In a nutshell, Zombie News is a type of software program that displays "Ads by Zombie News" to you on your computer when you're using the Internet. This adware has been created with a couple of end results in mind for the programmer who developed it. It may be used as an income generating tool or it may be used as bait to get you to visit a website that the programmer wants you to visit – either to increase sales or traffic.
Zombie News normally comes bundled, or packaged, with another program. The adverts shown to you by the adware program have two different methods of operation: one will be in a screen which will be displayed during the installation of an additional program while the other will already be integrated into the program's user interface. The adverts you see may be displayed on your screen as traditional ads – almost like in a newspaper, while others are banners and some are windows which either pop-up on your screen, or underneath the page you have open – pop-under ads by Zombie News.
Is it malicious?
Whilst not as downright nasty as most of the other types of malware, for example, Trojan horses, rogueware or spyware, adware is still an annoyance, and can potentially leave your operating system open to further attack by more malicious forms of software. It is also able to monitor which websites you visit. This breach of our privacy is so that the programmer knows what you're searching online for, which products you're interested in buying, or services you may be booking. That in turn enables them to then customize the adverts they display on your screen – thereby increasing the chances that you will click on them and visit their website and/or spend some of your hard earned dollars!
How do I block Zombie News on my computer?
Unfortunately, as mentioned above, adware is pretty much unavoidable, however you can still take steps to ensure that you are as best protected as possible. While targeted adverts might feel like a bit of an infringement of your privacy, they are generally harmless. Problems arise when you're actually infected by a more malicious form of Zombie News adware – usually manifested in the form of those horrible pop-up or –under windows. The best advice I can give is to download a reputable anti-malware program. There are plenty of good ones out there, so do your research, but first of all, 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
Zombie News 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 Zombie News 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:
- Zombie News
- 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 Zombie News related extensions from Google Chrome:
1. Click on Chrome menu button. Go to Tools → Extensions.
2. Click on the trashcan icon to remove Zombie News, 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 Zombie News related extensions from Mozilla Firefox:
1. Open Mozilla Firefox. Go to Tools → Add-ons.
2. Select Extensions. Click Remove button to remove Zombie News, Gosave, MediaPlayerV1, HD-Plus 3.5 and other extensions that you do not recognize.
Remove Zombie News 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.