chain that takes users to a number of unwanted websites the hijacker supports. They appear to be shared by both compromised and bot accounts. We encourage users to report posts that contain these dangerous links. If you don’t, anyone curious about their content may click, and download malware.
Should Highcpmgate.com be removed?
Most likely, Highcpmgate.com will keep changing the browser’s route and will open new tabs whenever it pleases. It will also keep directing the browser to unknown websites without the user’s consent. For these reasons, we think this kind of threat should be removed. If you do this right now, you will reduce the possibility of an encounter with dangerous computer viruses.
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How to remove Highcpmgate.com
If you need assistance in removing Highcpmgate.com from your browser, you’re in luck. The next section of this article contains a removal guide that will walk you through the process of doing just that. To ensure the browser hijacker is successfully eliminated, simply follow the described steps.
To try and remove Highcpmgate quickly you can try this:
- Go to your browser’s settings and select More Tools (or Add-ons, depending on your browser).
- Then click on the Extensions tab.
- Look for the Highcpmgate extension (as well as any other unfamiliar ones).
- Remove Highcpmgate by clicking on the Trash Bin icon next to its name.
- Confirm and get rid of Highcpmgate and any other suspicious items.
If this does not work as described please follow our more detailed Highcpmgate removal guide below.
If you have a Windows virus, continue with the guide below.
If you have a Mac virus, please use our How to remove Ads on Mac guide.
If you have an Android virus, please use our Android Malware Removal guide.
If you have an iPhone virus, please use our iPhone Virus Removal guide.
Some of the steps may require you to exit the page. Bookmark it for later reference.
Next, Reboot in Safe Mode (use this guide if you don’t know how to do it).
Uninstall the Highcpmgate app and kill its processes
The first thing you must try to do is look for any sketchy installs on your computer and uninstall anything you think may come from Highcpmgate. After that, you’ll also need to get rid of any processes that may be related to the unwanted app by searching for them in the Task Manager.
Note that sometimes an app, especially a rogue one, may ask you to install something else or keep some of its data (such as settings files) on your PC – never agree to that when trying to delete a potentially rogue software. You need to make sure that everything is removed from your PC to get rid of the malware. Also, if you aren’t allowed to go through with the uninstallation, proceed with the guide, and try again after you’ve completed everything else.
- Uninstalling the rogue app
- Killing any rogue processes
Type Apps & Features in the Start Menu, open the first result, sort the list of apps by date, and look for suspicious recently installed entries.
Click on anything you think could be linked to Highcpmgate, then select uninstall, and follow the prompts to delete the app.
Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc, click More Details (if it’s not already clicked), and look for suspicious entries that may be linked to Highcpmgate.
If you come across a questionable process, right-click it, click Open File Location, scan the files with the free online malware scanner shown below, and then delete anything that gets flagged as a threat.
After that, if the rogue process is still visible in the Task Manager, right-click it again and select End Process.
Undo Highcpmgate changes made to different system settings
It’s possible that Highcpmgate has affected various parts of your system, making changes to their settings. This can enable the malware to stay on the computer or automatically reinstall itself after you’ve seemingly deleted it. Therefore, you need to check the following elements by going to the Start Menu, searching for them, and pressing Enter to open them and to see if anything has been changed there without your approval. Then you must undo any unwanted changes made to these settings in the way shown below:
- DNS
- Hosts
- Startup
- Task
Scheduler - Services
- Registry
Type in Start Menu: View network connections
Right-click on your primary network, go to Properties, and do this:
Type in Start Menu: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts
Type in the Start Menu: Startup apps
Type in the Start Menu: Task Scheduler
Type in the Start Menu: Services
Type in the Start Menu: Registry Editor
Press Ctrl + F to open the search window
Remove Highcpmgate from your browsers
- Delete Highcpmgate from Chrome
- Delete Highcpmgate from Firefox
- Delete Highcpmgate from Edge
- Go to the Chrome menu > More tools > Extensions, and toggle off and Remove any unwanted extensions.
- Next, in the Chrome Menu, go to Settings > Privacy and security > Clear browsing data > Advanced. Tick everything except Passwords and click OK.
- Go to Privacy & Security > Site Settings > Notifications and delete any suspicious sites that are allowed to send you notifications. Do the same in Site Settings > Pop-ups and redirects.
- Go to Appearance and if there’s a suspicious URL in the Custom web address field, delete it.
- Firefox menu, go to Add-ons and themes > Extensions, toggle off any questionable extensions, click their three-dots menu, and click Remove.
- Open Settings from the Firefox menu, go to Privacy & Security > Clear Data, and click Clear.
- Scroll down to Permissions, click Settings on each permission, and delete from it any questionable sites.
- Go to the Home tab, see if there’s a suspicious URL in the Homepage and new windows field, and delete it.
- Open the browser menu, go to Extensions, click Manage Extensions, and Disable and Remove any rogue items.
- From the browser menu, click Settings > Privacy, searches, and services > Choose what to clear, check all boxes except Passwords, and click Clear now.
- Go to the Cookies and site permissions tab, check each type of permission for permitted rogue sites, and delete them.
- Open the Start, home, and new tabs section, and if there’s a rogue URL under Home button, delete it.
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