GubZL “Virus” Removal

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Welcome to our GubZL “Virus” removal guide. The following instructions will aid you in removing the unwanted software from your PC.

Nowadays it’s nearly impossible to go on the internet and not have a huge part of your screen covered with annoying online ads. Still, even though this can be quite frustrating, it is oftentimes what keeps websites that you use every day running, while still being free to use. Thus, even though this might be irritating, you still actually get something out of it. However, there is another type of online adverts that do not benefit the user in any given way and are also way more obstructive and frustrating to have around. Those do not come from the sites you visit and instead are generated on your own computer by a program known as GubZL “Virus”.

GubZL “Virus”

GubZL is Adware – a type of software applications that get into your Chrome, IE or Firefox browser and spam it with all sorts of nagging pop-ups, banners, box messages and other forms of online adverts. In fact, programs such as this one are very widely spread and every day numerous computers get Adware installed on them. Oftentimes this happens without the user’s knowledge or consent. Due to the intrusive nature of Adware programs, most people who have had one installed on their machine seek ways to remove it as soon as possible. That is why below this article our readers can find a detailed manual guide that will help them resolve the issue in no time. Still, it is important to read everything that we have to offer you, since knowing how to remove the nagging program is only one of the things you need to be aware of when it comes to Adware.

Why the ads?

Obviously, Adware programs are not there to help you or provide you with a better online experience even if they are promoted as being able to do exactly that (which is often the case). Well then, what is their real purpose? As it is with all forms of marketing, it all has to do with money and profit. Those ads that you see on your screen are a clever part of a revenue-earning technique known as the Pay-Per-Click scheme. Each click you make on those adverts transforms into a small amount of income that goes to the developer of the intrusive program. On a larger scale, the actual profit that comes from one such program can be quite astonishing and most of the time all that the creator of the Adware has to do is to collect the money earned by their product. In some instances, programs such as GubZL might actually provide the user with some kind of supposedly valuable function in order to appear more appealing to the user, but in most cases, such a function is hardly worth the annoyance and the frustration from the adverts.

Should you be worried?

Most experts agree that Adware programs are not inherently dangerous to users and their computers. After all, applications like GubZL are not some kind of malicious Ransomware or Trojan Horse viruses. Therefore, there is no need for you to worry, even if you currently have Adware on your machine. However, even though GubZL is not some sort of a malicious Ransomware virus, being careful during the time it is on your PC is important. Sometimes the ads you see can redirect you to certain obscure pages that might potentially compromise your system’s security. Of course, this happens extremely rarely, but being on the safe side is always the better option. That is why our advice to you would be to avoid those pop-ups and banners and focus on removing the Adware. Also, it should be noted that sometimes GubZL might attempt to look through your online search queries in order to customize its ads, making them appear more attractive to you. This potential privacy invasion is one more reason why getting rid of the Adware is probably your best option.

Protection

Once you’ve had your current issue dealt with, you’ll need to make sure that no Adware gets inside your machine ever again. Understanding how these programs get inside people’s PC’s is key to improving your own system’s protection. Commonly used techniques for Adware distribution are spam e-mails, torrent and file-sharing sites and also different direct download links that are either hidden or disguised so that you might click on them without knowing what they actually do. However, the method that gets most Adware programs installed is the so called file bundles. A file bundle is basically a program installer that has some added applications within it. Using the Default installation setting to install that program usually allows all added content into the computer as well. If there is Adware inside the installer, you’d get that as well if you use the Default option. Therefore, from now on only use the Custom installation when installing new programs. This option enables you to see what added content there is and leave anything that you might not want out of the installation.

GubZL “Virus” Removal

I – Uninstallation

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1. Use the Winkey+R keyboard combination, write Control Panel in the search field and hit enter.
   
2. Go to Uninstall a program under Programs.
   
3. Seek the unwanted software, select it and then click on Uninstall
   1. If you are unable to spot GubZL, search for any unrecognized programs that you do not remember installing on your PC – the unwanted software might disguise itself by going under a different name.

II – Safe mode and revealing hidden files

1. Boot your PC into Safe Mode /link/
2. Reveal hidden files and folders /link/

III – Cleaning all your browsers

1. Go to your browser’s icon, right-click on it and select Properties.
   
2. Go to the Shortcut tab and in the Target make sure to delete anything written after “.exe”.
   
3. Now, open your browser and follow the instructions below depending on whether you are using Chrome, Mozilla or IE.

• Chrome users:

1. Go to your browser’s main menu located in the top-right corner of the screen and select Settings.
   
2. Scroll down, click on Show Advanced Settings and then select Clear browsing data. Just to be sure, tick everything and clear the data.
   
3. Now, in the left pane, go to Extensions and look through all extensions that are integrated within your browser. If you notice any suspicious add-on, disable it and then remove it.
   

• Firefox users:

1. Similarly to Chrome, go to the main menu and select Add-ons and then Extensions.
2. Remove any suspicious browser extensions that you may have even if they do not have the name GubZL on them.

• IE users:

1. Go to Tools and select Manage add-ons.
   
2. Click on all add-on types from the left pane and check if there is anything suspicious in the right panel. In case you find anything shade, make sure to remove it.

IV – Removing Shady processes

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1. Go to your start menu, type Task Manager in the search field and from the results open View running processes with Task Manager.
   
2. Thoroughly look through all processes. The name GubZL might not be there, but if you notice any shady looking process that consumes high amounts of memory it might be ran by the unwanted program.
3. If you spot the process ran by GubZL, right-click on it, open its file location and delete everything in there. Then go back to the Task Manager and end the process.
   

V – DNS check

1. In the start menu search box write View Network Connections and open the first result.
   
2. Right-click on the network connection you are using and go to Properties.
   
3. Select Internet Protocol Version (TCP/IPv4) and click on Properties.
   
4. If Obtain DNS server addresses automatically is not checked, check it.
   
5. Go to Advanced and select the DNS If there is anything in the DNS server addresses field, remove it and click OK.
   
6. Click OK on the rest of the opened windows.