OFFERSpecial-msg.com
Special-msg.com is a new program that many security experts classify as a browser hijacker. Since you are on this page, you’ve probably already noticed a stream of different Special-msg.com pop up ads all over your main browser, be it Chrome, Firefox, Explorer or any other browser type.
If you have never heard about this term before, you should know that a browser hijacker is basically a program that displays various advertisements (ads, pop-ups, banners, etc.) on your screen and tends to redirect you to different sponsored pages while you browse. You may also have noticed some changes in the homepage, or in the main search engine, which you may want to remove. But don’t worry – this is not a virus even though many web users may make the mistake of calling programs like Special-msg.com a “virus” due to their aggressive ad-generating behavior. Moreover, another confusing thing is that the above-mentioned changes oftentimes can take place without any approval from your side.
However, the distinction between browser hijackers and viruses (e.g. Trojans, Ransomware, etc.) is that the latter are called malware (short for “malicious software”). Malware is dangerous to you, and your machine, and is typically used for the completion of Internet crimes. On the other hand, a browser hijacker like Special-msg.com usually has no malicious tasks, and does not infect your computer in order to damage it. This, of course, does not mean that letting such software stick around is totally fine.
The Special-msg.com Virus
The Special-msg.com virus is a malicious browser hijacker that can establish control over the user’s browsers and use them as advertising platforms. The Special-msg.com virus will likely not damage your PC but, through its ads, it may expose it to Trojans, Ransomware, Spyware, etc.
SUMMARY:
| Name | Special-msg.com |
| Type | Browser Hijacker |
| Detection Tool | Some threats reinstall themselves if you don't delete their core files. We recommend downloading SpyHunter to remove harmful programs for you. This may save you hours and ensure you don't harm your system by deleting the wrong files. |
Please follow all the steps below in order to remove Special-msg.com!
How to remove Special-msg.com
- First, click the Start Menu on your Windows PC.
- Type Programs and Settings in the Start Menu, click the first item, and find Special-msg.com in the programs list that would show up.
- Select Special-msg.com from the list and click on Uninstall.
- Follow the steps in the removal wizard.
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What we suggest you do first is, check the list of programs that are presently installed on the infected device and uninstall any rogue software that you find there:
- From the Start Menu, navigate to Control Panel ->>> Programs and Features ->>> Uninstall a Program.
- Next, carefully search for unfamiliar programs or programs that have been installed recently and could be related to Special-msg.com.
- If you find any of the programs suspicious then uninstall them if they turn out to be linked to Special-msg.com.
- If a notification appears on your screen when you try to uninstall a specific questionable program prompting you to just alter it or repair it, make sure you choose NO and complete the steps from the removal wizard.
Remove Special-msg.com from Chrome
- Click on the three dots in the right upper corner
- Go to more tools
- Now select extensions
- Remove the Special-msg.com extension
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- Once you open Chrome, click on the three-dots icon to open the browser’s menu, go to More Tools/ More Options, and then to Extensions.
- Again, find the items on that page that could be linked to Special-msg.com and/or that might be causing problems in the browser and delete them.
- Afterwards, go to this folder: Computer > C: > Users > *Your User Account* > App Data > Local > Google > Chrome > User Data. In there, you will find a folder named Default – you should change its name to Backup Default and restart the PC.
- Note that the App Data folder is normally hidden so you’d have to first make the hidden files and folders on your PC visible before you can access it.
How to get rid of Special-msg.com on FF/Edge/etc.
- Open the browser and select the menu icon.
- From the menu, click on the Add-ons button.
- Look for the Special-msg.com extension
- Get rid of Special-msg.com by removing it from extensions
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If using Firefox:
- Open Firefox
- Select the three parallel lines menu and go to Add-ons.
- Find the unwanted add-on and delete it from the browser – if there is more than one unwanted extension, remove all of them.
- Go to the browser menu again, select Options, and then click on Home from the sidebar to the left.
- Check the current addresses for the browser’s homepage and new-tab page and change them if they are currently set to address(es) you don’t know or trust.
If using MS Edge/IE:
- Start Edge
- Select the browser menu and go to Extensions.
- Find and uninstall any Edge extensions that look undesirable and unwanted.
- Select Settings from the browser menu and click on Appearance.
- Check the new-tab page address of the browser and if it has been modified by “Special-msg.com” or another unwanted app, change it to an address that you’d want to be the browser’s new-tab page.
