There are so many potential threats in the online world, biding their time and waiting until we let down our defenses so they can sneak in and steal our identities, raid our bank accounts, damage our files or capture our data. And we might think that by installing an antivirus we're safe from harm. But that's not always true.
Take adware programs like Kong Games as an example. They are, while admittedly not the most malicious online threat, still something that can have a negative effect on your computer and the way you use it. And if you've found an advertisement tagged "Kong Games Ads" on your web browser recently you might just be wondering how on earth it slipped past your defenses.
Adware programs are very often missed by most anti-virus programs because you may, or may not, want or need them just like potentially unwanted programs. Such programs usually manifest themselves as toolbars, browser extensions, or search engine pages – and of course, at first glance it would appear that these are all useful tools that can help you get to where you want to go on the internet. And this is where the ambiguous term 'Potentially Unwanted' comes into play. And of course, adware displays ads. In this case Kong games Ads but scammers change adware installers and their names quite often to confuse users and avoid malware detection. Don't be surprised that yours has different name. One way or another, they are all detected as CrossRider adware or PUA.ScrambleWrapper by most anti-virus engines.
And it is because of this gray area that many antivirus and anti-virus programs view adware and Potentially Unwanted Programs as not, well, definitely unwanted – i.e. malware. And that's how you might end up with one on your PC displaying countless Kong Games ads and slowing down or even crashing your web browser.
But if adware programs may be useful, what's all the fuss about. Well we told you it was a gray area and despite their harmless, even useful, appearance, adware and PUPs have a little more to them than meets the eye. Kong Games is known for being closely associated with spyware and can gather certain information about your browsing habits and search queries, including web browser history.
Adware, PUPs, browser extensions and browser hijackers normally have exactly the same function; their goal being to drive traffic or sales to certain sites. I'm sure you don't need us to tell you how annoying that can be!
The other worrying thing about adware is that it can interact negatively with other programs and software that you have installed on your device. This can make other programs unstable and eventually cause loopholes to open up in your security. Bottom line: remove Kong Games ads and related malware from your computer as soon as you can. If you don't know how to do that, please follow the steps in the removal guide below. Most of the time, adware is packed with freeware and popular download programs. Download software only from official websites and read the end users license agreement before installing it on your computer.
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
Kong Games 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 Kong Games 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:
- Kong Games
- 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 Kong Games related extensions from Google Chrome:
1. Click on Chrome menu button. Go to Tools → Extensions.
2. Click on the trashcan icon to remove Kong Games, 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 Kong Games related extensions from Mozilla Firefox:
1. Open Mozilla Firefox. Go to Tools → Add-ons.
2. Select Extensions. Click Remove button to remove Kong Games, Gosave, MediaPlayerV1, HD-Plus 3.5 and other extensions that you do not recognize.
Remove Kong Games 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.