Af.xdock.co Redirect (Browser Highjacker) Removal

Af.xdock.co redirects can show up unexpectedly, covering the content of the site you visited or opening your web browser when you don’t desire it to be opened.

Redirection on the Af.xdock.co can trigger the injection of different malware or unwanted programs. In this guide, you will see the guidelines of Af.xdock.co popups clearing in multiple manners, and also checking your PC for other viruses presence.

It is better to prevent, than repair and repent!

Removing Af.xdock.co manually may take hours and may damage your PC in the process. I recommend you to download GridinSoft Anti-Malware for threats removal. Allows to complete scan and cure your PC during the trial period.

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What is Af.xdock.co?

The website Af.xdock.co redirects browsers to display ads promoting various unwanted browser extensions, surveys, adult content, online web games, counterfeit software updates, and undesired programs.

You might encounter the Af.xdock.co website in several ways: through website redirects, push notifications, or even due to malware that forces the site to open without your permission. The frequency of these ads can become intrusive and potentially harmful to your computer, especially if you accidentally download malicious software.

Af.xdock.co pop-ups stem from the presence of adware. Adware, a form of malware, presents pay-per-view or pay-per-click advertisements, generating substantial profits for the providers of the adware. These ads sometimes contain shocking content or link to malicious websites. This occurs because adware maintainers prioritize profit over inspecting the legitimacy of the content they display; their sole focus is financial gain.

Af.xdock.co push notification.

Pop-up promotions itself is an excellent, cheap and very efficient marketing method¹. It allows the seller to attach the buyers’ attention to their site, and the customers to get the dynamic updates on the goods they wish to purchase. When the person will receive a pop-up notification that the TV set he likes to purchase is offered at the online shop he/she saw previously with a 15% discount, one will definitely use this possibility and buy it. Taking into consideration the incredibly low price for the popups and their targeting, such a marketing instrument is a favourite thing among the advertising teams of big internet retail stores.

However, such a rewarding plan could not be missed by malware developers. Option to demonstrate the popup advertisements by force to the people of malware attack is a perfect basis for malevolent manipulations with the popup advertisements. And Af.xdock.co promotions is among hundreds that are “employed” in this system.

Here is a info for the Af.xdock.co site

How have I got the Af.xdock.co virus?

There are a huge amount of methods of becoming infected by the adware that trigger the Af.xdock.co popups storm. A lion’s part of this malware incidents is after the free software or cracked programs, that are spread on the peering networks. Free software may likewise be downloaded from the main website, and the adware is delivered as a legal bundled program.

There is no need to blame yourself. A plenty of individuals frequently work with the dubious programs from untrusted providers: abandonware, various apps that are free of cost, and even hacked programs. All of these types of programs are risky, due to the fact that it is very simple to include a Af.xdock.co malware under the guise of part of the license hacking script, or as a component of the self-made algoritm within the Windows optimization tool.

Af.xdock.co popup malware can additionally be concealed in the ad somewhere on the unusual site. Such sites are generally filled with intense and blinking advertisements, and their owners typically accept any type of promotions to be placed on their web page. For this reason, clicking such banners is a risky thing: only the ad contractor knows what will occur when you press this ad. Besides some “light” viruses, like adware or undesirable programs, you can likewise get something a lot more risky, like ransomware or coin miner; the big share of coin miners distribution is exactly after the malicious ads.

The statistic shows that people dislike popup advertising more than other types of promotions

Potentially undesirable applications, like Af.xdock.co pop-up virus can cause a variety of problems on your personal computer. Distracting is not the single effect – pop-up notifications may show you the promotions, where you are offered to download one more unknown program, or “a amazing security tool”. Scareware is usually distributed with the use of the last motto. Potentially undesirable programs, in turn, may have spyware functionality. And it is quite hard to distinguish the undesirable app from a good one, if you don’t know the exact names. Besides the potentially unwanted programs and dubious antiviruses, popup-related banners are also chosen as a distribution method by different trojan viruses, for instance – coin miners. The consequences of actions of such malware is 100% unwanted, and can cost you hundreds or even thousands of dollars. And even if you are not clicking these ads, they can be clicked by someone who also uses your personal computer – parents, children, spouse, etc. So the situation can become much more serious, and it will be much harder to solve it without data loss. It is recommended to remove the viruses with antivirus programs as soon as possible.

