How To Remove Upd-pct.info Adware

Easy Steps To Delete Upd-pct.info Virus

Upd-pct.info is a malicious site that keeps appearing all the time on your web browsers. If you often get redirected to this precarious domain, it only indicates that a potentially unwanted program may have installed on your computer. This web page is usually linked with the highly popular Popcorn Time app or a clone app known as Time4popcorn. Through this site, people can access both movie streaming web portals, although, they can also download a desktop application. This nasty domain is very well-known however, the Popcorn Time site has been down since 2014 but it is trying to regain its popularity. Comeback of the app might be the execution of the unknown sites that keep taking place while browsing the web. Users who used to employ this streaming site or app reported that they started facing redirects to associated sites like:

• Ppctupd.info
• updpct.info
• pct-upd.info
• Upd-pct.info
• Ppctupd.info
• popcorntime-update.xy
• updpopcorntime.xyz

All these sites are directly linked to the Popcorntime website and point to the location “C:\ Program Files (x86)\Popcorn Time\Updater.exe.” And hence, you should remove this movie streaming app completely from your device to avoid seeing these annoying ads.

Know More About Upd-pct.info:

At various occasions, Upd-pct.info has been reported to be infected with Trojan by reputable anti-virus tools. At the current time, this infectious web portal cannot be visited manually even if you put the URL into the address bar. So, it only means that it is being misused by third-parties for multiple purposes like propagation of Trojans and spyware. And thus, if your anti-virus scan determines this domain as a nasty virus, it is likely to be involved in several vicious activities. It might handle data tracking and therefore, users’ privacy is at risks. PUPs are able to collect browser-relevant information that includes search terms, user name, passwords, browser version, IP address, favourite websites and so on. Hacker may sell the gathered information to third-party Online marketers or misuse them for online frauds.

Upd-pct.info malware may also make critical changes in default browser’s settings and replace the current homepage, search engine and new tab URLs with its own perilous domain. Acquiring full control over the entire browser, this hazardous threat starts displaying intrusive adverts and causing frequent redirects to suspicious web portals. Moreover, it might be capable of disabling the working of all the running security measures and opening backdoors for more notorious parasites. It may easily bring other online infections such as Trojans, rootkits, worms, spyware, adware and even dangerous Ransomware in your computer and turn the machine into a malware-hub. And therefore, quick removal of Upd-pct.info virus from the machine must be performed.

Summarize Information

Name: Upd-pct.info

Type: Adware, Potentially unwanted program, Phishing virus

Functionality: Updater.exe file located in the Popcorn Times folder which is likely to be the reason of the redirects, Also steal users’ personal and confidential information and share them with hackers for evil purposes.

Symptoms: Fake pop-up messages, Endless intrusive ads, Altered default browser’s settings, default Internet search engine, identity theft, new tab settings. Users are enforced to visit hijacker’s website and search the Internet using their search engines, slowness of infected system’s performance.

Distribution methods: Free software installers (bundling), Deceptive emails, malicious pop-ups ads, fake flash player installers.

Damage: Internet browsing tracking (potential privacy issues), displaying of unwanted ads, redirects to shady websites.

Removal: To get rid of this infection and other malware threats, our security researchers recommend scanning your computer with a powerful anti-malware tool.

Infiltration of This PUP:

Users who have set their downloading settings to “Recommended” have greater chance of receiving PUPs on their devices as these infections sneak into the machine that are vulnerable to such threats. Additionally, malware such as browser hijackers and adware appear through a deceptive method called “bundling”. This occurs when the developers plant their application in a package of freeware or shareware and the PUP sneaks into the device as an additional product. Though, not all freeware have this specific threat as additional installer, majority of them that are available on vicious file-download web pages and Online servers may contain other types of PUAs. Furthermore, users who often visit illegal media streaming sites may also catch Upd-pct.info virus especially if they are not cautious in accessing ads containing links which redirect them to malware-laden sites upon clicked.

Tips To Prevent Such Malware Intrusion:

And so, to prevent such unexpected installations, you need to avoid downloading products from websites such as download.com, softonic.com, soft32.com and cnet.com. Moreover, to take full control over all the incoming contents by yourself, you need to switch the downloading/installing mode to “Advanced” or “Custom”. Here all you have to do is to deselect the checkmarks that are placed next to the tools that you do not want to see on your work-station. But at the moment, just take an instant action and remove Upd-pct.info virus from the PC completely.

Antimalware Details And User Guide

Click Here For Windows Click Here For Mac

Important Note: This malware asks you to enable the web browser notifications. So, before you go the manual removal process, execute these steps.

