Do you know what Sponsored Links Ads are?
Sponsored Links Ads may start appearing on your screen after you install a potentially unwanted program (PUP) like ContentPush or an adware program. These ads could be either displayed on your desktop or in your open browser window. It is important to know that you should not trust these ads since they might lead to questionable third-party websites and there is no guarantee that you will be introduced to trustworthy content there. When you click on potentially unsafe content, you could infect your system or get scammed other ways to share your banking details or other personally identifiable information. Our researchers say that it is essential that you remove Sponsored Links Ads from your computer if you would like to prevent such system security issues from happening.
In order for you to have such a PUP or adware infections on board, you generally need to install a software bundle under questionable circumstances. This means that you do not download this bundle from an official and reputable website. Instead, off of a questionable P2P website like a torrent or a freeware page. These sites usually promote questionable bundles and installers that can pack several threats, including PUPs and malicious software installers. Another way for you to drop such a bundle is to click on corrupt third-party ads and links while you are browsing the web.
It is important for you to give a wide berth to suspicious websites, including P2P, online betting, gaming, dating, and pornographic sites. These are the most likely place to be exposed to unsafe third-party content, such as fake buttons (download and navigational), advertisements, and fake notifications. It is also essential for you to understand that once your computer is infected, you could harm your system security even more because infections like adware programs can be the cause of further infections. All in all, we suggest that after you delete Sponsored Links Ads from your PC, you also run a proper reputable malware scanner to detect all other threats on board.
When you find distracting third-party ads popping up while you are surfing the web or even on your desktop labeled like "Brought to you by Content.Ad" and "Powered by Content.Ad" or anything similar to these, you should be suspicious that there could be a PUP or an adware on board. These ads should not be trusted because you cannot know what might happen when you click on them. We can however tell you that nothing good may come out of your clicks since you could be taken to unreliable pages. It is always risky when you land on a website that is operated by cyber crooks. You could be scammed to disclose your credit card details or other sensitive information, which could then be used to commit online fraud. This is why it is advisable that you remove Sponsored Links Ads as soon as possible to stay on the safe side.
If ContentPush or any other advertising program is installed on your computer, it may start up automatically whenever you reboot your system. For this reason, this PUP or adware program can always be running in the background even without your knowledge. So first, we suggest that you open your Task Manager and end the undesirable process. Then, you can uninstall the related threat via Control Panel. If there are any leftovers, you should take care of those, too, to make sure that this threat cannot resurrect. Please use our guide below if you would like to take action now. It is also possible that you would rather use an automated tool to safeguard your system. Thus, we suggest that you install a trustworthy malware removal application like SpyHunter as soon as possible.
End the undesirable process
- Open your Task Manager (press Ctrl+Shift+Esc).
- Locate the process called "nw.exe" (or any other advertising application) and click on it.
- Now, press End task.
- Exit your Task Manager.
Remove Sponsored Links Ads from Windows
Windows XP
- Click Start and select Control Panel.
- Choose Add or Remove Programs.
- Select the undesirable application and click Uninstall.
Windows Vista and Windows 7
- Open the Start menu and select Control Panel.
- Click Uninstall a program.
- Select the undesirable application and click Uninstall.
Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10
- Tap Win+R and type Control Panel. Hit the Enter key.
- Choose Uninstall a program.
- Select the undesirable application and click Uninstall.
How to remove leftovers
- Tap Win+E.
- Bin these folders and file if found:
%PROGRAMFILES%\ContentPush
%PROGRAMFILES(x86)%\ContentPush
%WINDIR%\run.vbs - Empty the Recycle Bin.
- Tap Win+R and enter regedit. Press OK.
- Delete these registry keys if found:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\ContentPush
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\ContentPush
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon | userinit | wscript C:\WINDOWS\run.vbs
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon | userinit | wscript C:\WINDOWS\run.vbs - Close the editor and reboot your system.
In non-techie terms:
Sponsored Links Ads are potentially unreliable third-party advertisements that may disrupt your virtual experience either on your desktop or in your open browser window. These ads could be generated by potentially unwanted programs like ContentPush or adware programs. If you see such ads, you should not click on them because you cannot know where you may end up. For example, it is possible that you get redirected to a malicious website where cyber villains are waiting to scam you. This is how you may install fake security programs or drop malicious programs onto your system. Our researchers believe that it is important that you remove Sponsored Links Ads from your computer as soon as possible. Should you want to protect your PC effectively against all known threats, we suggest that you install a reliable anti-malware program.