What is Psty.xyz
Psty.xyz is a deceptive phishing scam primarily spread through social messaging platforms, masquerading as enticing offers and giveaways. It targets unsuspecting users by exploiting browser notifications—a tactic that involves tricking individuals into subscribing to spam notifications. Once these notifications are enabled, users are bombarded with misleading alerts, fake prize winnings, or alarming security warnings, all designed to lure them into clicking harmful links. This scam predominantly infects widely-used web browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, across both desktop and mobile devices, including Android and iOS systems. By leveraging these browser notifications, Psty.xyz gains a foothold in the user’s environment, making it challenging to ignore or remove without proper intervention. The scam’s reach is amplified by its ability to infiltrate through deceptive online ads and potentially unwanted applications (PUAs) that users unknowingly install. This method allows the scheme to proliferate rapidly, affecting a broad spectrum of devices and user demographics. Awareness and caution are crucial in preventing such exploits, as is the use of reputable anti-malware solutions to safeguard against potential infections.
How Psty.xyz infects devices
Psty.xyz primarily infects computers through sophisticated phishing scams, often initiated via social messaging platforms like WhatsApp. Users receive enticing messages promising free rewards, such as gift cards or products from popular brands, which lures them into clicking malicious links. Once a user clicks on these links, the scam employs JavaScript to check whether the access is from a mobile device, potentially collecting geolocation data based on the user’s IP address. If the victim’s device is validated, they are redirected to fraudulent websites that prompt them to complete surveys disguised as harmless activities; this process unintentionally gathers personal information. Moreover, if a device is already compromised by adware or potentially unwanted applications (PUAs), it may facilitate the continuous spread of Psty.xyz links, infecting the user’s contacts as well. Ultimately, the information collected can be exploited for identity theft or sold on the dark web, making Psty.xyz a serious threat to users’ security.
- Download Psty.xyz Removal Tool
- Stop Psty.xyz notifications in browsers
- Remove/Uninstall Psty.xyz from Control Panel and Applications
- Remove Psty.xyz extensions from browsers
- Reset browser search and homepage settings
- Block Psty.xyz search redirects
- How to protect from threats like Psty.xyz
Download Removal Tool
To remove Psty.xyz completely, we recommend you to use SpyHunter 5. It can help you remove files, folders, and registry keys of Psty.xyz and uninstall hijackers, toolbars, and unwanted add-ons from the Safari browser. The trial version of Spyhunter 5 offers virus scan and 1-time removal for FREE.
Download Alternative Removal Tool
To remove Psty.xyz completely, we recommend you to use Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. It detects and removes all files, folders, and registry keys of Psty.xyz and several millions of other adware, hijackers, toolbars.
Download Removal Tool for Android
To remove Psty.xyz completely, we recommend you to use Norton Security for Android. It can help you remove all traces of Psty.xyz and other malware from browsers on your Android device.
Download Removal Tool for iOS
To remove Psty.xyz completely, we recommend you to use Norton Security for iOS. It detects and removes all elements of Psty.xyz on iPhone or iPad.
Remove Psty.xyz manually for free
Here is the manual step-by-step tutorial for full Psty.xyz removal from your computer. This works 99% and was checked with the latest versions of the Psty.xyz installer on operating systems with the latest updates and browser versions.
Disable push notifications from Psty.xyz in browsers
Remove Psty.xyz from websites, allowed to show push-notifications in Google Chrome
- Go to Google Chrome settings, by clicking 3-dots icon in the top-right corner and choosing Settings.
- On the left side choose Privacy and security menu.
- Under opened Privacy and security tab, choose Site Settings.
- Scroll down to Permissions section and click on Notifications (with the bell icon).
- Go to the bottom list of sites named Allowed to send notifications.
- Find Psty.xyz in the list and click 3-dots icon near it. Click Remove button to delete the website permission.
Remove Psty.xyz from websites, allowed to show push-notifications in Mozilla Firefox
- Go to Mozilla Firefox options, by clicking 3-bars icon in the top-right corner and choosing Settings.
- On the left panel choose Privacy & Security menu.
- Scroll down to Permissions section.
- Near Notifications click Settings… button.
- Find Psty.xyz in the list and click Remove Website to remove it.
- Click Save Changes button to confirm the action.
Remove Psty.xyz from websites, allowed to show push-notifications in Safari
- Open Safari, and in the top menu click Safari, choose Preferences.
- In the Preferences window, click on Websites tab.
- On the left side, choose Notifications. You will see the list of websites and their settings for showing notifications.
- Find Psty.xyz in the list and click Remove button.
Remove Psty.xyz from websites, allowed to show push-notifications in Microsoft Edge
- Open Microsoft Edge, and click on the three-dots menu, in the top-right corner.
