AdBlock Stream - How to remove

AdBlock Stream is an ad blocking browser extension. Unfortunately, it is considered to be riskware by some security vendors. It’s important to be careful of AdBlock Stream. Consider how you installed it and whether you trust it.

AdBlock Stream’s problem is that it uses iffy ads to spread online. This might lead to accidental installations. In addition, AdBlock Stream’s home site doe snot provide enough information about privacy and monetization, which means it might not be safe to use the extension.

AdBlock Stream in short:

Classification	Potentially unwanted program.
What is AdBlock Stream	Ad blocking browser extension.
Problems and issues	Not enough information on the extension, its monetization, and what it does with user data, anti-malware vendors consider it to be risky to use, it tricks some people into installing it, it severely lacks features.
How to remove AdBlock Stream	Uninstall it and other potentially unwanted browser extensions, check your computer for malware with antivirus scanners (Malwarebytes, others).

What is AdBlock Stream?

Ad blocker

Ad blockers are great – they can protect you from malicious ads on sites that show such advertisements. Since some ads lead to unsafe sites, ad blockers can help you avoid scams and malware infections.

AdBlock Stream appears to be a very simple ad blocker – it has a list of some fifty thousand domains that it blocks. These domains are responsible for ads and pop-ups. This list needs to be updated for the ad blocker to stay effective.

When you visit a website with an ad blocker installed, the website might check if its ads were hidden and refuse to display. They might ask you to disable your ad blocker. However, AdBlock Stream doesn’t get detected much, which is very useful.

The problem with AdBlock Stream is that it’s as simple as an ad blocker can be. This means that it doesn’t have any features that would allow you to change how it works, for instance, to control which ads it blocks or allows and which sites it works on.

Riskware

Some anti-malware scanners detect AdBlock Stream as malware. They also block the Adblockstream.com website.

It’s not surprising – there’s a lot that’s suspicious about AdBlock Stream:

• It uses the Download Ready ad format, which is usually used by browser hijackers. Some reviewers of this extension say that it’s recommended by spam links and pop-ups.
• It’s unclear who the person or company behind AdBlock Stream is. There’s nothing but an email address provided.
• There are suspiciously few reviews left for this extension. Many of them are the sorts of one-word reviews that are likely to be fake.

Knowing that AdBlock Stream uses potentially deceptive ads to spread, it wouldn’t be surprising if many of those people who installed it did it unintentionally. Especially when its ad implies that you have to install it to watch free HD movies online:

After installing you will be redirected to your FREE HD 4K streaming site

After AdBlock Stream is installed on Streaming4free.com, it opens a Putlocker site – a free (illegal) movie streaming website. That, plus the fact that Chrome hides newly installed extensions under the puzzle button and doesn’t pin them by default, does make it possible for people to install AdBlock Stream and forget.

I haven’t seen this add-on do anything too suspicious once it was installed and I didn’t notice anything suspicious in its code, but reputable anti-malware vendors say that it would occasionally redirect the user to an unwanted website. Knowing that AdBlock Stream can read and change your data on all the sites that you visit, it could do it. And if it doesn’t do it now, it could easily be updated to do it.

And why should we trust that it won’t? We don’t know who is behind this extension and the whole Adblockstream.com site is a carbon copy of Getadblock.com, the home page of a truly reputable ad blocker. The biggest difference between the two sites is that AdBlock lists the physical addresses of its company and representative. AdBlock Stream does not.

This also means that we have no idea what AdBlock Stream does with the data of its users.

We do know that the people behind this ad blocker have spent money to advertise it online and put up a website to promote it, but why? Most likely, they’re making money from AdBlock Stream. Either by selling data, by advertising to its users, or redirecting them to affiliated sites.

There are ad blockers that turned out to be malware: Supreme Adblocker, AdPop Block, and others.

How to remove AdBlock Stream

Ad blockers are great, but there are already those that are much better than AdBlock Stream. With more features and relevant tech support. The important things to look for are:

• Genuine reviews. Make sure that the extension is well-known.
• Using the official link to install it. Go to the ad blocker’s home page. This will help you avoid fake extensions in disguise.
• Knowing how the extension’s creators make money. Some offer a subscription service, some take money from advertising companies to allow their ads to be displayed. Others display their own ads on your screen.

You can remove AdBlock Stream by uninstalling it from your browser as described below. At the same time, it’s advisable to scan your computer with an anti-malware app, such as Malwarebytes, to check it for adware. After all, AdBlock Stream is likely advertised on movie streaming sites, file hosting sites, etc. Such websites show lots of dangerous ads similar to those used by AdBlock Stream, some of which lead to browser hijackers and other malware.

Automatic Malware removal tools

Remove unwanted extensions

TopRemoving AdBlock Stream from Chrome

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Google Chrome window. Select “Settings”.
  
• Click “Extensions” on the left menu bar.
• Go through the extensions list and remove programs you do not need, especially similar to AdBlock Stream. Click on the trash bin icon next to AdBlock Stream or other add-ons you want to remove.
  
• Press on the “Remove” button on the Confirmation window.
  
• If unsure, you can disable them temporarily.
  
• Restart Chrome.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

If you are still experiencing any issues related to AdBlock Stream, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on Chrome’s menu button (three horizontal lines) and select Settings.
  
• Scroll to the end of the page and click on the Reset settings button.
  
• Click on the Reset button on the confirmation box.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

How to remove AdBlock Stream from Microsoft Edge:Top

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Microsoft Edge window. Select “Extensions”.

• Go through the extensions list and remove programs you do not need, especially similar to AdBlock Stream. Click on the "Remove" icon next to AdBlock Stream or other add-ons you want to remove.

• Press on the “Remove” button on the Confirmation window.

• If unsure, you can disable them temporarily.

• Restart Microsoft Edge.

TopRemoving AdBlock Stream from Firefox

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla window and select the “Add-ons” icon (or press Ctrl+Shift+A on your keyboard).
  
• Go through Extensions and Addons list, remove everything AdBlock Stream related and items you do not recognise. If you do not know the extension and it is not made by Mozilla, Google, Microsoft, Oracle or Adobe then you probably do not need it.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to AdBlock Stream, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla Firefox window. Click on the Help button.
  
• Choose Troubleshooting Information on the Help menu.
  
• Click on the Reset Firefox button.
  
• Click on the Reset Firefox button on the confirmation box. Mozilla Firefox will close and change the settings to default.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.