How to remove Epic War 2 adware from Windows 10?

What Is Epic War 2?

Epic War 2, developed by Rapid Advance, is a browser game that claims to allow users to play an addictive Flash player game. At first glance, the game may seem legitimate and fun to play. However, it’s considered a form of adware that’s used by third parties to supply ads, making it a dangerous app to have running on your computer. Epic War 2 is classified as a potentially unwanted program (PUP) whose sole purpose is to gain profit over the internet by driving traffic and increasing sales for partner websites.

The Epic War 2 adware infiltrates Windows systems without permission or authorization and starts displaying ads that are not associated with the game. This stealth installation strategy is what makes the file suspicious. Just like any other form of adware, Epic War 2 embeds itself in your favorite web browsers, including Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, and Mozilla Firefox.

To make matters worse, Epic War 2 is not limited to displaying advertisements. It also redirects you to commercial websites, such as online stores, and bogus websites that may contain malicious entities. Typically, the ads are displayed using a virtual layer, which means that an ad may suddenly flash over the web page that you’re currently browsing. Usually, these ads display content that’s not even related to the active site.

Epic War 2 is similar to hundreds of other apps, such as Zombie Invasion, Zombie News, and Jewel Quest Solitaire. These applications mislead users into thinking that installing them will improve the browsing experience although they are merely adware that collects data and sells it to third parties.

How Did Epic War 2 Get into My Windows PC?

EpicWar2 is mainly distributed through third-party apps that you download as freeware from the internet. These software ‘bundles’ may contain additional programs, and you can choose whether or not to install them. However, some apps, such as Epic War 2, are designed for automatic installation and may be hidden within the ‘Custom’ or ‘Advanced’ settings of the installation wizard. Once installed, Epic War 2 modifies your browser settings, including the default homepage, search engine, and new tab URL. Unless Epic War 2 is uninstalled, the settings cannot be undone or restored.

Therefore, users are encouraged to be cautious when installing any type of software, especially freeware, to avoid installing PUPs.

Epic War 2 can also infiltrate your computer if you accidentally click on ‘sponsored links’ or install an infected browser extension. Additionally, Epic War 2 could also be attached to trustworthy applications.

Other modes of distribution of the Epic War 2 adware include:

• peer-to-peer file-sharing networks;
• clicking on infected email attachments;
• clicking on fake links claiming to clean your PC;
• sharing files using external media storage devices like USB flash drives;
• torrent sites;
• free software downloads;
• dating websites.

Is Epic War 2 Malware?

According to the developer’s website, by using Epic War 2, your information, including personal details, is collected and shared with third parties for marketing, advertising, and research, among other services. That fact alone means that by allowing Epic War 2 to run on your PC, you’re exposing sensitive data to people who might use it against you. Most forms of adware are designed to record your keystrokes when you enter personal details like passwords, bank details, credit card information, and login IDs. Therefore, you should get rid of Epic War 2 the moment you discover its presence in your Windows system.

As soon as your computer gets infected by the Epic War 2 adware, it starts exhibiting suspicious behavior. Apart from displaying annoying ads, coupons, pop-ups, and other forms of advertisements on your screen, you’ll get fake notifications prompting you to update certain software like Flash Player, which should be updated from the official site only.

Symptoms of Epic War2 Adware Infection

While Epic War 2 may install itself without your knowledge or consent, you can detect its presence when you see one of the following telltale signs on your computer:

• Ads, pop-ups, banners, and other annoying advertisements suddenly show up on your screen.
• Your browser becomes sluggish, freezes and even crashes.
• You’re constantly redirected to fake websites showing irrelevant information.
• Your browser’s homepage suddenly changes.
• New toolbars, extensions, and plugins suddenly appear in your browser.
• You may see new programs that you don’t remember installing.
• If you click anywhere on the active webpage, several pop-up windows open simultaneously.

Is It Safe to Remove Epic War 2 from Windows 10?

The short answer is yes. The executable file running Epic War 2 is not an essential Windows system file and can, therefore, be removed from your Windows 10 PC. In fact, Epic War 2 shouldn’t be allowed to run on your computer since it poses a serious security risk.

How to Get Rid of Epic War 2

Some types of adware may be challenging to remove since they embed themselves within the system. However, with a few tweaks, you can eliminate all traces of this PUP from your computer. For this reason, before you attempt to remove the Epic War 2 adware, you must first close all open applications, including web browsers, and disconnect from the Internet. To turn off your internet connection, open the Action Center, select “Network” and click “Disconnect”. If you’re connected to the internet via an Ethernet cable, simply unplug it.

