Surf Safer

Posted by Max Lehmann on September 10, 2015

What is Surf Safer?

If you would like to surf the web more safely, you might find Surf Safer to be a good solution for warning you before visiting unsafe websites; however, we would advise you not to download this application. As a matter of fact, you currently cannot even download it from its website. However, if you already have it on your computer, it is possible that you have been infected with it and you do not even know you have installed it. In that case, it is quite likely that there are other infections on-board as well. This application is, in fact, an adware program that can display a great variety of third-party advertisements on your computer screen. Are you bothered by pop-ups and other ads? Let us tell you that they are not simply annoying, they can also mean harm to your virtual security once you click on them. Even though it seems that this adware only “entertains” American users with its ads, no matter where you are located this adware can collect personally identifiable information about you. It is important that you delete Surf Safer if you intend to keep your computer safe. test test test

Where does Surf Safer come from?

As our malware specialists at Anti-Spyware-101.com have noticed this adware can come mainly from two sources. The less likely source is the official website, surf-safer.com, and the reason for our doubt is the fact that you cannot actually download Surf Safer from there. By clicking on the download button, all you get is a pop-up message about a supposed maintenance issue. How convenient, right? So if you cannot directly download this questionable app, how can it end up on your computer? The answer is in freeware bundles.

Have you installed any free software lately? Where did you get it from? Do you know why these questions are important? Because most people infect their computers with malware by downloading freeware from unfamiliar and unreliable shareware or torrent websites. It is enough to click on the wrong button and you may allow a whole package of threats onto your computer. In that case, removing Surf Safer is definitely not enough to restore your system’s security; you also need to make sure that all other infections are also dealt with.

What does Surf Safer do?

This application is supposed to alert you when you are about to land on a malicious website that may host harmful programs. But, unfortunately, it simply keeps displaying disruptive third-party advertisements on your computer screen. These ads can be banners, pop-ups, in-texts, coupons, interstitial ads, and special offers as well. You may also start seeing ads that seem very relevant to you. These are even more “dangerous” since clicking on them may happen without a second thought; and, obviously, that is the aim of the creators of this adware. You need to know that adware programs generate income by your clicks on these ads. But nobody can guarantee that the linked websites are safe or legitimate. Landing on a malicious website can infect your computer with more malware programs, or you can also get scammed there. Your virtual “kingdom” will be a much safer place if you remove Surf Safer right now.

How can I remove Surf Safer?

To be quite frank, it is not too easy to manually free up your computer from Surf Safer. But we will share with you what you can do if you want to choose this option. First, you need to delete the following directories through the Windows File Explorer: Program Files\Surf Safer and Program Files (x86)\Bench. Second, you need to run the Windows registry editor, then locate and delete all these keys: HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\39004_Surf Safer, HKLM\SOFTWARE\Surf Safer, and HKLM\SOFTWARE\Proxy\Installations\Surf Safer. The final step is to remove the browser extensions. Please follow our instructions below if you are not familiar with that. Also, do not forget that you can actually save yourself these headaches if you try to protect your computer from such infections. For example, you can make sure that you do not visit suspicious websites, or you can do proper research on the software or tool you want to download.