Wholewownews.com Attempts to Mislead Visitors

Our research team came across the rogue website wholewownews.com during an investigation into suspicious websites. This site engages in the promotion of browser notification spam and directs users to other sites, which are likely to be untrustworthy or hazardous.

Most individuals who end up on wholewownews.com and similar webpages are directed there through redirects initiated by websites that use dubious advertising networks.

The actions of these rogue websites, such as what they host or endorse, can vary based on the IP addresses and geolocations of the visitors.

Upon our visit to wholewownews.com, it presented us with the following instruction: "Click the Allow button to subscribe to push notifications and continue watching." This direction falsely suggests that enabling browser notifications is necessary to continue watching online content.

If wholewownews.com is granted permission to deliver notifications, it bombards the user with advertisements that predominantly promote online scams, untrustworthy or harmful software, and sometimes even malware. After we clicked "Allow," we were redirected to the kind of website that typically endorses adware, browser hijackers, and various potentially unwanted applications (PUAs).

In summary, websites like wholewownews.com can lead users to encounter problems with their systems, privacy concerns, financial losses, and the risk of identity theft.

How Can Push Notification Browser Functionality Be Abused for Ad Spam?

Push notification browser functionality can be abused for ad spam by unscrupulous websites and advertisers who exploit this feature for their own gain. Here's how push notification abuse for ad spam occurs:

• Deceptive Prompt: Rogue websites often use deceptive tactics to encourage users to allow push notifications. They may present misleading messages that prompt users to click "Allow" by suggesting it's necessary to access content, continue, or confirm their age.
• Notification Overload: Once permission is granted, these websites aggressively send a large volume of push notifications. These notifications can include advertisements, pop-ups, banners, and alerts. This flood of notifications can disrupt the user's browsing experience and become annoying.
• Clickbait and Scare Tactics: Advertisers may use clickbait headlines or scare tactics in push notifications to entice users to click on them. This can include false claims, sensationalized news, or exaggerated offers, with the intention of driving more traffic to their sites.
• Invasive Ads: Push notifications can include invasive and intrusive advertisements that disrupt the user's workflow. They may promote dubious products, services, or online scams.
• Misleading Content: Some push notifications may lead users to websites that offer content unrelated to what was promised in the original notification. This bait-and-switch tactic is designed to lure users to the site and generate ad revenue.
• Malicious Links: In some cases, push notifications can contain links to malicious websites or files, putting users at risk of encountering malware, phishing attempts, or scams.