How to remove the ads delivered by the captchastate.link website

What kind of page is captchastate[.]link?

Captchastate[.]link is a rogue webpage that promotes browser notification spam and redirects visitors to other (likely dubious/malicious) sites.

Our researchers found this page while inspecting websites that use rogue advertising networks. It is noteworthy that the redirects caused by such sites are how most users enter captchastate[.]link and similar webpages.

Captchastate[.]link overview

Exactly how rogue websites operate (i.e., what they load/promote) might depend on the visitor's IP address/ geolocation. Hence, the content encountered on and through such a page may vary.

When we checked captchastate[.]link, it presented us with an image of a robot saying - "CLICK ALLOW TO CONFIRM THAT YOU ARE NOT A ROBOT!". This CAPTCHA verification is fake and intended to trick users into clicking the "Allow" option - which would enable captchastate[.]link to deliver browser notifications.

Once we clicked the "Allow" button, it resulted in a redirect to a webpage running a variant of the "Chrome Search Contest 2022" scam.

Rogue sites use their notifications/advertisements to endorse online scams, unreliable/harmful webpages and apps, and even malware. In summary, through pages like captchastate[.]link - users can experience system infections, serious privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft.

Threat Summary:

Name	Ads by captchastate.link
Threat Type	Push notifications ads, Unwanted ads, Pop-up ads
Detection Names	alphaMountain.ai (Suspicious), Forcepoint ThreatSeeker (Suspicious), Fortinet (Spam), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address	179.60.146.31
Observed Domains	d.captchastate[.]link; i.captchastate[.]link; c.captchastate[.]link; f.captchastate[.]link; b.captchastate[.]link; h.captchastate[.]link; a.captchastate[.]link; g.captchastate[.]link
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, false claims within visited websites, potentially unwanted applications (adware)
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. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

Browser notification spam in general

Pushmestar[.]com, first-dating[.]top, moderncaptcha[.]top, ukentaspe[.]xyz, style-buzz-blog[.]com - are just some examples of the rogue sites that we have inspected recently.

These webpages display browser notifications that primarily promote deceptive and malicious content. However, while legitimate products might be encountered via these ads - they are unlikely to be endorsed in this manner by their actual developers. Instead, this promotion is undertaken by scammers who abuse the products' affiliate programs to obtain illegitimate commissions.

How did captchastate[.]link gain permission to deliver spam notifications?

Websites cannot deliver browser notifications without user consent. Therefore, you have likely accessed captchastate[.]link and permitted it to do so by selecting "Allow", "Allow Notifications", or a similar option.

It is pertinent to mention that webpages like captchastate[.]link often use deception (e.g., fake CAPTCHA, clickbait, etc.) to trick visitors into enabling notification delivery.

How to prevent deceptive sites from delivering spam notifications?

To avoid receiving unwanted browser notifications, do not permit suspicious sites to deliver them (i.e., do not click "Allow", "Allow Notifications", etc.). We recommend ignoring or denying notification requests (i.e., pressing "Block", "Block Notifications", etc.).

Should you experience continuous unprompted redirects to questionable sites (e.g., captchastate[.]link, etc.), it could be caused by the presence of advertising-supported software (adware) on your device. If your computer is already infected with rogue applications, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate them.

Screenshots of notifications/advertisements delivered by the captchastate[.]link website:

Appearance of the captchastate[.]link website (GIF):

Instant automatic malware removal: 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:
▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

Quick menu:

• What is Ads by captchastate.link?
• STEP 1. Remove spam notifications from Google Chrome
• STEP 2. Remove spam notifications from Google Chrome (Android)
• STEP 3. Remove spam notifications from Mozilla Firefox
• STEP 4. Remove spam notifications from Microsoft Edge
• STEP 5. Remove spam notifications from Safari (macOS)

Disable unwanted browser notifications:

Video showing how to disable web browser notifications:

Remove spam notifications from Google Chrome:

Click the Menu button (three dots) on the right upper corner of the screen and select "Settings". In the opened window select "Privacy and security", then click on "Site Settings" and choose "Notifications".

In the "Allowed to send notifications" list search for websites that you want to stop receiving notifications from. Click on the three dots icon near the website URL and click "Block" or "Remove" (if you click "Remove" and visit the malicious site once more, it will ask to enable notifications again).

Remove spam notifications from Google Chrome (Android):

Tap the Menu button (three dots) on the right upper corner of the screen and select "Settings". Scroll down, tap on "Site settings" and then "Notifications".

In the opened window, locate all suspicious URLs and tap on them one-by-one. Once the pop-up shows up, select either "Block" or "Remove" (if you tap "Remove" and visit the malicious site once more, it will ask to enable notifications again).

Remove spam notifications from Mozilla Firefox:

Click the Menu button (three bars) on the right upper corner of the screen. Select "Settings" and click on "Privacy & Security" in the toolbar on the left hand side of the screen. Scroll down to the "Permissions" section and click the "Settings" button next to "Notifications".

In the opened window, locate all suspicious URLs and block them using the drop-down menu or either remove them by clicking "Remove Website" at the bottom of the window (if you click "Remove Website" and visit the malicious site once more, it will ask to enable notifications again).

Remove spam notifications from Microsoft Edge:

Click the menu button (three dots) on the right upper corner of the Edge window and select "Settings". Click on "Cookies and site permissions" in the toolbar on the left hand side of the screen and select "Notifications".

Click three dots on the right hand side of each suspicious URL under "Allow" section and click "Block" or "Remove" (if you click "Remove" and visit the malicious site once more, it will ask to enable notifications again).

Remove spam notifications from Safari (macOS):

Click "Safari" button on the left upper corner of the screen and select "Preferences...". Select the "Websites" tab and then select "Notifications" section on the left pane.

Check for suspicious URLs and apply the "Deny" option using the drop-down menu or either remove them by clicking "Remove" at the bottom of the window (if you click "Remove" and visit the malicious site once more, it will ask to enable notifications again)

How to avoid browser notification spam?

Internet users should be very skeptical when being asked to allow notifications. While this is a useful feature that allows you to receive timely news from websites you like, deceptive marketers frequently abuse it.

Only allow notifications from websites that you fully trust. For added security - use an anti-malware application with a real-time web browsing monitor to block shady websites that tries to trick you into allowing spam notifications. We recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why am I seeing ads (browser notifications) delivered by captchastate[.]link in the right lower corner of my desktop?

Websites can only deliver browser notifications with user permission. Therefore, you have likely entered captchastate[.]link at some point and clicked "Allow", "Allow Notifications", or an analogous option presented on it.

I have clicked on notification ads, is my computer infected?

No, clicking on a browser notification will not initiate any malware download/installation processes. However, the content pushed through these advertisements can be deceptive/malicious and cause severe issues (including system infections).

Is captchastate[.]link a virus?

No, websites like captchastate[.]link are not categorized as viruses, but they can promote virulent content. Rogue sites typically endorse scams, untrustworthy/harmful software, and malware.

Will Combo Cleaner remove captchastate[.]link ads automatically or manual steps are still required?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can scan systems and undo the permissions given to captchastate[.]link. It can also block all further access to this and other rogue/malicious websites. Hence, additional steps will be unnecessary.

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