Redirect.viglink.com POP-UP Redirect
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What is redirect.viglink.com?
redirect.viglink.com is a legitimate advertising network that claims to help developers generate traffic for their websites, however, cyber criminals also use this network to promote their (potentially malicious) sites. They often use potentially unwanted applications (PUAs) for this purpose.
In most cases, PUAs are installed without users' consent, deliver intrusive ads, gather data, and run background processes.
Immediately after infiltration, potentially unwanted applications begin to deliver ads (coupons, banners, surveys, etc.) that, once clicked, redirect users to the redirect.viglink.com website.
As mentioned above, this is a legitimate website/ad network, however, when cyber criminals use it to promote their malicious sites, users are redirected from redirect.viglink.com to other untrustworthy sites - these are likely to contain malicious content or might run scripts designed to download other potentially unwanted applications or malicious software.
In summary, clicking ads developed by cyber criminals can lead to high-risk computer infections. Furthermore, most PUAs of this type collect data that might also include personal details.
Collected data (typically IP addresses, geo-locations, search queries, keystrokes, URLs of visited websites, etc.) is shared with third parties (potentially cyber criminals) who generate revenue by misusing this information. Therefore, having a potentially unwanted application of this type installed risks privacy issues.
Some PUAs are capable of running background tasks/processes (for example, cryptocurrency mining), which affects computer performance. Therefore, we recommend that you uninstall all PUAs immediately.
Name | redirect.viglink.com pop-up |
Threat Type | Adware, Unwanted ads, Pop-up Virus |
Symptoms | Seeing advertisements not originating from the sites you are browsing. Intrusive pop-up ads. Decreased Internet browsing speed. |
Distribution methods | Deceptive pop-up ads, free software installers (bundling), fake flash player installers. |
Damage | Decreased computer performance, browser tracking - privacy issues, possible additional malware infections. |
Malware Removal (Windows) | To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. |
There are many PUAs available on the internet, most of which are virtually identical - developers offer various "useful" tools/features, however, these are merely attempts to trick users into installing PUAs.
Most potentially unwanted applications are designed to generate revenue for their developers rather than provide the features/tools promised, or any other value. PUAs are likely to cause privacy issues or problems relating to browsing safety.
How did adware install on my computer?
Research shows that PUAs can often be downloaded from their official websites, however, most are distributed through intrusive ads or using a deceptive marketing method called "bundling" - stealth installation of rogue applications with regular software.
Software developers bundle various PUAs with their software and hide them in "Custom", "Advanced" (or other similar) settings of the installation processes. In summary, skipping installation steps, clicking dubious advertisements, and other careless behaviour are common reasons for installation of potentially unwanted applications.
How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?
Be cautious when browsing the web, and when downloading and installing software. Avoid clicking intrusive ads, even if they seem legitimate. Cyber criminals invest time and money in their design and make them look tempting. Once clicked, however, they redirect users to untrustworthy websites, such as gambling, adult dating, pornography, and so on.
If you click an ad that redirects you to an untrustworthy/suspicious website, close it and check for unwanted/unknown add-ons, extensions, and plugins installed on your browser, and programs on your computer. Uninstall/remove all dubious, unwanted applications, and software immediately.
Furthermore, do not skip installation steps when installing software without first checking the "Advanced", "Custom", and other settings or options. Opt-out of all additionally-included software/apps and only then finish the installation.
If your computer is already infected with rogue applications, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate them.
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Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
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Quick menu:
- What is redirect.viglink.com?
- STEP 1. Uninstall adware applications using Control Panel.
- STEP 2. Remove adware from Internet Explorer.
- STEP 3. Remove rogue plug-ins from Google Chrome.
- STEP 4. Remove adware-type extensions from Mozilla Firefox.
- STEP 5. Remove malicious extensions from Safari.
- STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.
Adware removal:
Windows 11 users:
Right-click on the Start icon, select Apps and Features. In the opened window search for the application you want to uninstall, after locating it, click on the three vertical dots and select Uninstall.
