Beware! Website Notifications May be Spamming Your Browser

Despite our email services filtering spam mails, spammers, always try to use new tactics to trick the users. The recent workaround found by them is, “web notification spam”. This new technique of spam doesn’t require your email address. It just sends you a spam straight away to your browser using the websites. So, you must be aware and stay safe from web notifications.

What are Website Notifications?

Web notifications are messages which come from the websites. This method allows sites to send notification to their subscribers. You may have seen sometimes a notification pop-up at the top corner of your browser where it asks you that website wants to show notifications and you have two options to allow/block it.

If you allow that prompt then you will get notifications from that website whenever they publish any new content.

Misleading Web Notifications Trick Users to Subscribe

We found out that some websites that endorse adware using web notifications in deceptive manner. For example, an online streaming website sent a notification to users if they wished to watch a video, they must allow to play it. If they didn’t allow it or click on block they would redirect on other unwanted websites or adware.

To check this process, we have tested some of the websites (image of one of them shown below). If we give you another example of blogging website. For example, if you have subscribed a blogging site to get notification for every new blog they published and for lengthy duration of time, you do not access your device. Once you come back and access your device, you may have huge notifications depending on your browser.

So, for spammers, this tactic works well, since you do not have any filter to stop them. You have only way to stop it, that is, remove the subscription you have made.

Also Read: WannaMine: A New Threat on Rise

How Can You Remove Subscription from Your Browser?

You can easily remove subscription notification from your browsers. You just need to follow the steps provided below.

For Google Chrome Browser:

• Go to Settings of your Chrome Browser.
• Now, search for Notifications.
• Next, Scroll-down to Content Settings and click on that.
• Now, click on Notifications.
• Here, it will show you the list of all sites you have subscribed or blocked.
• To remove notifications, you just need to click on 3 dots located in front of subscribed or blocked website and click on Remove.

For Mozilla Firefox Browser:

• Click on the 3-horizontal line Settings on Mozilla Firefox.
• Click on Options.
• Now, search for Notifications
• Next, click on the Settings located in front of Notifications.
• Here, you can see the list of websites which you have requested to send you notifications.
• Finally, you can remove the website.

Also Read: All You Can Know About Zero Day Exploit And Vulnerabilities

Once you remove the notification subscription from your browsers, you will not get any notification from those websites in future until you have subscribed them again.