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Ads by Great Find

Also Known As: Great Find adware
Type: Adware
Damage level: Medium

What is Great Find?

The Great Find application claims to save time and money by providing discounts in various commercial spheres (for example, online stores, travel and insurance services, etc.) - "Software features may include, without limitation, browser extensions, tools and applications for web browsing, text referencing, social media, website ratings and reviews, coupons and comparison shopping for various products and services, including travel and insurance services, and a variety of e-commerce merchandise."

This functionality may seem legitimate and useful, however, be aware that Great Find is categorized as adware and a potentially unwanted program (PUP). This application often infiltrates the system during installation of regular software, which is one of the reasons for such negative associations.

Furthermore, Great Find displays a number of intrusive online advertisement types and collects Internet browsing-related information.

Great Find adware

Great Find displays a variety of intrusive online ads including banner, pop-up, coupons, trial offers, etc. To display them, Great Find employs a virtual layer, which allows placement of any type of graphical content on visited websites - this content does not originate from the visited site.

Some ads are occasionally opened in new browser tabs or windows. Commonly, advertisements displayed by adware-type apps such as Great Find lead to commercial websites including the aforementioned online stores. Nevertheless, there is also a chance that they will redirect to bogus websites containing infectious content.

Therefore, clicking the advertisements may cause high-risk computer infections. These ads also diminish the browsing experience by concealing underlying content.

In addition, Great Find monitors users' Internet browsing activity and gathers various types of information including IP addresses, unique identifier numbers, operating system and browser types, websites visited, pages viewed, search queries entered, accessed content, etc.

Be aware that this data can include personally identifiable information (for example, bank or PayPal account details). Tracking of such information can lead to serious privacy issues or even identity theft, since it is later shared with third parties and may be misused to generate revenue.

Great Find is a potential threat to your privacy and Internet browsing safety, and therefore, should be uninstalled immediately.

Great Find Privacy Policy regarding data sharing:

We may use and share with third parties the information we collect from and receive about users to provide the Software to you, to monetize and improve the software, to personalize your experience by delivering relevant content, advertising, and marketing messages, and to prove you with customer support and respond to inquiries.

There are hundreds of other adware-type apps also claiming to save time and money while shopping online. For example, PriceChomper, CutThePrice, DealDay, and PriceFountain. These applications are developed to offer user various useful features in an attempt to trick users to install.

In fact, they merely display intrusive online ads (using the 'Pay Per Click' PPC advertising model) and collect personally identifiable information (which is later shared with third parties) to generate revenue for the developers. Adware-type apps provide no real value for the user.

How did Great Find install on my computer?

As with regular adware, Great Find is often distributed using a deceptive software marketing method called 'bundling', which allows developers to stealthily install third party apps (usually bogus) together with regular (mostly free) software.

Many users do not express enough caution when downloading and installing software - they skip most steps, including the 'Custom' or 'Advanced' section where the rogue applications are usually hidden. Therefore, they inadvertently install rogue software.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

When downloading from a freeware download website, select the direct download link (if provided). Most freeware download websites demand use of their 'download managers'. In this case, pay close attention and follow each step to opt-out of third party applications included.

In fact, you should download your chosen software from the official website. After downloading software, use the 'Custom' or 'Advanced' installation options - this will reveal any bundled apps listed for installation and allow you to decline them.

Deceptive free software installer used in Great Find adware distribution:

great find adware installer

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Quick menu:

Great Find adware removal:

Windows 11 users:

Accessing Apps and Features in Windows 11

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:

Accessing Programs and Features (uninstall) in Windows 8

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:

Accessing Programs and Features (uninstall) in Windows 7

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:

Uninstall app in OSX (Mac)

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.

great find adware uninstall via Control Panel

In the uninstall programs window, look for "Great Find", select this entry and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".

After uninstalling the potentially unwanted program that causes Great Find ads, scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components or possible malware infections. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.

Remove Great Find adware from Internet browsers:

Video showing how to remove potentially unwanted browser add-ons:

Internet Explorer logoRemove malicious add-ons from Internet Explorer:

Removing Great Find ads from Internet Explorer step 1

Click the "gear" icon Internet Explorer options icon (at the top right corner of Internet Explorer), select "Manage Add-ons". Look for "Great Find", select this entry and click "Remove".

