Phone opening web pages by itself

[snorko]

I am having a weird problem with my phone. Phone is an older Galaxy Note (4 or 5). Through some shenanigans unknown to me, lately when I open my phone it will go to an open web page that is 100% ads. all are weird addresses mostly .com but some .biz and even .xyz. If I scroll aay down, there is an unsubscribe link but it's always a different address so it has no effect.

I have not knowingly downloaded any apps or images, etc. lately nor have i visited any questionable sites. Best I can figure is I may have fat fingered some pop-up or side ad.

Any help as to where I should be looking in the phone to stop this? I just set the top data users, Samsung internet, Google services and Google play, to restrict background run time to wifi only. Maybe that will do it?

 

[flyingsquirrel]

Can you take the battery out to let it reboot?

 

[Rusty Shackleford]

Is there a way to clear all website data in the settings?

 

[snorko]

Can you take the battery out to let it reboot?

Duh, for some stupid reason I had not done that yet.

 

[Rookie]

Your phone has herpes.

 

[snorko]

Your phone has herpes.

Probably got it from that slut tablet!

They take turns mounting the same charger.

 

[Phase2]

Unfortunately, any bad app can trigger that behavior. All it has to do it it call a URL and it will cause your browser to try and bring up that page. Have you installed any new apps recently? Do you install apps from sources other than Apple/Google store (not a guarantee of safety, but both are generally safe)?

 

[snorko]

Only app I have installed recently is Hoopla from the Google store. I pulled the battery and set the top data users, Samsung internet, Google services and Google play, to restrict background run time to wifi only. If it stops, I may go back and restore the background settings one by one.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

The only apps I've installed on my phone have been one for my credit union, one for WTHR's news &weather, and a sonar (fish finder) app. DoggyMama's phone was so clogged up with crap she "accidentally" installed by clicking on crap on Facebook that it was darned near unusable. She'd ask me to take a look for something and I would give up out of frustration from all the pop-up crap that kept coming up.

 

[COOPADUP]

SIM card might be corrupt

 

[KLB]

[video=youtube;rdKKT1c_7Cw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdKKT1c_7Cw[/video]

 

[OakRiver]

You need a young priest, and an old priest

 

[actaeon277]

Malicious ads on webpages can do that.

On the bottom left of your screen, you should see a "button" that looks like 2 pages. It's at the very bottom. (At the same level as the "back" button).
When you press it, it gives you a "history" of programs run.
Close them all.

 

[tcause17]

I am having a weird problem with my phone. Phone is an older Galaxy Note (4 or 5). Through some shenanigans unknown to me, lately when I open my phone it will go to an open web page that is 100% ads. all are weird addresses mostly .com but some .biz and even .xyz. If I scroll aay down, there is an unsubscribe link but it's always a different address so it has no effect.

I have not knowingly downloaded any apps or images, etc. lately nor have i visited any questionable sites. Best I can figure is I may have fat fingered some pop-up or side ad.

Any help as to where I should be looking in the phone to stop this? I just set the top data users, Samsung internet, Google services and Google play, to restrict background run time to wifi only. Maybe that will do it?

It's most likely the Russians or the FBI hijacking your phone

 

[snorko]

Well so far after doing the above, there was a single instance of a window popping up. However, instead of ads, it just had an error message re site could not be reached. If this holds, it was probably one of the three applications I reset.

 

[Spike Jones 5 2002]

It is the same on my laptop.
Microsoft has taken over my home page.
I keep clicking for Yahoo to be my home page.
Microsoft rejects it.
I also get when I click on a direct link.
I am taken to some place what wants me to buy everything on their site.
it has nothing to do with what the link was suppose to be.

I have had site that hide things.
I close the site that I was looking at.
I find a half dozen unknown site running in the back ground.

McAfee is always downloading updates.
Nut then Microsoft will dump update on my laptop.
when I turn off my laptop.
I am told my laptop will not turn off until updates complete.
I also get when I turn on my laptop.
I have to wait until update complete.
usually after that my system runs crazy.

 

[KLB]

Get this and run it on your laptop.
https://www.immunet.com/index
It is Cisco's anti-malware/antivirus software free for personal use.

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

Sometime between the hospital and the recovery place a couple of years ago, my S7 picked up a virus. I was still hallucinating from the anaesthetic, so I was little able to make sense of things, but the whole functionality of the phone, including text messaging, was clobbered. I couldn't do anything but make a voice call reliably or even at all for some functions. Once I started coming to my senses and I could get on my mom's laptop, I downloaded the whole phone firmware, wiped it entirely, and restarted with a virgin phone. It took a couple more weeks to get enough of my brain back online to log into my own laptop. Anyway, I re-downloaded everything I had downloaded voluntarily in the first place, plus a couple of security apps, and everything was cool. I have no idea what I had or hadn't done that got me virused.

 

[femurphy77]

Skynet.

Resistance is futile.






Like I'd resist this:

 

[BugI02]

Thirty-seven of D