How to Delete Special-msg.com
- Open task manager
- Look for the Special-msg.com process
- Select it and click on End task
- Open the file location to delete Special-msg.com
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- Access the Task Manager by pressing together the Ctrl + Alt + Del keys and then selecting Task Manager.
- Open Processes and there try to find a process with the name of the unwanted software. If you find it, select it with the right button of the mouse and click on the Open File Location option.
- If you don’t see a “Special-msg.com” process in the Task Manager, look for another suspicious process with an unusual name. It is likely that the unwanted process would be using lots of RAM and CPU so pay attention to the number of resources each process is using.
- Tip: If you think you have singled out the unwanted process but are not sure, it’s always a good idea to search for information about it on the Internet – this should give you a general idea if the process is a legitimate one from a regular program or from your OS or if it is indeed likely linked to the adware.
- If you find another suspicious process, open its File Location too.
- Once in the File Location folder for the suspicious process, start testing all of the files that are stored there by dragging them to our free online scanner available below.
- Each file will be scanned with up to 64 antivirus programs to ensure maximum accuracyThis scanner is free and will always remain free for our website's users.This file is not matched with any known malware in the database. You can either do a full real-time scan of the file or skip it to upload a new file. Doing a full scan with 64 antivirus programs can take up to 3-4 minutes per file.
Drag and Drop File Here To Scan
Analyzing 0 sEach file will be scanned with up to 64 antivirus programs to ensure maximum accuracyThis scanner is based on VirusTotal's API. By submitting data to it, you agree to their Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, and to the sharing of your sample submission with the security community. Please do not submit files with personal information if you do not want them to be shared. - If the scanner finds malware in any of the files, return to the Processes tab in the Task Manager, select the suspected process, and then select the End Process option to quit it.
- Go back to the folder where the files of that process are located and delete all of the files that you are allowed to delete. If all files get deleted normally, exit the folder and delete that folder too. If one or more of the files showed an error message when you tried to delete them, leave them for now and return to try to delete them again once you’ve completed the rest of the guide.
How to Uninstall Special-msg.com
- Click on the home button
- Search for Startup Apps
- Look for Special-msg.com in there
- Uninstall Special-msg.com from Startup Apps by turning it off
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- Now you need to carefully search for and uninstall any Special-msg.com-related entries from the Registry. The easiest way to do this is to open the Registry Editor app (type Regedit in the windows search field and press Enter) and then open a Find dialog (CTRL+F key combination) where you have to type the name of the threat.
- Perform a search by clicking on the Find Next button and delete any detected results. Do this as many times as needed until no more results are found.
- After that, to ensure that there are no remaining entries lined to Special-msg.com in the Registry, go manually to the following directories and delete them:
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Random Directory.
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Run/Random
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Internet Explorer/Main/Random
What is Special-msg.com?
Special-msg.com is a rogue webpage that shows notification requests disguised as error messages or malware warnings to trick users into allowing automatic notifications from this page. It’s strongly recommended to avoid interacting with Matrix.net any pop-ups or else your browser may get compromised.
What’s wrong with this practice is that the creators of browser hijackers Eduratsu, Sadlye (and possibly Special-msg.com) are known for selling this useful information to third parties for profits, or for using it to produce ad content that is relevant to you. In this way, they can make money from of pay-per-click ads, and sponsored page-redirects. There is nothing illegal in such practices but, of course, there’s always a risk that this data may eventually end up in the wrong hands.
Besides, clicking on the advertisements that a program like Special-msg.com may display may redirect you to unknown web locations. The easiest way to avoid interaction with sketchy content, and the accidental exposure to security hazards (including Ransomware or Trojans) is to remove the browser hijacker. You can do that manually or automatically, depending on which method you prefer. In the removal guide below, we cover both methods, but if you are not that tech-savvy, we do recommend that you use the suggested reliable security software to scan your system, and remove the unwanted program with its help.
Is Special-msg.com dangerous?
As we mentioned above, Special-msg.com is not a piece of software that can pose a direct threat to your computer. Yet, in order to understand why it is advisable to uninstall Special-msg.com, you first need to know how it works.
Typically, such software does something that remains hidden from your eyes. Apart from the obvious changes in the browser’s homepage, or the main search engine, and the constant redirects to sites full of intrusive ads, pop-up box notifications, and banners, a browser hijacker may collect valuable browsing information. This info could be related to your search queries, your browsing history, your favorite and bookmarked websites, and other “traffic data”.
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