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Big-Bonus Adware

Also Known As: Ads by Big-Bonus
Type: Adware
Damage level: Medium

What is Big-Bonus?

Big-Bonus is a potentially unwanted program (PUP) that supposedly helps to save time and money when shopping online - "Use the Big-Bonus browser add on and start shopping today wiout hurting your budget. It’s the complete online shopping tool that gives you the ultimate advantage of comparing the nest deals, discounts, and promotions from all your favourite online shopping sites."

At first glance, the Big-Bonus extension may seem legitimate and useful, however, this plug-in is categorized as adware. Three main reasons for these negative associations are: stealth installation, tracking of Internet browsing activity, and display of intrusive online ads.

Big-Bonus adware

This application records Internet browsing-related information such as search queries entered into search engines (Google, Bing, etc.), website URLs visited, pages viewed, Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, Internet service provider (ISP), geolocation, and so on.

The developers share this collected data with third parties, some of which might contain personally identifiable details - third parties can misuse these to generate revenue. Thus, having Big-Bonus installed on your system can lead to serious privacy issues or even identity theft.

This extension employs a virtual layer to display coupon, price comparison, pop-up, and other similar advertisements. Most redirect to e-commerce websites (for example, online stores), however, some might redirect to malicious sites containing infectious content.

Therefore, clicking them can result in high-risk adware or malware infections. Be aware that none of these ads originate from your visited websites and conceal underlying content, thereby significantly diminishing the Internet browsing experience. We strongly recommend that you uninstall this adware immediately.

There are hundreds of potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) claiming to save time and money including Awesome-Promos, SwytShop, and Club-Save - these are just some examples from a long list of apps similar to Big-Bonus. All claim to provide useful features, however, none deliver any real value for users.

Adware-type applications are designed solely to generate revenue for the developers. Rather than enabling the functionality promised, they deliver intrusive online advertisements (using the 'Pay Per Click' [PPC] advertising model) and collect personally identifiable information (which is later sold to third parties).

How did Big-Bonus install on my computer?

Big-Bonus usually infiltrates systems during download or installation of other software. This deceptive software marketing method is called 'bundling'. Developers conceal rogue applications within the 'Custom' or 'Advanced' settings. Many users are unaware that PUPs are hidden and go on to rush the download/installation processes, skipping this section.

This behavior often leads to inadvertent installation of rogue applications such as Big-Bonus, compromising users' privacy and exposing their systems to risk of further infection.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

The key to computer safety is caution. Never rush when downloading and installing software. Follow each step of these processes and opt-out of any bundled applications. Rogue apps are usually hidden, and therefore, you should select the 'Custom' or 'Advanced' settings, rather than 'Quick' or 'Typical'.

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Quick menu:

Big-Bonus 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.

Big-Bonus adware uninstall via Control Panel

In the uninstall programs window, look for "Big-Bonus", select this entry and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".

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

Remove Big-Bonus adware from Internet browsers:

At time of research, Big-Bonus 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 Big-Bonus 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 Big-Bonus ads from Internet Explorer step 2

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the ads by big-bonus, 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 Big-Bonus  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 Big-Bonus ads from Google Chrome step 2

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the ads by big-bonus, 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 Big-Bonus 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 Big-Bonus ads from Mozilla Firefox step 2

Optional method:

Computer users who have problems with ads by big-bonus 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 ads by big-bonus, 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.

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