What actually is Vaudix?
Adware is the name given to a type of software or program that has been designed to display or download adverts on your PC or other device when you're online. Some of these adverts are banners, some of them are links, some of them are boxes displayed at the edges of the web page, and some of them – the most infuriating ones – are pop-up (or pop-under) windows. More often than not, and increasingly, these adverts have a spooky similarity to products or services that that you've recently been looking at on the Internet. While it might be tempting at first to brush this off as a coincidence, it's no such thing. After all, once you've run across the umpteenth ad for men's winter coats, running shoes or diamond encrusted dog collars (depending on your tastes!) you're probably starting to realize that just maybe, Vaudix is a little cleverer than you previously gave it credit for. Multiple anti-virus engines detect malware in Vaudix. Most anti-virus programs detect it as adware but there are a few others that detect it as Trojan.Crossrider.3, MultiPlug, and suspicious generic Trojan. And there's a good reason for that. It not only displays ads but also gather information about visited websites, search queries, etc. It's obvious that Vaudix is more than just adware.
How does Vaudix infect my device?
Vaudix is normally bundled with another program that you are installing. Oftentimes this will be some free software, or shareware, however freeware is not the exclusive domain of adware and it can also come packaged with more reputable software, including programs you may have to pay for. So who creates adware, and why? Programmers develop adware for a couple of different reasons. A lot of the time it is so that they can recoup the cost of developing a piece of free software. Other reasons are to enable them to generate revenue through the adverts, or maybe they simply want to drive traffic to another website – regardless of whether it is connected to the goods or services shown in the advert or not!
Let's get down to the nitty gritty: how does Vaudix know which adverts I'm interested in?
It is programmed to monitor your Internet habits; it logs which websites you have visited and takes particular note of which services – i.e. return flights from London to New York – or products – that new fitted kitchen – you have looked at. This data is recorded and relayed back to the adware programmer, who is then able to see what you’re most interested in at any given time – allowing them to then customize your adverts based on your searches. Sort of an invasion of your privacy, isn't it?
I suggest you to remove Vaudix adware and any related malware from your computer as soon as possible. To do so, please follow the steps in the removal guide below.
If you have any questions, please leave a comment down below. Good luck and be safe online!
Written by Michael Kaur, http://delmalware.blogspot.com
Vaudix Ads Removal Guide:
1. First of all, download anti-malware software and run a full system scan. It will detect and remove this infection from your computer. You may then follow the manual removal instructions below to remove the leftover traces of this malware. Hopefully you won't have to do that.
2. Remove Vaudix related programs from your computer using the Add/Remove Programs control panel (Windows XP) or Uninstall a program control panel (Windows 7 and Windows 8).
Go to the Start Menu. Select Control Panel → Add/Remove Programs.
If you are using Windows Vista or Windows 7, select Control Panel → Uninstall a Program.
If you are using Windows 8, simply drag your mouse pointer to the right edge of the screen, select Search from the list and search for "control panel".
Or you can right-click on a bottom left hot corner (formerly known as the Start button) and select Control panel from there.
3. When the Add/Remove Programs or the Uninstall a Program screen is displayed, scroll through the list of currently installed programs and remove the following:
- Vaudix
- GoSave
- deals4me
- SaveNewaAppz
- and any other recently installed application
Simply select each application and click Remove. If you are using Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8, click Uninstall up near the top of that window. When you're done, please close the Control Panel screen.
Remove Vaudix related extensions from Google Chrome:
1. Click on Chrome menu button. Go to Tools → Extensions.
2. Click on the trashcan icon to remove Vaudix, MediaPlayerV1, Gosave, HD-Plus 3.5 and other extensions that you do not recognize.
If the removal option is grayed out then read how to remove extensions installed by enterprise policy.
Remove Vaudix related extensions from Mozilla Firefox:
1. Open Mozilla Firefox. Go to Tools → Add-ons.
2. Select Extensions. Click Remove button to remove Vaudix, Gosave, MediaPlayerV1, HD-Plus 3.5 and other extensions that you do not recognize.
Remove Vaudix related add-ons from Internet Explorer:
1. Open Internet Explorer. Go to Tools → Manage Add-ons. If you have the latest version, simply click on the Settings button.
2. Select Toolbars and Extensions. Click Remove/Disable button to remove the browser add-ons listed above.