What is Pum.bad.proxy? - How to remove Pum.bad.proxy?

A few days ago, I was viewing a webpage and an advertisement asking me to “Update Mozilla Firefox” came up. I stupidly clicked on it without even thinking and then many pop-ups filled my screen and the page I was reading was gone. Internet Explorer was also installed on my computer. I have tried several methods to clear the malware on my PC but it was just a MESS! My Malwarebytes anti-malware detected a threat called Pum.bad.proxy. I believe it is the culprit but don’t know how to delete it. Any suggestion?

What is Pum.bad.proxy?
Pum.bad.proxy is malware that is able to alter the Windows Registry file and change LAN settings within Internet Explorer. This malware usually installs IE on the targeted computer and set it as the default web browser. Malware Bytes detected this threat and warned users the modifications made by that malicious program. In fact, the “PUM” refers to a “Potentially Unwanted Modification,” and the “bad.proxy” means the modification made by the threat. If your computer is infected with the malware, the registry value of HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\ProxyServer will be set to “127.0.0.1”. This alteration cuts your infected computer off from access to the Internet. If you use Internet Explorer, your browser will be hacked and controlled by the malware.

Though the malware itself it is not a virus, it can display you a lot of unwanted pop-up ads and annoy you very much. The contents displayed by the domain are often bogus and aim to attract your attention so that you click on them. If you are redirected to malicious websites containing Trojans, spyware, rootkits or other malware, your computer situation will become worse. You don’t need to be surprised when you find the computer perform sluggishly after infection.

Moreover, the threat can track your browsing cookies and know your browser activities so as to display you advertisements based on your interests. It can record what websites you have visited, how long you stayed there, what keywords you have searched, etc. As a result, your personal information will be known by the malicious domain. If the data is sent to cyber criminals, you may end up becoming a victim of financial theft and identity theft. Therefore, please get rid of Pum.bad.proxy from the computer promptly.

Note: If you don’t want to spend much time on removing this unwanted program from your PC, you can use a professional malware removal tool – SpyHunter to scan the computer and delete the potentially unwanted program quickly and fully.

How to get rid of Pum.bad.proxy pop-up ads from your computer completely?
Method1: Automatically remove Pum.bad.proxy by using SpyHunter
Step1. Restart your computer in Safe Mode with Networking.

Restart the PC and keep pressing F8 before Windows launches. In the Windows Advanced Options menu screen, use the up and down arrow keys to move to Safe Mode with Networking and then press Enter key.

Step2. Download and install SpyHunter on your computer.

Download SpyHunter on your PC.
Save the file to a proper location on the computer.

Run the file to install it.

When the file is installed successfully, click Finish button.

Step3. Perform a scan of your system with the tool and delete the adware found.

Click Scan computer now to scan your computer.

When the scan is complete, click Remove to delete all the threats found.

Method2: Manually remove Pum.bad.proxy from your computer
Step1: Uninstall the adware program from Control Panel.

For Windows 8 users,

Press the Windows Key or hover the cursor in the bottom left of the screen to access the Start menu.

Search for the adware program and right click on its icon. A check-mark will appear in the right corner to indicate an application has been selected. Click Uninstall on the toolbar that appears at the bottom of the screen.
uninstall8
Then Programs and Features window will open. Press Uninstall button to remove the unwanted program from your PC.

For Windows 7/Vista users,

Click Start button and go to Control Panel.

Under Programs, click Uninstall a Program.

In the list of programs installed on your PC, highlight the adware program and click Uninstall button to clear it.

Step2: Change the LAN settings of Internet Explorer.

Since the malware enables to change the proxy server address settings, you can follow the steps below to prevent the changes.
Open Internet Explorer and click “Tools” on the top window menu bar if you use Internet Explorer prior to 9. If you use IE 9, just press the ALT key then click “Tools” from the menu bar that appears. Then select “Internet Options”.

Click the “Connections” tab and press the “LAN Settings” button.

Click the “Use a proxy server for your LAN” box, even if you do not normally use a proxy server for LAN access and then click the “Advanced” button.

The “Servers” section will show “127.0.0.1” for the Proxy Address and an arbitrary number for the Port. Remove all contents from both boxes and click the “OK” button.
A warning box will appear indicating you have provided an invalid proxy server address and will ask if you wish to turn off the proxy connection. Click the “Yes” button.
Click the “OK” button in the main “Local Area Network (LAN) Settings” window.
Click the “OK” button to close the “Internet Options” window.
Close Internet Explorer.

Suggestion:
Pum.bad.proxy can be included in freeware or Trojans and installed on the PC silently without your knowledge from the Internet. When your browser displays a lot of pup-up ads and performs weirdly, it’s probably that your computer gets infected. First of all, run your installed antivirus program to perform a full scan of the system. If nothing suspicious is found but the PC still behaves strange, you can use SpyHunter to scan the PC and delete the malware.

To protect your computer from such PUPs or adware, you have to be more cautious when download and install programs from the Internet. Don’t run the unidentified .exe files until you ensure its security. Close the malicious websites at once when you encounter them.

Friendly Reminder: Want to rapidly get rid of Pum.bad.proxy pop-up ads? Wish to remove the cyber threats on your computer easily? Please download and install SpyHunter to quickly on your PC by clicking the icon below right now!