Remove Ext.privacyassistant.net Redirect

Ext.privacyassistant.net is a website, which is a harbinger of bad news. Why? Well, it’s indicative of a cyber threat. That’s right. If you spot the page on your screen, your system harbors a browser hijacker. There’s a nasty hijacker, lurking somewhere in the corners of your PC. And, the site is its way of announcing its existence. And, if you don’t take the page’s popping up as the warning it is, brace yourself. You’re in for a horrendous time. Hijackers are a plague. They’re hazardous, malicious, and invasive. They meddle with your system setting, mess up your browsing, perform reshuffles. In fact, the first one, you encounter is Ext.privacyassistant.net taking the place of your default homepage and search engine. Did you want that? No. Were you asked to approve it? No. But there it is! So, if you choose to let the hijacker stay, you better get used to it. Also, prepare for a myriad of other unpleasantness. There are countless issues that follow the installment of a hijacker. The absolute worst of which is the privacy threat. Yes, the hijacker jeopardizes your privacy. That’s because it follows programming to spy on you from the moment it invades your PC. The application, using Ext.privacyassistant.net as a front, spies on you! It keeps track of your browsing activities. It catalogs every move you make. Then, when it gathers enough data, sends it. To whom? Well, to the unknown individuals that published it. Strangers with questionable intentions. Cyber criminals! Are you okay with these people having access to your personal and financial details? Think long and hard before you answer. But, know this. To allow the hijacker to remain after it has revealed its existence, is to answer ‘Yes.’ It’s the same as allowing these people into your private life.

Remove Ext.privacyassistant.net

How did I get infected with?

Hijackers turn to trickery to enter your system. In fact, they fool you into giving them the green light of admission. Yes, you agree to let them into your system. Tools, like the pone behind Ext.privacyassistant.net, need permission to enter. They cannot install themselves without you okaying it. They have to ask you whether you do, and installment follows after a positive response. And, since Ext.privacyassistant.net plagues your browsing, you did. You agreed to install a hijacker. Odds are, you have no memory of the exchange. But it did take place. You were just too careless to notice. Infection prey on carelessness. They turn to invasive methods, like freeware that cannot succeed without your carelessness. Think about it. Say, you’re installing freeware. If you don’t take the time to read the terms and conditions, but agree to everything in haste, that’s it. Chances are, you allowed an infection into your system. That’s why vigilance is crucial. Don’t rush and leave your, and your system’s fate, to chance and luck. Do your due diligence. Be thorough. Attention goes a long way, and it can save you a ton of troubles. Remember that next time you’re installing a tool or updates.

Why is this dangerous?

After a hijacker claims your PC as home, you start suffering a multitude of grievances. They begin with your browsing experience. It becomes a mess. All of a sudden, the Ext.privacyassistant.net page is everywhere. You see it when you open a new tab. When you search the web, it’s among the results. Forget your preferred search engine and homepage. You’ll find Ext.privacyassistant.net instead. The hijacker makes sure to force the site on you at every turn. Alongside that page, you’ll see a myriad of others. And, they’re just as unreliable as Ext.privacyassistant.net. But you won’t have to endure the redirects alone. A full-on bombardment of pop-up ads comes your way, as well. Imagine. Your browsing experience becomes a whirlwind of advertisements and redirects. Not only is that annoying to no end, it also has repercussions. It doesn’t take long before these intrusions leave their mark. Your system starts to suffer frequent crashes. Your computer’s performance slows down to a crawl. Not to mention, the colossal malware threat, looming over you. Every link, site, ad, everything, the tool displays is unreliable! Take the pop-ups, which plague your every online move. They conceal countless malicious programs, waiting to invade your PC. And, do you know what? You let them! Each time you press a pop-up, by choice or accident, you let them. That’s because, a click equals consent on their installment. Unless you wish to flood your PC with malware, make sure NOT to click anything you see, while the hijacker is on your PC. Better yet, get rid of it ASAP! As soon as you first spot Ext.privacyassistant.net, take action! Take the site’s appearance as the warning it is, and act on it. Find the hijacker’s hiding place, and delete it hen you do. The sooner it’s gone, the better.

How to Remove Ext.privacyassistant.net virus

The Ext.privacyassistant.net infection is specifically designed to make money to its creators one way or another. The specialists from various antivirus companies like Bitdefender, Kaspersky, Norton, Avast, ESET, etc. advise that there is no harmless virus.