- In the drop-down menu choose Settings.
- In the menu click Cookies and site permissions section, and scroll down to All permissions section.
- Click on Notifications.
- Find Psty.xyz in the list under Allow, click on 3-dots icon and choose Remove.
Remove Psty.xyz from websites, allowed to show push-notifications in Android (Chrome)
- Open Google Chrome app on Android, and tap on three dots to open main menu.
- In the drop-down menu choose Settings, scroll down and under Advanced section tap on Site Settings.
- In the Site Settings menu tap on Notifications.
- In the Allowed list of websites allowed to show notifications find Psty.xyz, tap on it and in the bottom of the window tap on Clean & Reset button.
- Confirm your action by tapping on Clean & Reset again in opened dialog box.
Remove Psty.xyz from websites, allowed to show push-notifications in iOS (Safari)
- Find and tap the Settings app icon on your home screen.
- Swipe up or down and select Safari from the list.
- In Safari settings, find and tap on Websites near the bottom.
- Find Notifications in the list and tap on it.
- You’ll see a list of websites. Tap on Psty.xyz to allow or deny notifications.
Remove Psty.xyz from Control Panel or Applications
To start removing Psty.xyz you should uninstall it using Control Panel. It can be present by different names – “Psty.xyz”. It should uninstall correctly, however, we recommend you to use IObit Uninstaller or CleanMyMac to clean leftover items after uninstalling. Here are instructions for Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, Windows 11 and Mac.
Remove Psty.xyz from Windows 7:
- Click Start button.
- Then go to Control Panel.
- Click Uninstall a Program.
- Find recently installed suspicious program and click Uninstall.
Remove Psty.xyz from Windows 8:
- Hover mouse pointer to the bottom-right corner to see Menu.
- Click Search.
- After that click Apps.
- Then Control Panel.
- Click Uninstall a Program under Programs.
- Find recently installed suspicious program, click Uninstall.
Remove Psty.xyz from Windows 10:
There are 2 ways to uninstall Psty.xyz from Windows 10
Way one
- Click on the Start button.
- In opened menu choose Settings.
- Click on the System tile.
- Click Apps & features and locate recently installed suspicious program in the list.
- Click on it and then click Uninstall button near it.
Way two (classic)
- Right-click on the Start button.
- In opened menu choose Programs and Features.
- Locate recently installed suspicious program in the list.
- Click on it and then click Uninstall button above.
Remove Psty.xyz from Windows 11:
- Right-click on the Start button.
- In opened menu choose Settings.
- Click on the Apps tab on the left side.
- Click Apps & features and locate recently installed suspicious program in the list.
- Click on 3-dots icon near it and then click Uninstall button near it.
- Depending on the type of application (Windows Store app or classic Win32 app) it will be removed immediately or you will need to confirm the action and go through standard uninstall procedure.
Remove Psty.xyz from Mac:
- In the Finder sidebar, click Applications.
- Psty.xyz might have an Uninstaller.
- Otherwise, drag Psty.xyz from the Applications folder to the Trash (located at the end of the Dock).
- Then choose Finder > Empty Trash.
Cannot uninstall Psty.xyz in Windows
In some cases, program related to Psty.xyz won’t uninstall and gives you a message that “You do not have sufficient access to uninstall Psty.xyz. Please, contact your system administrator” when you try to remove it from Control Panel or “Access denied” error when removing the Psty.xyz folder and files. This happens because the process or service does not allow you to do it. In this case, I will recommend you to use SpyHunter 5 or Malwarebytes AntiMalware or uninstall Psty.xyz in Safe Mode. To boot in Safe Mode do the following:
- Reboot your computer.
- While it starts booting type F8 button.
- This will open Advanced Boot Options menu.
- Choose Safe Mode and wait until Windows loads.
- Go to Control Panel > Uninstall a program and remove recently installed suspicious program
>> See detailed instructions and video tutorial on how to boot in Safe Mode
Cannot uninstall Psty.xyz in MacOS
If you can’t uninstall apps related to Psty.xyz from MacOS using instructions above, or it keeps coming back, you can use free AppCleaner for Mac to remove all residual data and libraries of Psty.xyz. Follow instructions below:
- Download free AppCleaner.
- Drag Psty.xyz from Applications folder to AppCleaner window.
- Choose files and folders you want to remove along with Psty.xyz.
- Click Delete button.
Remove malicious add-ons from your browsers
Uninstalling Psty.xyz from Control Panel often does not bring the desired effect. It sometimes has a browser extension and it may still be active in Safari, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox. Here are instructions on how to remove Psty.xyz related extension from your browsers manually.