You might also want to enable Safe Mode with Networking to make sure that you completely remove all components of Epic War 2.

Manually Uninstall Epic War 2

It’s typical for programs and applications to have their own uninstall file, which by default should be located in the same directory as the installation files. The uninstaller enables you to easily uninstall the associated software when the need arises. However, some applications, such as the Epic War 2 adware, are not easily removable, and the uninstaller may be missing for obvious reasons.

In such situations, you can use the Control Panel or the “Settings” app to remove apps that are installed on your PC. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Press the Windows logo on your keyboard, type in Control Panel and hit “Enter”.
2. Be sure to set the “View by:” option to “Category”, and then select “Uninstall a program” under “Programs”.
3. Look for any suspicious applications and programs that you don’t recall ever installing and remove them. Follow the on-screen instructions (if any) to complete the uninstallation process.

Clean Your Computer of All Traces of Epic War 2

Simply uninstalling Epic War 2 from your Windows 10 PC doesn’t remove all files associated with the adware. To achieve this, you’ll need to manually delete all the components using the steps below. In each folder, look for all occurrences of Epic War 2 and delete them.

1. Press the Win + R shortcut to bring up the “Run” dialog box.
2. Copy the following paths, one by one, and paste them in the “Run” box, and hit “Enter” or press “OK”.
   • %APPDATA%
   • %PROGRAMFILES%
   • %LOCALAPPDATA%

Remove Epic War 2 from Your Browsers

Browsers are the main entry points for the Epic War 2 adware. Therefore, if you notice strange extensions and plugins or you’re constantly redirected to unknown websites, you should remove all suspicious add-ons from your browser.

For Internet Explorer users:

1. Launch Internet Explorer and click the gear icon in the top right corner of the browser to open the menu.
2. Select “Manage Add-ons” and open the “Toolbars and Extensions” tab.
3. Look for any suspicious extensions, click on each one of them and select “Disable”.

If you’re still getting ads or the homepage has been changed, you will need to reset Internet Explorer.

Here’s how:

1. Click on the menu and open “Internet Options”.
2. Select the “Advanced” tab and click “Reset”.
3. Check the box next to “Delete personal settings” and click “Reset”.

For Google Chrome users:

1. Run the Chrome browser and click on the menu (the three dots in the top right corner of the browser).
2. Select More tools > Extensions.
3. Click on any extension that looks suspicious and remove it.

If the ads and annoying notifications are still being displayed, you will need to reset Chrome. To do this:

1. Open the Chrome menu and select “Settings”.
2. Expand the “Advanced” category and navigate to the “Reset and clean up” section at the bottom of the page.
3. Select “Restore settings to their original defaults” and click on the “Reset settings” button on the next screen that opens.

For Microsoft Edge users:

1. Run Microsoft Edge and open its menu located in the top right corner of the browser.
2. Select “Extensions” and delete any that look suspicious.

You will also need to reset Edge if the ads keep popping up. To do so:

1. Open the menu and select “Settings”.
2. Click on the “Privacy & security” tab, and select “Choose what to clear”.
3. Check all the options and select “Clear”.

For Mozilla Firefox users:

1. Launch Firefox and click on the menu icon in the top right corner of the browser.
2. Select “Add-ons” and click on “Extensions”.
3. If you notice any suspicious extensions, remove them from the browser.

To reset Firefox:

1. Open the menu, and select Help > Troubleshoot Information.
2. Select the “Refresh Firefox” option and then click “Refresh Firefox”.

Scan for Malware Infection

You need to be sure that you’ve completely removed all components of the Epic War 2 adware from your Windows 10 PC. For this purpose, you need to run a malware scan using a powerful tool like Auslogics Anti-Malware. This malware removal tool is engineered to identify any malicious items that may be hiding within your system and remove them for good.

Auslogics Anti-Malware receives regular updates to protect your system from new types of malware that are developed every day. Furthermore, you can use it alongside your antivirus without having to worry about software conflicts. Once installed, the tool will initiate a thorough scan of your system, including browser extensions, system memory, and auto-start apps in Task Scheduler, among other areas.

To view the details of all the scanned items, open the “Scanners” tab. Auslogics Anti-Malware automatically quarantines all suspicious apps and files. You then get to decide whether to remove or restore them. If you want certain files, folders, or apps to be excluded from the scans, the tool lets you add them to the “Ignore List”.

We recommend running regular scans to keep malware at bay.

To protect your Windows 10 computer from future attacks, avoid downloading free software from unreliable sources. If you do, uncheck any additional software being offered for installation along with the main software. Lastly, do not click on links whose sources you can’t verify while surfing the web.