If you perform exactly the steps below you should be able to remove the Ext.privacyassistant.net infection. Please, follow the procedures in the exact order. Please, consider to print this guide or have another computer at your disposal. You will NOT need any USB sticks or CDs.

WARNING! Stopping the wrong file or deleting the wrong registry key may damage your system irreversibly.
If you are feeling not technical enough just use Spyhunter Professional Malware Removal Tool to deal with the problem!
>>Download SpyHunter – a Professional Remover.

Please, keep in mind that SpyHunter’s scanner tool is free. To remove the Ext.privacyassistant.net infection, you need to purchase its full version.

STEP 1: Track down Ext.privacyassistant.net in the computer memory

STEP 2: Locate Ext.privacyassistant.net startup location

STEP 3: Delete Ext.privacyassistant.net traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

STEP 4: Undo the damage done by the virus

STEP 1: Track down Ext.privacyassistant.net in the computer memory

  • Open your Task Manager by pressing CTRL+SHIFT+ESC keys simultaneously
  • Carefully review all processes and stop the suspicious ones.

end-malicious-process

  • Write down the file location for later reference.

Step 2: Locate Ext.privacyassistant.net startup location

Reveal Hidden Files

  • Open any folder
  • Click on “Organize” button
  • Choose “Folder and Search Options”
  • Select the “View” tab
  • Select “Show hidden files and folders” option
  • Uncheck “Hide protected operating system files”
  • Click “Apply” and “OK” button

Clean Ext.privacyassistant.net virus from the windows registry

  • Once the operating system loads press simultaneously the Windows Logo Button and the R key.

win-plus-r

  • A dialog box should open. Type “Regedit”

regedit

Depending on your OS (x86 or x64) navigate to:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run] or
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run] or
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]

  • and delete the display Name: [RANDOM]

delete backgroundcontainer

  • Then open your explorer and navigate to: %appdata% folder and delete the malicious executable.

Clean your HOSTS file to avoid unwanted browser redirection

Navigate to %windir%/system32/Drivers/etc/host

If you are hacked, there will be foreign IPs addresses connected to you at the bottom. Take a look below:

hosts-redirect-virus

STEP 3 : Clean Ext.privacyassistant.net traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

  • Open Google Chrome

  • In the Main Menu, select Tools then Extensions
  • Remove the Ext.privacyassistant.net by clicking on the little recycle bin
  • Reset Google Chrome by Deleting the current user to make sure nothing is left behind

disable Ext.privacyassistant.net from chrome

  • Open Mozilla Firefox

  • Press simultaneously Ctrl+Shift+A
  • Disable the unwanted Extension
  • Go to Help
  • Then Troubleshoot information
  • Click on Reset Firefox

remove Ext.privacyassistant.net from firefox

  • Open Internet Explorer

  • On the Upper Right Corner Click on the Gear Icon
  • Click on Internet options
  • go to Toolbars and Extensions and disable the unknown extensions
  • Select the Advanced tab and click on Reset

remove Ext.privacyassistant.net from ie

  • Restart Internet Explorer

Step 4: Undo the damage done by Ext.privacyassistant.net

This particular Virus may alter your DNS settings.

Attention! this can break your internet connection. Before you change your DNS settings to use Google Public DNS for Ext.privacyassistant.net, be sure to write down the current server addresses on a piece of paper.

To fix the damage done by the virus you need to do the following.

  • Click the Windows Start button to open the Start Menu, type control panel in the search box and select Control Panel in the results displayed above.
  • go to Network and Internet
  • then Network and Sharing Center
  • then Change Adapter Settings
  • Right-click on your active internet connection and click properties. Under the Networking tab, find Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4). Left click on it and then click on properties. Both options should be automatic! By default it should be set to “Obtain an IP address automatically” and the second one to “Obtain DNS server address automatically!” If they are not just change them, however if you are part of a domain network you should contact your Domain Administrator to set these settings, otherwise the internet connection will break!!!

You must clean all your browser shortcuts as well. To do that you need to

  • Right click on the shortcut of your favorite browser and then select properties.

safebrowsing-biz-shortcut-removal

  • in the target field remove Ext.privacyassistant.net argument and then apply the changes.
  • Repeat that with the shortcuts of your other browsers.
  • Check your scheduled tasks to make sure the virus will not download itself again.

How to Permanently Remove Ext.privacyassistant.net Virus (automatic) Removal Guide

Please, have in mind that once you are infected with a single virus, it compromises your system and let all doors wide open for many other infections. To make sure manual removal is successful, we recommend to use a free scanner of any professional antimalware program to identify possible registry leftovers or temporary files.

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