What is Ad Block Ultra?

Ad Block Ultra, also known as Adblock Ultra and Adblocker Ultra is a potentially deceptive free browser extension by adblockultra.com that claims it can “block annoying ads on all websites.” The publisher claims that Ad Block Ultra is a “powerful ad and pop-up blocker that can block ads in YouTube videos, banners, and more.” The publisher also claims that the Ad Block Ultra extension can make your browser faster by giving it fewer scripts to load and projects against malware and phishing.

The Ad Block Ultra website utilizes frowned upon marketing practices generally perceived as a nuisance. Such as unwanted pop-up overlays with alarming texts promoting their extension. There are also several testimonials from entities like TRUSTe and CTNet which appear to be fake.

Does Ad Block Ultra work?

Ad Block Ultra is promoted as a tool that can 1. block ads, 2. improve webpage loading speed, and 3. protect against malware and phishing.

• The extension was able to block generic advertisements and ads on YouTube; However, it failed to block pop-up ads, full-page advertisements, and other more aggressive advertisements.
• The extension did not improve webpage loading speed.
• The extension does not protect against malware and phishing.

In conclusion, the Ad Block Ultra extension does not work as promoted and is a privacy concern, that may cause other issues described below.

Is Ad Block Ultra safe?

Although the Ad Block Ultra extension is available to download in the Chrome Web Store we do not recommend using it. There are better options that can block more ads and do not utilize deceptive marketing practices nor employ the use of malicious third-party advertising networks to promote their products.

ALSO SEE: The best ad blockers for Google Chrome

While testing the extension for Google Chrome we found inconsistencies with the publisher’s description and actual procedures of the extension.

The Ad Block Ultra extension for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge is recognized as unethical and deceptive for several reasons:

• Deceptive and unethical advertising practices
• Browser performance issues

In addition to the above, the Ad Block Ultra extension is a high privacy and security risk because it is often advertised in advertisements by malicious third-party advertising networks that are known to show ads for malware, potentially unwanted programs (PUPs), and other serious security threats and it reads and changes private information. When the extension is installed it has permission to read your browsing history and read and change all your data on the websites you visit even when in incognito mode.

How to remove Ad Block Ultra

Follow these instructions to remove the Ad Block Ultra extension from Chrome:

1. Click the Extensions icon (puzzle piece) to bring down a small menu of all extensions.
2. Locate the Ad Block Ultra extension in the list, click the More actions icon (3 vertical dots), and select Remove from Chrome…

Follow these instructions to automatically remove malware with Malwarebytes. We recommend Malwarebytes as they have a free version, a free trial of the Premium version, and a Premium version that can all scan and remove malware. The only difference between the free versions and other others is that the free version is only a scan and removal tool while the others contain active protection that can stop malware in real and other security features that keep you protected online.

1. Download the Malwarebytes setup file for the version you wish to use.
2. Locate the setup file (MBSetup.exe) and open it to begin the installation process.
3. Once Malwarebytes is installed click the Scan button.
4. When finished, Malwarebytes will show a list of results including the detection names. Click the Quarantine button to remove all selected threats.
5. Malwarebytes may require a system reboot. If so, restart your computer to complete the process.

Although Ad Block Ultra is a browser extension that can be removed like other any other browser extension it is still promoted in advertisements by questionable third-party advertising networks that promote malware and potential threats and the extension is often promoted on websites that aren’t permitted to use safe ad services such as Google Ads due to the content they contain which may include malware, content promoting scams, copyrighted content, and illegal torrents. Due to these factors, it is strongly advised to scan your computer or device for malware and potential threats that put the privacy and functionality of your computer or phone at risk.