Removing Maps Frontier (Adware/PUP)

What is Maps Frontier? And how does it function?

Maps Frontier is a dubious program that functions as a browser extension that supposedly gives users accurate directions, traffic information, transit routes and other similar information. This program might look like it could benefit users who drive or travel quite a lot. However, you should know that this program actually belongs to the category of adware or ad-supported programs that displays tons of intrusive ads rather than giving users the functionality it promised.
Maps of Frontier affects several browsers like Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and more. Once installed, it will apply some unauthorized changes in your browsers. These changes include the modification of the default home page and new tab URL into the settings applied by Maps Frontier. Aside from that, it also makes changes to the Windows Registry so it can set itself as an autorun application and boot with the Windows operating system. After all these changes are applied, you will find it difficult to switch back to your previous preferred browser and computer settings. This is why some users regard this adware program as “Maps Frontier virus” even when it’s not really a computer virus. You will also start to notice the sudden appearance of ads that are mostly intrusive. These ads include pop-ups, banners, in-text links, and so on. Although some of these ads are legitimate, some of them on the other hand, are downright suspicious and could redirect you to shady and even malicious websites.
Moreover, Maps Frontier is also capable of monitoring your browsing-related information in order to harvest information like the links you’ve clicked, websites visited often and recently, browsing history, search queries, and more. The information it collects will be used to produce more targeted and personalized ads that are meant to increase its advertising-based revenue. What’s more is that it might also share the harvested information and share it with partners as stated in this adware’s Privacy Policy:
“We may share your PII with our parent company and its principals, a parent company, employees, consultants, officers, directors, members, agents, subsidiaries, or affiliates (collectively “Related Companies”).”
How does Maps Frontier spread online?
Maps Frontier is spread using the software bundling technique. This technique is commonly used by developers of unwanted programs as it allows them to sneakily install their programs without any permission from users. Maps Frontier is added as one of the extra components in a software bundle and will end up getting installed in your computer along with other unwanted programs if you don’t use the recommended Custom or Advanced installation setting.
Refer to the instructions prepared below to remove Maps Frontier from your computer.
Step 1: Start by opening the Task Manager by simply pressing the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys.
Step 2: Next, go to Processes and look for the processes named “Maps Frontier” and then right click on each one of them and select End Process or End Task to kill their processes.

Step 3: Then open the Control Panel. To do so, tap the Windows key + R, then type in appwiz.cpl and then click OK or press Enter.

Step 4: Look for Maps Frontier and any suspicious program and then Uninstall them.

Step 5: Close all the browsers affected by Maps Frontier. If you’re having a hard time closing them, you can close them using the Task Manager just tap on Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
Step 6: After you open the Task Manager, go to the Processes tab and look for the infected browser’s process and end it.
Step 7: Edit your Hosts File

Tap the Win + R keys to open then type in %WinDir% and then click OK.
Go to System32/drivers/etc.
Open the host’s file using Notepad.
Delete all the entries containing Maps Frontier.
After that, save the changes you’ve made and close the file.

Step 8: Reset all your browsers to default to their default state.
Google Chrome

Launch Google Chrome, press Alt + F, move to More tools, and click Extensions.
Look for Maps Frontier or any other unwanted add-ons, click the Recycle Bin button, and choose Remove.
Restart Google Chrome, then tap Alt + F, and select Settings.
Navigate to the On Startup section at the bottom.
Select “Open a specific page or set of pages”.
Click the More actions button next to the hijacker and click Remove.

Mozilla Firefox

Open the browser and tap Ctrl + Shift + A to access the Add-ons Manager.
In the Extensions menu Remove the unwanted extension.
Restart the browser and tap keys Alt + T.
Select Options and then move to the General menu.
Overwrite the URL in the Home Page section and then restart the browser.

Internet Explorer

Launch Internet Explorer.
Tap Alt + T and select Internet options.
Click the General tab and then overwrite the URL under the homepage section.
Click OK to save the changes.

Step 9: Hold down Windows + E keys simultaneously to open File Explorer.
Step 10: Navigate to the following directories and look for suspicious files associated to Maps Frontier and delete it/them.

%USERPROFILE%\Downloads
%USERPROFILE%\Desktop
%TEMP%

Step 11: Close the File Explorer.
Step 12: Empty the Recycle Bin.
Follow the advanced instructions below to ensure the removal of Maps Frontier using [product-name] as well as all the file residues it left behind.
Perform a full system scan using [product-code]. To do so, follow these steps:

Turn on your computer. If it’s already on, you have to reboot
After that, the BIOS screen will be displayed, but if Windows pops up instead, reboot your computer and try again. Once you’re on the BIOS screen, repeat pressing F8, by doing so the Advanced Option shows up.

To navigate the Advanced Option use the arrow keys and select Safe Mode with Networking then hit
Windows will now load the SafeMode with Networking.
Press and hold both R key and Windows key.

If done correctly, the Windows Run Box will show up.
Type in the URL address, [product-url] in the Run dialog box and then tap Enter or click OK.
After that, it will download the program. Wait for the download to finish and then open the launcher to install the program.
Once the installation process is completed, run [product-code] to perform a full system scan.