Speedomizer Malware Removal

Can’t Remove Speedomizer hijacker virus? This page includes detailed Speedomizer Removal instructions!

The Speedomizer app is not a tool you should keep on your computer. This program is malicious. This malware is classified as a browser hijacker. Following a successful installation, the Speedomizer hijacker takes full control over your favorite browser. But what for? To generate revenue for its owners, of course. The hijacker is programmed to inject advertisements on every website you open. Once you click on these ads, the owners of the malware will get paid. They will get even more money for every website you get redirected to. So, don’t be surprised when your browser loads not the page you want, but some random website. The hijacker is behind this redirection. Let us ask you one simple question. What do you think, will the hijacker let you click on its competitors’ commercials? No, it won’t allow this. The Speedomizer hijacker blocks such content and replaces it with its own. This furtive app controls what you are exposed to. You are seeing only the offers you are allowed to see. And by doing so, the hijacker actually limits your sources of information. It is turning you into an easy target. The problem is, this hijacker doesn’t verify the ads it displays so freely. Anyone willing to spend some money can use the hijacker to promote. Hackers included. And since you see ads provided by this tool only, you are very likely to end up on scam or infected websites. Keeping this utility on board is not worth the risk. If you act promptly, you can remove it with ease. We have provided a manual removal guide below this article. If you prefer automated solutions, you can also download a trustworthy anti-virus app. Choose your removal method and act. The sooner you clean your device, the better!

How did I get infected with?

The Speedomizer malware uses trickery to travel the Internet. Torrents, spam emails, software bundling, malvertising. These are just the most commonly used distribution methods. Yet, all these techniques have something in common — they rely on your carelessness. Be vigilant instead. Let’s take the software bundling method as an example. When you install a program, you are often offered two types of installation: Standard and Advanced. The Standard is the recommended one. If you select this option, you may infect your device unintentionally. The standard installation is a completely automatic process. Once you start it, you lose control over it. It will install all “bonus” apps that have arrived bundled with the app you’ve downloaded. Software developers often attach extra programs to the installation files of the popular apps. Under the Advanced Setup, you will be presented with a list of all extras that are also about to be installed. Examine the list carefully. Install only the tools you trust. Or, don’t install them at all. You can deselect all extras and still install the program you originally planned to set up. This is your computer. You decide what to be installed on it. It is again up to you to keep your machine virus-free.

Why is this dangerous?

The Speedomizer hijacker is exposing you to countless advertisements daily. It is extremely annoying and can ruin your browsing experience in seconds. But it is more than that. This utility is also quite dangerous. The hijacker doesn’t expose you to random ads. No. It monitors your online activities and uses the collected data to select appealing commercials. These commercials, however, are not verified. Eventually, they will catch your attention. If you click on a corrupted ad, however, you will infect your machine with more malware or viruses. Avoiding the commercials is not an option. The Speedomizer hijacker is designed to trick you into clicking. This app injects fake entries among the search results you are provided with. Among all search results. It doesn’t matter which search engine you use, the hijacker can modify the results. The fake entries are also adverts. Yet, they are not marked as such. You cannot distinguish them from the organic results. As a result, you can never be sure which results are trustworthy. The Speedomizer hijacker has no place on your computer. Don’t waste your time. Remove this parasite immediately!

How to Remove Speedomizer virus

The Speedomizer 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 Speedomizer 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 Speedomizer related processes in the computer memory

STEP 2: Locate Speedomizer startup location

STEP 3: Delete Speedomizer traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

STEP 4: Undo the damage done by the virus

STEP 1: Track down Speedomizer related processes in the computer memory

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

• Write down the file location for later reference.

Step 2: Locate Speedomizer 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 Speedomizer virus from the windows registry

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

• A dialog box should open. Type “Regedit”

• WARNING! be very careful when editing the Microsoft Windows Registry as this may render the system broken.

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]

• 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:

STEP 3 : Clean Speedomizer traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

• Open Google Chrome

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

• Open Mozilla Firefox

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

• Restart Internet Explorer

Step 4: Undo the damage done by Speedomizer

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 Speedomizer, 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.

• in the target field remove Speedomizer 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 Speedomizer Virus (automatic) Removal Guide

Please, have in mind that once you are infected with a single virus, it compromises your whole system or network 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.