AlphaShoppers

Posted by Max Lehmann on March 2, 2017

What is AlphaShoppers?

AlphaShoppers is a potentially unwanted program that allegedly can provide you with the best shopping deals directly from your New Tab page. While it is not classified as a browser hijacker, it is capable of modifying your browser’s settings, and so you have to be cautious. Was this tool installed without your permission? If it was, you have to treat it as a threat that must be deleted immediately. Of course, in most cases, Google Chrome users install it themselves, believing that it can offer beneficial and exclusive services. Anti-Spyware-101.com research team has thoroughly inspected this PUP – which, of course, is short for “potentially unwanted program” – and there are some things that were discovered that might make you want to remove AlphaShoppers. By the way, this PUP is also known as Alpha Shoppers. If you have recently encountered this suspicious program, we suggest reading this report to learn more about it. If we have not answered your questions in this report, add them to the comments section below. test test test

How does AlphaShoppers work?

The suspicious AlphaShoppers has an official download source, alphashoppers.co. When you click the “Download Now” button displayed on this site, you are introduced to a pop-up installer that is actually hosted on chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/alpha-shoppers/lfcnefjjpegbafdlhielmkkadnmdekhp, at the Chrome web store. According to the data recorded at the time of research, the add-on had 18 users and was on its 5.8.5 version. Clearly, Alpha Shoppers is not yet popular, which is why it is not surprising that it might be spread by third-party installers. Unfortunately, they could package the PUP along with dangerous infections, and that is a huge issue. Even if you do not see other threats, we advise scanning your entire operating system with an up-to-date malware scanner to check if your operating system is clean. If the scanner discovers much more dangerous threats, you should delete them first because you do not want any damage done to your operating system or your virtual security. While we consider the PUP to be a potential threat as well, it definitely is not the most dangerous infection that you could face.

So, why is AlphaShoppers considered a threat? We have to look at the Privacy Policy first. If you go to the first section called “Personal Identifiable Information,” you will find a statement indicating that the creator reserves the right to collect sensitive data that is recorded when you place orders, subscribe to newsletters, or participate in surveys. You definitely cannot forget about this if you decide to keep the PUP installed. Another reason why you might decide to remove this program is that it can redirect you to http://api-client.mobitech-search.xyz (created by Mobitech.io) without your acknowledgement when you enter keywords into the displayed search box. You will find this box on the New Tab page, also known as “Shopping New Tab.” By the way, you will face the exact same feature if you install another PUP that goes by the name “Torpedo Deals.” Of course, many users do not care about this because they are provided with discount coupons, as well as legitimate links to such shopping sites amazon.com, bestbuy.com, target.com, macys.com, etc.

How to remove AlphaShoppers

Since Alpha Shoppers is currently only compatible with Google Chrome, this is the browser we have focused on. If you need us to add instructions on how to delete AlphaShoppers from other browsers, let us know via the comments section. As you can see, the elimination of this hijacker is not complicated because you only need to erase one folder and modify a couple of files. Of course, you can always erase the extension directly from the chrome://extensions/ menu, but we suggest following the steps shown below to learn where the PUP lands on your PC when you install it. Maybe you will be able to apply the knowledge you gain in the future. In case you have used a malware scanner, and other threats were found, you can look for guides on our websites to find out how to remove them manually. If you do not have time to research and eliminate threats one by one, or if highly dangerous threats are active – and you should never waste any time with those – do not hesitate to use anti-malware software.

Removal Guide

Simultaneously tap keys Win+E to access Windows Explorer.
Windows 10/8/7/Vista users enter %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\ and Windows XP user enter %UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\User Data\ into the bar at the top.
Open the folder named Default (if there are several different Chrome profiles, open the folder named after your Chrome profile).
Right-click the folder named lfcnefjjpegbafdlhielmkkadnmdekhp and select Delete.
Go back to the Default folder (or Chrome profile folder) and then open Local Storage.
Right-click and Deletethese files:
- chrome-extension_lfcnefjjpegbafdlhielmkkadnmdekhp_0.localstorage-journal
- chrome-extension_lfcnefjjpegbafdlhielmkkadnmdekhp_0.localstorage
Go back to the Default folder (or Chrome profile folder).
Right-click and Deletethese files:
- Preferences
- Secure Preferences