Google Chrome:
- Start Google Chrome browser
- In address box type (or copy-paste)
chrome://extensions
. - Find Psty.xyz related extension.
- Click the Remove button to remove them.
- Also remove other suspicious extensions from the list.
Mozilla Firefox:
- Start Mozilla Firefox browser.
- In address box type (or copy-paste)
about:addons
. - Find Psty.xyz related extension.
- Click three-dots icon near it and choose Remove in the menu.
- In opened dialog window click Remove button to confirm the action.
- Remove all suspicious extensions from the list.
Safari:
- Start Safari on your Mac, click Safari to open drop-down menu and choose Preferences
- Click Extensions tab.
- Find Psty.xyz extension.
- Click Uninstall button to remove it.
Microsoft Edge:
- Start Microsoft Edge browser.
- In address box type (or copy-paste)
edge://extensions
. - Find Psty.xyz related extension.
- Click Remove link under the name of extension.
- In opened dialog window click Remove button to confirm the action.
- Remove all suspicious extensions from the list.
Internet Explorer (9, 10, 11):
Note: There is no feature to remove browser extensions from browser in latest version of Internet Explorer. To remove Psty.xyz from Internet Explorer, please, perform instructions for uninstalling program from Control Panel. To disable Psty.xyz, please, do the following:
- Open Internet Explorer.
- Click on gear/asterisk icon in the top-right corner.
- In opened menu Manage Add-ons.
- Select Toolbars and Extensions.
- Click Disable or Psty.xyz related extension.
- Also disable other suspicious extensions from the list.
Opera Browser:
Generally, Psty.xyz does not install in Opera browser however you can always double check. Do the following:
- Start Opera browser and click on Opera icon in the top-left corner.
- Choose Extensions > Extensions.
- Find Psty.xyz related extension.
- Click Details button and scroll down to the bottom.
- Click Remove extension link and confirm the action by clicking Remove button on opened dialog window.
- Also remove other suspicious extensions from the list.
Reset browsers settings (homepage, default search)
Psty.xyz may install a search engine that hijacks your browsers. Here is an instruction to reset your browser’s homepage, new tab, and search engine to default values.
Google Chrome:
- Start Google Chrome browser
- In address box type (or copy-paste)
chrome://settings
. - On the left panel expand Advanced options.
- Choose Reset and clean up.
- Click on Restore settings to their original defaults link and confirm by clicking Reset button.
Mozilla Firefox:
- Start Mozilla Firefox browser.
- In address box type (or copy-paste)
about:support
. - Click Refresh Firefox… button.
- Click Refresh Firefox button in opened dialog window to confirm.
Reset Safari:
- Start Safari on your Mac, click Safari to open drop-down menu and choose Preferences
- Go to the Privacy section of Safari’s preferences.
- Click Remove All Website Data button.
- In opened window click Remove Now button to remove data stored by websites in Safari.
- Go to the Advanced section of Safari’s preferences.
- Click the Show Develop menu in menu bar option.
- In the menu click Develop and select Empty Caches from this menu.
- Again, go to Safari menu and choose Clear History….
- Choose to clear all history and click Clear History button.
Microsoft Edge:
- Start Microsoft Edge browser
- Click on 3-dots icon in the top-right corner and choose Settings.
- On the left panel find and click Reset settings option.
- Click on Restore settings to their default values link and confirm by clicking Reset button.
Internet Explorer (9, 10, 11):
- Start Internet Explorer.
- Click on gear/asterisk icon in the top-right corner.
- In opened menu choose Internet options.
- Click Advanced tab.
- Click Reset button.
- Choose Delete personal settings and click Reset.
Opera Browser:
- Start Opera browser and click on Opera icon in the top-left corner.
- Choose Settings and click Advanced on the left side and choose Browser.
- Scroll down to the very bottom and click on Restore settings to their original defaults link.
- Confirm by clicking Reset button.
How to block ads and pop-ups from Psty.xyz
Psty.xyz push-notifications, in most cases, are caused by a program installed on your PC or an add-on installed in browsers. However, sometimes it can appear on a clean computer when visiting a malicious website, using an advertising script. Also, apps that generate “Psty.xyz” ads and banners are themselves installed from pop-ups. To protect your PC and browsers from phishing websites, pop-up ads, banners, malicious scripts it is recommended to use AdGuard. Download free trial here:
Final tips
Be careful surfing the internet and downloading software, as programs, like Psty.xyz, may become a real headache as they are hard to remove and break your privacy. To keep safe from such threats we recommend you always use antivirus and one of the anti-malware programs available on the market. One of the best anti-spyware and anti-malware programs is SpyHunter 5. It can protect your PC from threats, like Psty.xyz.