How to Remove “CLEAN MY CHROME” Virus

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We all want to maintain our web browsers clean. It is not a surprise that there are numerous useful tools which can assist us. Unfortunately, there are also deceptive ones. These pretenders do not help, on the contrary, they cause harm. One such deceiver is an application called “ Clean My Chrome.” This tool is nothing but trouble. Security experts identified the app as Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP) and Adware. Once installed, this utility adds its extension to your browser and takes control over it. From this point onwards, every advert you are provided with is generated by the adware. And believe us, you will be exposed to numerous ads. The adware is designed with one purpose only — to generate ad revenue for its owners. Basically, the crooks get paid for every ad you click on. So, it is in their best interest to expose you to as many adverts as possible. They programmed the adware to inject extra ad banners and in-text ads on every website you open. But, do not expect an ad or two. The adware can ruin your browsing experience in seconds. It forces various commercials on its victims. Dozens of “great deals,” coupons, and discounts will blink in all imaginable colors. Pop-up and pop-unders will appear at the most unexpected times. Your browser will get redirected to random sponsored pages. The adware will never stop. It will get more and more aggressive with every passing day. It is so intrusive that your browser will struggle to display any web page correctly. It will start to freeze and crash frequently. You will hate the experience. Luckily, you can put an end to this torture. All you should do is to remove the Clean My Chrome app. You can do it either manually or automatically. It is up to you. The sooner you decide, the better!

Remove Clean My Chrome

How did I get infected with?

The Clean My Chrome app has an official download. Yet, many users have no idea how this program got installed on their computers. The reason for this is simple, the Clean My Chrome adware uses trickery and stealth installation to reach its victims. This app travels hidden in software bundles, torrents, and spam email attachments. A little extra caution, however, can prevent this utility, and others like it, from succeeding. Learn your lessons. The Internet is a dangerous place. Always do your due diligence. Otherwise, you may catch a dangerous virus. Download your software from reliable sources only. When you start an installation, opt for the advanced option in the Setup Wizard. Only under the Advanced setup will you be able to see all extras that are about to be installed. Examine the list carefully. These third-party apps, more often than not, are malicious. Take your time to read the Terms and Conditions/EULA. You can also research the additional apps online. Install only the tools you trust. Or, don’t install them at all. Keep in mind that you can deselect all additional programs and still install the app you originally planned to set up. This is your computer. Do not let questionable programs on board.

Why is this dangerous?

The Clean My Chrome adware is a menace that should not be tolerated. It enters your machine unnoticed and wreaks havoc on it. It is annoying, frustrating and extremely intrusive. After just a few days on board, the adware may cause both your browser and OS to freeze and crash frequently. And this, as we all know, leads to data loss and a lot of frustration. But this issue is far not the worst. The adware is never idle. It lurks in the shadows and spies on its victims, too. Yes, that is right. The Clean My Chrome utility collects information about you and your online activities. This data will be used for better ad-targeting mainly. Thus, if you enter “sneakers” into some search engine, the furtive app will start to display adverts for sports shoes. Unfortunately, the adware may also record personally identifiable information too. And this data won’t be used for marketing purposes only. The adware will sell every bit of data to third parties. Can you imagine what may happen if a hacker buys your usernames, passwords, IP and email addresses? The consequences will be devastating. The Clean My Chrome adware should be removed as soon as possible. Use a trustworthy anti-virus app or follow our detailed removal guide. You have options. Clean your computer for good!

How to Remove CLEAN MY CHROME virus

The CLEAN MY CHROME 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 CLEAN MY CHROME 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.

STEP 1: Track down CLEAN MY CHROME in the computer memory

STEP 2: Locate CLEAN MY CHROME startup location

STEP 3: Delete CLEAN MY CHROME traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

STEP 4: Undo the damage done by the virus

STEP 1: Track down CLEAN MY CHROME 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 CLEAN MY CHROME 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 CLEAN MY CHROME 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 CLEAN MY CHROME traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

  • Open Google Chrome

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

disable CLEAN MY CHROME 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 CLEAN MY CHROME 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 CLEAN MY CHROME from ie

  • Restart Internet Explorer

Step 4: Undo the damage done by CLEAN MY CHROME

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 CLEAN MY CHROME, 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 CLEAN MY CHROME 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 CLEAN MY CHROME 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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