AD&POP Block Adware - How to remove

AD&POP Block is a browser extension that blocks pop-up ads. Or rather, it replaces them with its own advertisements. Sometimes, it is advertised in a way that can lead people to install it without meaning to. It’s promoted by browser hijackers, so if you have AD&POP Block installed, you might have some other potentially unwanted extensions, too.

AD&POP Block in short:

Classification	Potentially unwanted program.
How AD&POP Block gets installed	It’s advertised with other extensions, ads for the add-on might cause misunderstandings and accidental installations.
Problems and issues	AD&POP Block opens promoted sites in the browser, it’s not clear what company is behind the extension.
How to remove AD&POP Block	Uninstall all unwanted extensions, find and remove other malware manually and with anti-malware apps, like Spyhunter for PC, Spyhunter for Mac, Combo Cleaner for Mac, and others, check your browser settings and change them if needed.

Problems with AD&POP Block

AD&POP Block isn’t always wanted

If you installed AD&POP Block yourself, that’s great. But there are a few reasons to think that not all users of the AD&POP Block extension wanted it on their browsers.

We recently described Appstation WebCamera Snapshot, an add-on that advertises the AD&POP Block extension. It does this by opening the website 1stepdownload.com. On this site, AD&POP Block may be promoted with a simple Download button. There’s another ad design that implies that AD&POP Block is required to access… Free 4K video streaming. Uh-huh.

The 1stepdownload.com site itself is not harmful. But it’s safer to not interact with it and to avoid installing extensions advertised on it. It shows dishonest ads for extensions. Such ads can cause people to install extensions without meaning to. Especially when they are presented as part of the installation workflow of another app or extension. And indeed, at least a few reviews for AD&POP Block accuse the extension of forcing or deceiving users into installing it.

Another way that extensions get installed without permission is by being included in bundles (such as InstallCore). Check your computer for bundlers, adware, and other suspicious programs. Such programs sometimes bundle malicious extensions or show them as optional offers.

It shows unwanted ads

Once AD&POP Block is installed, it blocks ads and pop-ups. It has a list of domains that it blocks, mostly those belonging to advertising sites like Outbrain and AdsKeeper. If a site tries to open a blacklisted site, AD&POP Block stops that by closing the pop-up.

At the same time, AD&POP Block shows its own ads. It replaces some ads with its own. It may also hijack internet searches and redirect search queries to unexpected sites. It does not need to change your search engine settings to do this, it can just open and close browser tabs.

So, if you experience unusual ads and search redirects and have AD&POP Block installed, try and disable the extension and see if that improves things.

AD&POP Block might be bad for privacy

One way to know whether you can trust a browser extension is to learn how it makes its money – or how it is free. Since AD&POP Block has a home page, professional presentation, and is advertised, someone is spending money on it. So it ought to be making money, as well.

If we read AD&POP Block’s privacy policy, we learn that the company behind this extension is BetaFish Inc. But that’s the company behind AdBlock – the AdBlock, one of the biggest ad blockers out there with more than 10 million users. What could it have to do with AD&POP Block?

AD&POP Block is one of a few alternative ad blockers AdBlock’s privacy policy word-for-word. AdBlock Stream, AdBlock Doctor, and a few seemingly dead sites do the same thing. It’s important to underline that none of them are related to the real AdBlock extension or to the BetaFish company.

The problem is not that AD&POP Block’s privacy policy is not original – there’s nothing wrong with using templates. But all that we know about the people behind the extension is their email address – [email protected]. AD&POP Block has tremendous power over web browsers on which it is installed. And there’s no one to hold responsible for it.

How to uninstall AD&POP Block

You can remove AD&POP Block from your extensions as described in the instructions below. Check your other extensions – there might be some more that are problematic.

It is also a good idea to review your home page settings and search preferences. These browser settings get hijacked by malicious extensions. Examining them can reveal malware hiding on your device.

Be careful when installing browser extensions, including ad blockers. Do not use the Chrome Web Store search function to look for them. There are too many fakes. Instead, use links on developer sites.

It’s good to check your browser extensions and desktop programs for malicious and unwanted items. You can employ antivirus tools, like Spyhunter for Windows, Spyhunter for Mac, Combo Cleaner for macOS, and others. These scanners might not always recognize bad browser extensions, but they can catch bad desktop apps and infected files.

Automatic Malware removal tools

Manually remove unwanted extensions

TopHow To remove AD&POP Block Adware from Google Chrome:

• Click on the 3 horizontal lines icon on a browser toolbar and Select More Tools→Extensions
  
• Select all malicious extensions and delete them.
  
• Click on the 3 horizontal lines icon on a browser toolbar and Select Settings
  
• Select Manage Search engines
  
• Remove unnecessary search engines from the list
  
• Go back to settings. On Startup choose Open blank page (you can remove undesired pages from the set pages link too).
• If your homepage was changed, click on Chrome menu on the top right corner, select Settings. Select Open a specific page or set of pages and click on Set pages.
  
• Delete malicious search websites at a new Startup pages window by clicking “X” next to them.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

If you are still experiencing any issues related to AD&POP Block Adware, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on a Chrome’s menu button (three horizontal lines) and select Settings.
• Scroll to the end of the page and click on theReset browser settings button.
  
• Click on the Reset button on the confirmation box.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

How to remove AD&POP Block Adware from Microsoft Edge:Top

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Microsoft Edge window. Select “Extensions”.

• Select all malicious extensions and delete them.

• Click on the three-dot menu on the browser toolbar and Select Settings

• Select Privacy and Services and scroll down. Press on Address bar.

• Choose Manage search engines.

• Remove unnecessary search engines from the list: open the three-dot menu and choose Remove.

• Go back to Settings. Open On start-up.
• Delete malicious search websites at Open specific page or pages by opening the three-dot menu and clicking Delete.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to 1stepdownload.com, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings

• Click on Edge's menu button and select Settings. Click on the Reset Settings button on the left.
• Press the Restore settings to their default values option.

• Click on the Reset button on the confirmation box.

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

How To remove AD&POP Block Adware from Firefox:Top

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla window and select the “Add-ons” icon (Or press Ctrl+Shift+A on your keyboard).
  
• Go through Extensions and Addons list, remove everything AD&POP Block Adware related and items you do not recognise. If you do not know the extension and it is not made by Mozilla, Google, Microsoft, Oracle or Adobe then you probably do not need it.
  
• If your homepage was changed, click on the Firefox menu in the top right corner, select Options → General. Enter a preferable URL to the homepage field and click Restore to Default.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to AD&POP Block Adware, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla Firefox window. Click on the Help button.
  
• ChooseTroubleshooting Information on the Help menu.
  
• Click on theReset Firefox button.
  
• Click on the Reset Firefox button on the confirmation box. Mozilla Firefox will close and change the settings to default.
  

If the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program to identify malicious entries.