Google Chrome (PC)

• Go to right upper corner of the screen and click on three dots to open the Menu button
• Select “Settings”. Scroll the mouse downward to choose “Advanced” option
• Go to “Privacy and Security” section by scrolling downward and then select “Content settings” and then “Notification” option
• Find each suspicious URLs and click on three dots on the right side and choose “Block” or “Remove” option

Google Chrome (Android)

• Go to right upper corner of the screen and click on three dots to open the menu button and then click on “Settings”
• Scroll down further to click on “site settings” and then press on “notifications” option
• In the newly opened window, choose each suspicious URLs one by one
• In the permission section, select “notification” and “Off” the toggle button

Mozilla Firefox

• On the right corner of the screen, you will notice three dots which is the “Menu” button
• Select “Options” and choose “Privacy and Security” in the toolbar present in the left side of the screen
• Slowly scroll down and go to “Permission” section then choose “Settings” option next to “Notifications”
• In the newly opened window, select all the suspicious URLs. Click on the drop-down menu and select “Block”

Internet Explorer

• In the Internet Explorer window, select the Gear button present on the right corner
• Choose “Internet Options”
• Select “Privacy” tab and then “Settings” under the “Pop-up Blocker” section
• Select all the suspicious URLs one by one and click on the “Remove” option

Microsoft Edge

• Open the Microsoft Edge and click on the three dots on the right corner of the screen to open the menu
• Scroll down and select “Settings”
• Scroll down further to choose “view advanced settings”
• In the “Website Permission” option, click on “Manage” option
• Click on switch under every suspicious URL

Safari (Mac):

• On the upper right side corner, click on “Safari” and then select “Preferences”
• Go to “website” tab and then choose “Notification” section on the left pane
• Search for the suspicious URLs and choose “Deny” option for each one of them

Manual Steps to Remove Upd-pct.info:

Remove the related items of Upd-pct.info using Control-Panel

Windows 7 Users

Click “Start” (the windows logo at the bottom left corner of the desktop screen), select “Control Panel”. Locate the “Programs” and then followed by clicking on “Uninstall Program”

Windows XP Users

Click “Start” and then choose “Settings” and then click “Control Panel”. Search and click on “Add or Remove Program’ option

Windows 10 and 8 Users:

Go to the lower left corner of the screen and right-click. In the “Quick Access” menu, choose “Control Panel”. In the newly opened window, choose “Program and Features”

Mac OSX Users

Click on “Finder” option. Choose “Application” in the newly opened screen. In the “Application” folder, drag the app to “Trash”. Right click on the Trash icon and then click on “Empty Trash”.

In the uninstall programs window, search for the PUAs. Choose all the unwanted and suspicious entries and click on “Uninstall” or “Remove”.

After you uninstall all the potentially unwanted program causing Upd-pct.info issues, scan your computer with an anti-malware tool for any remaining PUPs and PUAs or possible malware infection. To scan the PC, use the recommended the anti-malware tool.

How to Remove Adware (Upd-pct.info) from Internet Browsers

Delete malicious add-ons and extensions from IE

Click on the gear icon at the top right corner of Internet Explorer. Select “Manage Add-ons”. Search for any recently installed plug-ins or add-ons and click on “Remove”.

Additional Option

If you still face issues related to Upd-pct.info removal, you can reset the Internet Explorer to its default setting.

Windows XP users: Press on “Start” and click “Run”. In the newly opened window, type “inetcpl.cpl” and click on the “Advanced” tab and then press on “Reset”.

Windows Vista and Windows 7 Users: Press the Windows logo, type inetcpl.cpl in the start search box and press enter.  In the newly opened window, click on the “Advanced Tab” followed by “Reset” button.

For Windows 8 Users: Open IE and click on the “gear” icon. Choose “Internet Options”

Select the “Advanced” tab in the newly opened window

Press on “Reset” option

You have to press on the “Reset” button again to confirm that you really want to reset the IE

Remove Doubtful and Harmful Extension from Google Chrome

Go to menu of Google Chrome by pressing on three vertical dots and select on “More tools” and then “Extensions”. You can search for all the recently installed add-ons and remove all of them.

Optional Method

If the problems related to Upd-pct.info still persists or you face any issue in removing, then it is advised that your reset the Google Chrome browse settings. Go to three dotted points at the top right corner and choose “Settings”. Scroll down bottom and click on “Advanced”.

At the bottom, notice the “Reset” option and click on it.

In the next opened window, confirm that you want to reset the Google Chrome settings by click on the “Reset” button.

Remove Upd-pct.info plugins (including all other doubtful plug-ins) from Firefox Mozilla

Open the Firefox menu and select “Add-ons”. Click “Extensions”.  Select all the recently installed browser plug-ins.

Optional Method

If you face problems in Upd-pct.info removal then you have the option to rese the settings of Mozilla Firefox.

Open the browser (Mozilla Firefox) and click on the “menu” and then click on “Help”.

Choose “Troubleshooting Information”

In the newly opened pop-up window, click “Refresh Firefox” button

The next step is to confirm that really want to reset the Mozilla Firefox settings to its default by clicking on “Refresh Firefox” button.

Remove Malicious Extension from Safari

Open the Safari and go to its “Menu” and select “Preferences”.

Click on the “Extension” and select all the recently installed “Extensions” and then click on “Uninstall”.

Optional Method

Open the “Safari” and go menu. In the drop-down menu, choose “Clear History and Website Data”.

In the newly opened window, select “All History” and then press on “Clear History” option.

Delete Upd-pct.info (malicious add-ons) from Microsoft Edge

Open Microsoft Edge and go to three horizontal dot icons at the top right corner of the browser. Select all the recently installed extensions and right click on the mouse to “uninstall”

Optional Method

Open the browser (Microsoft Edge) and select “Settings”

Next steps is to click on “Choose what to clear” button

Click on “show more” and then select everything and then press on “Clear” button.

Conclusion

In most cases, the PUPs and adware gets inside the marked PC through unsafe freeware downloads. It is advised that you should only choose developers website only while downloading any kind of free applications.  Choose custom or advanced installation process so that you can trace the additional PUPs listed for installation along with the main program.