How can I get rid of Af.xdock.co pop-up advertisements?

The tutorial of Af.xdock.co adware clearing contains 2 sections. First, we need to remove the malware, and after that correct the results of its action. The removal procedure is very simple, since it can be executed even with the use of Microsoft Defender – anti-virus program that is available on all computers with Windows 8/10. Nonetheless, because of its huge resources consumption, as well as some errors that may be crucial for some groups of individuals, Defender is oftentimes disabled by the users, so its utilization is most likely impossible. What’s more, different trojan viruses are able to shut off the embedded antivirus. It is much better to use the separated program that will not have such vulnerabilities.

I would certainly advise you to utilize Gridinsoft Anti-Malware² – a well-proven antivirus tool that will definitely remove the malware from your system and make an impenetrable shield with a Proactive protection function. But let’s deal with Af.xdock.co adware initially.

Removing Af.xdock.co popup virus with GridinSoft Anti-Malware

• Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware. After the installation, you will be offered to perform the Standard Scan. Approve this action.

• Standard scan checks the logical disk where the system files are stored, together with the files of programs you have already installed. The scan lasts up to 6 minutes.

• When the scan is over, you may choose the action for each detected virus. For all files of Af.xdock.co malware the default option is “Delete”. Press “Apply” to finish the malware removal.

Now, when the computer is clean of viruses, we can proceed to the browser reset. You can do this step manually, as well as with the use of GridinSoft Anti-Malware.

Reset browser settings to default

Manual method of browser reset

To reset Edge, do the following steps :

1. Open “Settings and more” tab in upper right corner, then find here “Settings” button. In the appeared menu, choose “Reset settings” option :

2. After picking the Reset Settings option, you will see the following menu, stating about the settings which will be reverted to original :

For Mozilla Firefox, do the next actions :

1. Open Menu tab (three strips in upper right corner) and click the “Help” button. In the appeared menu choose “troubleshooting information” :

2. In the next screen, find the “Refresh Firefox” option :

After choosing this option, you will see the next message :

If you use Google Chrome

1. Open Settings tab, find the “Advanced” button. In the extended tab choose the “Reset and clean up” button :

2. In the appeared list, click on the “Restore settings to their original defaults” :

3. Finally, you will see the window, where you can see all the settings which will be reset to default :

Opera can be reset in the next way

1. Open Settings menu by pressing the gear icon in the toolbar (left side of the browser window), then click “Advanced” option, and choose “Browser” button in the drop-down list. Scroll down, to the bottom of the settings menu. Find there “Restore settings to their original defaults” option :


2. After clicking the “Restore settings…” button, you will see the window, where all settings, which will be reset, are shown :

When the browsers are reset, you need to ensure that your browser will be connected the correct DNS while connecting to the website you need. Make a text file titled “hosts” on your desktop, after that open it and fill it with the following lines³:

Find the hosts.txt file in C:/Windows/System32/drivers/etc directory. Rename this file to “hosts.old.txt” (to distinguish it from the new one), and then move the file you created on the desktop to this folder. Remove the hosts.old from this folder. Now you have your hosts file as good as new.

However, there is one trouble that makes the things much more difficult to fix, specifically without the anti-malware software. Most of adware variations that are utilized to show you the Af.xdock.co pop-up advertisements are adjusting the deep browser settings, disabling an access to the settings tab. So, if you attempt to change your browser settings after your machine was penetrated by pop-up-related malware, your browser will certainly crash quickly. In certain cases, you will see no crash, but large lag spike after pressing the “settings” key. Browser will stop reacting for ~ 30 seconds, and after that it will be back to the normal, up until you attempt to open settings again.

Reset your browser settings with GridinSoft Anti-Malware

To reset your browser with GridinSoft Anti-Malware, open the Tools tab, and click the “Reset browser settings” button.

You can see the list of the options for each browser. By default, they are set up in the manner which fits the majority of users. Press the “Reset” button (lower right corner). In a minute your browser will be as good as new.

The browser reset is recommended to perform through the antivirus tool by GridinSoft, because last is also able to reset the HOSTS file without any additional commands.

1. More about pop-up advertisements on Wikipedia.
2. GridinSoft Anti-Malware overview and the reasons why I suggest it for malware removal.
3. Official Microsoft guide for hosts file reset.