Removing Great Find ads from Internet Explorer step 2

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the great find adware, 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.

Resetting Internet Explorer settings to default on Windows XP

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.

Resetting Internet Explorer settings to default on Windows 7

Windows 8 users: Open Internet Explorer and click the gear icon. Select Internet Options.

Reseting Internet Explorer settings to default in Windows 8 - accessing

In the opened window, select the Advanced tab.

Resetting Internet Explorer settings to default on Windows 8 - Internet options advanced tab

Click the Reset button.

Resetting Internet Explorer settings to default on Windows 8 - click the Reset button in the Internet options advanced tab

Confirm that you wish to reset Internet Explorer settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

Resetting Internet Explorer settings to default on Windows 8 - confirm settings reset to default by clicking the reset button

Google Chrome logoRemove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

Removing Great Find  ads from Google Chrome step 1

Click the Chrome menu icon Google Chrome options icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "Tools" and click "Extensions". Locate: "Great Find", select this entry and click the trash can icon.

Removing Great Find ads from Google Chrome step 2

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the great find adware, reset your Google Chrome browser settings. Click the Chrome menu icon Google 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.

Google Chrome settings reset step 1

After scrolling to the bottom of the screen, click the Reset (Restore settings to their original defaults) button.

Google Chrome settings reset step 2

In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Google Chrome settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

Google Chrome settings reset step 3

Mozilla Firefox logoRemove malicious plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox:

Removing Great Find ads from Mozilla Firefox step 1

Click the Firefox menu firefox menu icon (at the top right corner of the main window), select "Add-ons". Click "Extensions", in the opened window, remove "Great Find".

Removing Great Find ads from Mozilla Firefox step 2

Optional method:

Computer users who have problems with great find adware removal can reset their Mozilla Firefox settings.

Open Mozilla Firefox, at the top right corner of the main window, click the Firefox menu, firefox menu icon in the opened menu, click Help.

Accessing settings (Reset Firefox to default settings step 1)

Select Troubleshooting Information.

Accessing Troubleshooting Information (Reset Firefox to default settings step 2)

In the opened window, click the Refresh Firefox button.

Clicking on Refresh Firefox button (Reset Firefox to default settings step 3)

In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Mozilla Firefox settings to default by clicking the Refresh Firefox button.

Confirm your want to reset Firefox settings to default (Reset Firefox to default settings step 4)

safari browser logoRemove malicious extensions from Safari:

removing adware from safari step 1 - accessing preferences

Make sure your Safari browser is active, click Safari menu, and select Preferences....

removing adware from safari step 2 - removing extensions

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...

resetting safari step 1

In the opened window select all history and click the Clear History button.

resetting safari step 2

Microsoft Edge (Chromium) logoRemove malicious extensions from Microsoft Edge:

Removing adware from Microsoft Edge step 1

Click the Edge menu icon Microsoft Edge (chromium) 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.

Removing adware from Microsoft Edge step 2

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the great find adware, reset your Microsoft Edge browser settings. Click the Edge menu icon Microsoft Edge (chromium) menu icon (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge) and select Settings.

Microsoft Edge (Chromium) reset step 1

In the opened settings menu select Reset settings.

Microsoft Edge (Chromium) reset step 2

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.

Microsoft Edge (Chromium) reset step 3

  • If this did not help, follow these alternative instructions explaining how to reset the Microsoft Edge browser.

Summary:

declining installation of adware while downloading free software sampleCommonly, 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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About the author:

Tomas Meskauskas

Tomas Meskauskas - expert security researcher, professional malware analyst.

I am passionate about computer security and technology. I have an experience of over 10 years working in various companies related to computer technical issue solving and Internet security. I have been working as an author and editor for pcrisk.com since 2010. Follow me on Twitter and LinkedIn to stay informed about the latest online security threats. Contact Tomas Meskauskas.

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Software uninstall instructions
Malware activity

Global malware activity level today:

Medium threat activity

Increased attack rate of infections detected within the last 24 hours.

QR Code
Great Find adware QR code
Scan this QR code to have an easy access removal guide of Great Find adware on your mobile device.
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