ALPHA SHOPPERS Adware Removal

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ALPHA SHOPPERS is not a reliable application. The utility is supposed to be an alternative search engine which can find discounts and coupons. Well, it does find such offers. However, there is a catch. These offers are not to be trusted. The ALPHA SHOPPERS app is actually an adware. It has advertising functions and does not consider its users’ security a priority. The adware uses a pay-per-click mechanism to generate revenue. Basically, when you click on an advert provided by the adware, its owners get paid. So, it is in their best interest to flood you with commercials. That’s exactly what the adware does — drowns its users into a sea of advertisements. The ALPHA SHOPPERS adware blocks its competitors’ ads and replaces them with its own. Then it injects extra banners, hyperlinks and in-text ads on every website you open. Additionally, it redirects your browser to sponsored websites and pauses your online videos for commercial breaks. This app will ruin your browsing experience. The bad news is that this aggressive marketing has a price. You pay with your comfort and your privacy. The adware does not expose you to random adverts. No, it monitors your browsing related data and bases the commercials on the collected data. Thus, if you type “sneakers” into some search engine, the adware will display ads for sports shoes. The problem is that the collected information is not secure. It is stored on a remote server, which is accessible for anyone willing to pay. All sorts of crooks use the adware as an advertising platform. They can use the collected data to target you with customized marketing campaigns. These campaigns are not verified either. The crooks can display all sorts of deceptive content. Keeping the ALPHA SHOPPERS adware on board is not worth the trouble. You will be far better without this application.

How did I get infected with?

The ALPHA SHOPPERS adware has an official download page in the Chrome Web Store. Some third-party websites also promote the app. Yet, not a small number of users have no idea how did the app manage to enter their computers. The answer is quite simple — they installed it themselves. Not intentionally, of course. The ALPHA SHOPPERS utility uses a lot of trickery to trick you into installing it unintentionally. It usually hitches a ride with other software. The so-called software bundling technique is quite popular nowadays. Software developers attach extra programs to the payload files of their applications. The only way to prevent the extras from infecting your PC is to use the Advanced setup option. Do not be afraid to select this option. The Advanced installation is not complicated. Under it, you will be presented with a list of all extra apps that are about to be installed. You can deselect them and still install the program you originally planned to set up. This is your computer, you decide what to be installed on it. Don’t let others make this decision for you. Don’t let programs like ALPHA SHOPPERS adware on board.

Why is this dangerous?

The ALPHA SHOPPERS adware is extremely annoying. This pest can ruin your browsing experience in seconds. It injects dozens and dozens of ads on every website you open. By doing so, it slows down your computer. Yet, these issues are nothing compared to the things the adware does behind your back. As you already know, it monitors your online habits. The adware knows which pages you visit, what search inquiries you make, what videos you watch. Even the Incognito mode of your browser cannot hide you from the adware. The collected information can be used against you. The crooks are imaginative. They can create customized adverts and redirect you to bogus websites. Think twice before you click on the next great deal. It might as well be malicious. One click is all it takes for a virus to be downloaded. With the ALPHA SHOPPERS adware on board, you are far more likely to be redirected to bogus websites than to legitimate ones. This utility is a breach of your security. Spare yourself many future headaches, remove the adware immediately!

How to Remove ALPHA SHOPPERS virus

The ALPHA SHOPPERS infection is specifically designed to make money to its creators one way or another. The specialists from various antivirus companies like Bitdefender, Kaspersky, Norton, Avast, ESET, etc. advise that there is no harmless virus.

If you perform exactly the steps below you should be able to remove the ALPHA SHOPPERS infection. Please, follow the procedures in the exact order. Please, consider to print this guide or have another computer at your disposal. You will NOT need any USB sticks or CDs.

STEP 1: Track down ALPHA SHOPPERS in the computer memory

STEP 2: Locate ALPHA SHOPPERS startup location

STEP 3: Delete ALPHA SHOPPERS traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

STEP 4: Undo the damage done by the virus

STEP 1: Track down ALPHA SHOPPERS in the computer memory

• Open your Task Manager by pressing CTRL+SHIFT+ESC keys simultaneously
• Carefully review all processes and stop the suspicious ones.

• Write down the file location for later reference.

Step 2: Locate ALPHA SHOPPERS startup location

Reveal Hidden Files

• Open any folder
• Click on “Organize” button
  
• Choose “Folder and Search Options”
• Select the “View” tab
• Select “Show hidden files and folders” option
• Uncheck “Hide protected operating system files”
• Click “Apply” and “OK” button

Clean ALPHA SHOPPERS virus from the windows registry

• Once the operating system loads press simultaneously the Windows Logo Button and the R key.

• A dialog box should open. Type “Regedit”

• WARNING! be very careful when editing the Microsoft Windows Registry as this may render the system broken.

Depending on your OS (x86 or x64) navigate to:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run] or
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run] or
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]

• and delete the display Name: [RANDOM]

• Then open your explorer and navigate to: %appdata% folder and delete the malicious executable.

Clean your HOSTS file to avoid unwanted browser redirection

Navigate to %windir%/system32/Drivers/etc/host

If you are hacked, there will be foreign IPs addresses connected to you at the bottom. Take a look below:

STEP 3 : Clean ALPHA SHOPPERS traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

• Open Google Chrome

• In the Main Menu, select Tools then Extensions
• Remove the ALPHA SHOPPERS by clicking on the little recycle bin
• Reset Google Chrome by Deleting the current user to make sure nothing is left behind

• Open Mozilla Firefox

• Press simultaneously Ctrl+Shift+A
• Disable the unwanted Extension
• Go to Help
• Then Troubleshoot information
• Click on Reset Firefox

• Open Internet Explorer

• On the Upper Right Corner Click on the Gear Icon
• Click on Internet options
• go to Toolbars and Extensions and disable the unknown extensions
• Select the Advanced tab and click on Reset

• Restart Internet Explorer

Step 4: Undo the damage done by ALPHA SHOPPERS

This particular Virus may alter your DNS settings.

Attention! this can break your internet connection. Before you change your DNS settings to use Google Public DNS for ALPHA SHOPPERS, be sure to write down the current server addresses on a piece of paper.

To fix the damage done by the virus you need to do the following.

• Click the Windows Start button to open the Start Menu, type control panel in the search box and select Control Panel in the results displayed above.
• go to Network and Internet
• then Network and Sharing Center
• then Change Adapter Settings
• Right-click on your active internet connection and click properties. Under the Networking tab, find Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4). Left click on it and then click on properties. Both options should be automatic! By default it should be set to “Obtain an IP address automatically” and the second one to “Obtain DNS server address automatically!” If they are not just change them, however if you are part of a domain network you should contact your Domain Administrator to set these settings, otherwise the internet connection will break!!!

You must clean all your browser shortcuts as well. To do that you need to

• Right click on the shortcut of your favorite browser and then select properties.

• in the target field remove ALPHA SHOPPERS argument and then apply the changes.
• Repeat that with the shortcuts of your other browsers.
• Check your scheduled tasks to make sure the virus will not download itself again.

How to Permanently Remove ALPHA SHOPPERS Virus (automatic) Removal Guide

Please, have in mind that once you are infected with a single virus, it compromises your system and let all doors wide open for many other infections. To make sure manual removal is successful, we recommend to use a free scanner of any professional antimalware program to identify possible registry leftovers or temporary files.