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Ads by Surf Speed Monitor

Also Known As: Surf Speed Monitor adware
Type: Adware
Damage level: Medium

What is Surf Speed Monitor?

According to the developers, the Surf Speed Monitor application runs in the background and collects various data to generate coupons and display other various content matching users' interests

- "Surf Speed Monitor is a 100% FREE application that aims to enhance users' surfing experience with tools and contextual information such as coupons, price comparison and much more!"

Some users may find this functionality legitimate and useful, however, Surf Speed Monitor is classed as adware and a potentially unwanted program (PUP). This application stealthily infiltrates Internet browsers (Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox). In addition, this app displays intrusive online advertisements and tracks Internet browsing activity.

Surf Speed Monitor adware

Surf Speed Monitor employs a virtual layer to display intrusive online advertisements such as pop-ups, coupons, price comparison, in-line text, and so on. Some of these ads may open in a new browser tabs/windows, thereby increasing the chance of accidental user clicks. The virtual layer allows placement of any third party content on visited websites.

Be aware that this displayed content does not originate from the visited website. Apart from concealing underlying web content, most advertisements of this type cause no problems to the user, however, others might redirect to infectious websites, thereby causing further computer infections.

Surf Speed Monitor collects various information that, according to the adware's Privacy Policy, is not personally identifiable. This is incorrect, since data such as visited websites, search queries, pages viewed, Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, general information about the computer, etc. is collected and might contain private details.

Therefore, having an information-tracking application installed on your system can lead to serious privacy issues or even identity theft, since the collected data is later shared with third parties and can be misused to generate revenue. You are strongly advised to uninstall Surf Speed Monitor from your system.

Surf Speed Monitor Privacy Policy regarding data sharing:

Only authorized employees and authorized third-party service providers are permitted to access personal information, and they may do so only for permitted business functions.

Surf Speed Monitor is ordinary adware and very similar to other applications of the same type. There are hundreds of examples (including, for example, LightningDownloader, Internet Quick Access, Web Bar, and Cinema Video) that also claim to be legitimate applications - they make fake promises to give the impression of legitimate and useful software.

In fact, they provide none of the promised features. The purpose of Surf Speed Monitor, and other adware, is to generate intrusive online ads and collect personally identifiable information to generate revenue for the developers.

How did Surf Speed Monitor install on my computer?

The developers employ a deceptive software marketing method called 'bundling' (stealth installation of third party apps together with the chosen software) to install Surf Speed Monitor on browsers without users' permission.

This method is effective, since many users do not pay enough attention when downloading and installing software - they are unaware that installation of bogus apps is usually concealed within the 'Custom' or 'Advanced' settings.

Thus, by skipping this section they inadvertently install applications such as Surf Speed Monitor without users' consent. As the developers are only concerned with the amount of revenue generated (which is dependent on the number of distributed apps), they do not properly disclose rogue installations.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

Closely inspect each step of the free software download procedure and decline all offers to install additional programs.

Always select the direct download link, rather than using the promoted download manager. Furthermore, downloaded applications should be installed with the 'Custom' or 'Advanced' options - this will reveal any bundled apps listed for installation and allow you to opt-out.

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Quick menu:

Surf Speed Monitor 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.

Surf Speed Monitor adware uninstall via Control Panel

In the uninstall programs window, look for "Surf Speed Monitor", select this entry and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".

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

Remove Surf Speed Monitor adware from Internet browsers:

At time of research, Surf Speed Monitor did not install its browser plug-ins on Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, or Mozilla Firefox, however, it was bundled with other adware. Therefore, you are advised to remove all potentially unwanted browser add-ons from your Internet browsers.

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

Internet Explorer logoRemove malicious add-ons from Internet Explorer:

Removing Surf Speed Monitor 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 any recently-installed suspicious browser extensions, select these entries and click "Remove".

Removing Surf Speed Monitor ads from Internet Explorer step 2

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the surf speed monitor 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 Surf Speed Monitor  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 all recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons, select these entries and click the trash can icon.

Removing Surf Speed Monitor ads from Google Chrome step 2

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the surf speed monitor 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 Surf Speed Monitor 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 all recently-installed suspicious browser plug-ins.

Removing Surf Speed Monitor ads from Mozilla Firefox step 2

Optional method:

Computer users who have problems with surf speed monitor 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 surf speed monitor 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.

PCrisk security portal is brought by a company RCS LT. Joined forces of security researchers help educate computer users about the latest online security threats. More information about the company RCS LT.

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Malware activity

Global malware activity level today:

Medium threat activity

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

QR Code
Surf Speed Monitor adware QR code
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