Windows 10 users:
Right-click in the lower left corner of the screen, in the Quick Access Menu select Control Panel. In the opened window choose Programs and Features.
Windows 7 users:
Click Start (Windows Logo at the bottom left corner of your desktop), choose Control Panel. Locate Programs and click Uninstall a program.
macOS (OSX) users:
Click Finder, in the opened screen select Applications. Drag the app from the Applications folder to the Trash (located in your Dock), then right click the Trash icon and select Empty Trash.
In the uninstall programs window, look for any potentially unwanted applications, select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".
After uninstalling the potentially unwanted application that causes redirect.viglink.com redirects, scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components or possible malware infections. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.
Remove adware from Internet browsers:
Video showing how to remove potentially unwanted browser add-ons:
Remove malicious add-ons from Internet Explorer:
Click the "gear" icon (at the top right corner of Internet Explorer), select "Manage Add-ons". Look for any recently-installed suspicious browser extensions, select these entries and click "Remove".
Optional method:
If you continue to have problems with removal of the redirect.viglink.com pop-up, reset your Internet Explorer settings to default.
Windows XP users: Click Start, click Run, in the opened window type inetcpl.cpl In the opened window click the Advanced tab, then click Reset.
Windows Vista and Windows 7 users: Click the Windows logo, in the start search box type inetcpl.cpl and click enter. In the opened window click the Advanced tab, then click Reset.
Windows 8 users: Open Internet Explorer and click the gear icon. Select Internet Options.
In the opened window, select the Advanced tab.
Click the Reset button.
Confirm that you wish to reset Internet Explorer settings to default by clicking the Reset button.
Remove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:
Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "More tools" and click "Extensions". Locate all recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons and remove them.
Optional method:
If you continue to have problems with removal of the redirect.viglink.com pop-up, reset your Google Chrome browser settings. Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome) and select Settings. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen. Click the Advanced… link.
After scrolling to the bottom of the screen, click the Reset (Restore settings to their original defaults) button.
In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Google Chrome settings to default by clicking the Reset button.
Remove malicious plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox:
Click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window), select "Add-ons". Click "Extensions", in the opened window, remove all recently-installed suspicious browser plug-ins.
Optional method:
Computer users who have problems with redirect.viglink.com pop-up removal can reset their Mozilla Firefox settings.
Open Mozilla Firefox, at the top right corner of the main window, click the Firefox menu, in the opened menu, click Help.
Select Troubleshooting Information.
In the opened window, click the Refresh Firefox button.
In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Mozilla Firefox settings to default by clicking the Refresh Firefox button.
Remove malicious extensions from Safari:
Make sure your Safari browser is active, click Safari menu, and select Preferences....
In the opened window click Extensions, locate any recently installed suspicious extension, select it and click Uninstall.
Optional method:
Make sure your Safari browser is active and click on Safari menu. From the drop down menu select Clear History and Website Data...
In the opened window select all history and click the Clear History button.
Remove malicious extensions from Microsoft Edge:
Click the Edge menu icon (at the upper-right corner of Microsoft Edge), select "Extensions". Locate all recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons and click "Remove" below their names.
Optional method:
If you continue to have problems with removal of the redirect.viglink.com pop-up, reset your Microsoft Edge browser settings. Click the Edge menu icon (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge) and select Settings.
In the opened settings menu select Reset settings.
Select Restore settings to their default values. In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Microsoft Edge settings to default by clicking the Reset button.
- If this did not help, follow these alternative instructions explaining how to reset the Microsoft Edge browser.
Summary:
Commonly, adware or potentially unwanted applications infiltrate Internet browsers through free software downloads. Note that the safest source for downloading free software is via developers' websites only. To avoid installation of adware, be very attentive when downloading and installing free software. When installing previously-downloaded free programs, choose the custom or advanced installation options – this step will reveal any potentially unwanted applications listed for installation together with your chosen free program.
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