awksqa.com is a deceptive scam website that will try to trick you into allowing ads on your desktop. The site misuses a legitimate browser feature to do this, which is why you will immediately get a browser alert saying “awksqa.com wants to show notifications” when you enter the site. Do not allow these notifications because you will be bombarded with ads.
When you get redirected to awksqa.com you’ll encounter a fake video player and a prompt asking you to press “Allow” to view the video. If you click “Allow,” the site will begin to show spam ads on your desktop. We recommend avoiding interaction with any notifications from awksqa.com as they may lead you to harmful content like scams and malware.
It’s worth mentioning that the feature awksqa.com is exploiting is actually legitimate and can be helpful. You can grant permission to specific sites to display notifications, but only if they provide safe content. For example, you can permit your favored news site to send you important news updates without needing to visit their website. Clicking on a notification would then take you straight to the content.
If you’ve allowed awksqa.com to show notifications, it’s essential to revoke this permission as soon as possible. You can easily do this in your browser’s settings. If you need help navigating the settings, you are welcome to use the instructions provided at the end of this report.
What triggers redirects to sites like awksqa.com
If users are redirected to questionable websites, it’s likely due to two reasons. They either browse high-risk websites without an adblocker or their computers are infected with adware, though the former is usually the case. Some websites aim to expose users to countless advertisements to generate revenue. Sites containing pornographic or pirated content, for example, are often guilty of this as they trigger continuous redirects no matter what users click on. Fortunately, these redirects can be easily blocked with any decent adblocker program.
Experiencing redirects while on safe websites may indicate an adware infection on your computer. Although not dangerous, the ads can be very annoying. Adware infections are typically installed through software bundling, where they are included as additional offers in free programs and can be installed without explicit permission from users. They are optional but because they are hidden in settings users don’t normally use, many users cannot deselect them, thus preventing their installations. This method is controversial due to its deceptive nature. Programs using this method are often flagged as potential threats by anti-virus programs.
The additional offers are always optional but must be manually deselected to prevent their installation. When installing a program, it’s important to use Advanced (Custom) settings. While the installation window may recommend using Default settings, these settings allow the offers to install automatically. On the other hand, Advanced settings not only make all offers visible but also provide the option to deselect them. All users need to do is uncheck the boxes.
Allowing any of the additional offers to be installed is not recommended, even if some initially seem useful. Allowing these installations will fill your computer with unnecessary programs that can cause issues. Unchecking a few boxes during free program installations is far simpler.
How to stop awksqa.com redirects
Scanning your computer with an anti-virus program to check for an adware infection is something we recommend doing. If you are redirected to awksqa.com and similar sites even when browsing safe sites, it may be a sign of adware on your computer. Adware infections can be tricky to get rid of manually so using an anti-virus program is much easier. To block future redirects and ads, you also need a good adblocker program.
It’s not difficult to revoke a site’s permission to show notifications in your browser’s settings. If you need help with navigating your browser’s settings, we have provided directions below.
- Mozilla Firefox: Open the menu (the three bars at the top-right corner), click Options, then Privacy & Security. Scroll down to Permissions, press Settings next to Notifications, and remove awksqa.com and any other questionable websites from the list. It’s possible to permanently turn off push notification requests by checking the “Block new requests asking to allow notifications” box in the same Notifications settings.
- Google Chrome: Open the menu (the three dots top-right corner), then Settings, then Privacy and security, then Site Settings. Click on Notifications under Permissions, and remove awksqa.com and any other questionable websites from the list. It’s possible to permanently turn off push notification requests by toggling off “Sites can ask to send notifications”.
- Microsoft Edge: Open the menu (the three dots top-right corner), then Settings, then Cookies and site permissions, then Notifications. Review which sites have permission and remove awksqa.com and any other questionable websites from the list. It’s possible to permanently turn off push notification requests by toggling off “Ask before sending”.
Site Disclaimer
2-remove-virus.com is not sponsored, owned, affiliated, or linked to malware developers or distributors that are referenced in this article. The article does not promote or endorse any type of malware. We aim at providing useful information that will help computer users to detect and eliminate the unwanted malicious programs from their computers. This can be done manually by following the instructions presented in the article or automatically by implementing the suggested anti-malware tools.
The article is only meant to be used for educational purposes. If you follow the instructions given in the article, you agree to be contracted by the disclaimer. We do not guarantee that the artcile will present you with a solution that removes the malign threats completely. Malware changes constantly, which is why, in some cases, it may be difficult to clean the computer fully by using only the manual removal instructions.