How to Remove Searchvaults.com Hijacker

Can’t Remove Searchvaults.com hijacker virus? This page includes detailed Searchvaults.com Removal instructions!

Searchvaults.com is a hijacker-related website. Its appearance on your screen is bad news. It signals that your computer is no longer infection-free. It harbors a browser hijacker. And, that doesn’t bode well. Hijackers are atrocious cyber threats. They use slyness and subtlety to slither into your PC undetected. Then, once they succeed, corruption ensues. You get bombarded with grievances on a daily basis. If you so much as touch your browser, you get flooded with interference. Every move you make gets interrupted. You see an avalanche of ads cover your screen every time you browse the web. Pop-up, in-text, banner. Every type of ad there is, you see. And, not only that. You also get redirected at every turn. The hijacker forces a variety of suspicious sites on you. You see the Searchvaults.com site most of all. The website shows up when you open a new tab. It’s among the results when you type in a search. It’s everywhere. The infection turns it into your online shadows. You even find it in place of your default homepage and search engine. You didn’t put it there. You didn’t agree to the switch. You had no knowledge of its implementation. One day, it pops up there, and you’re stuck with it. That’s how hijackers work. They force changes on you, without bothering to ask for approval. Or, even clue you in. You can see why that makes them a severe threat. What if the hijacker, behind Searchvaults.com, decides to install malware? It can approve the admission of as many malicious programs as it wants. That’s NOT something you want. How long do you imagine your PC will endure such an attack? How long until it gets overwhelmed with threats? Don’t wait around to find out! Do yourself a favor, and get rid of the infection ASAP! Once you become aware of its existence, remove it! The display of the Searchvaults.com page is your clue. Heed it. After it shows up, acknowledge there’s a hijacker on your PC. Discover its exact hiding place. Then, delete it.

How did I get infected with?

The tool, using the Searchvaults.com page as a front, duped you. It got you to approve it into your system. Yes, you approved the tool’s installment. Hijackers have to ask if you agree to install them. Only if you say YES, can it proceed with admission. No permission, no access. So, how do you suppose it got you to give it? Well, simple. It did ask for your consent. But don’t think it did so straightforward. There was nothing straightforward about its inquiry. The tool uses trickery and finesse to ask in the most covert way possible. The hijacker hides behind spam emails, freeware, corrupted links. It can even pretend to be a fake system or program update. Like, Java or Adobe Flash Player. It uses every known trick in the book to conceal its presence. And, slip by unnoticed. It’s up to you NOT to let it. Be vigilant enough to spot it, and prevent its invasion. Infections, like the hijacker, prey on carelessness. Don’t provide it. Instead, be thorough and extra attentive. Take your time, and always do your due diligence. Negligence leads to infections.

Why is this dangerous?

The hijacker causes a lot of trouble. It not only wreaks havoc on your system, but threatens your security, as well. Oh, yes. The cyber threat, behind Searchvaults.com, places your privacy in jeopardy. It follows instructions to spy on your browsing from the moment it invades. And, so it does! The program keeps close track of every online move you make. But it doesn’t stop at observing alone. The tool records everything you do. Everything. And, once it gets a hold of enough data, it exposes it. That’s right. Once it steals enough information, it hands it over to the people that published it. Let that sink in for a moment. A dangerous cyber threat stole sensitive details from you. And, then, exposed it to the cyber criminals behind it. That will NOT end well for you, no matter which way you look at it. There aren’t enough ways to stress this. Don’t let your personal and financial information get stolen and exposed. Protect yourself by getting rid of the hijacker ASAP. The sooner you locate, and delete the threat, the better. Act against it now.

How to Remove Searchvaults.com virus

The Searchvaults.com 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 Searchvaults.com 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 Searchvaults.com related processes in the computer memory

STEP 2: Locate Searchvaults.com startup location

STEP 3: Delete Searchvaults.com traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

STEP 4: Undo the damage done by the virus

STEP 1: Track down Searchvaults.com 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 Searchvaults.com 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 Searchvaults.com 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 Searchvaults.com traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

• Open Google Chrome

• In the Main Menu, select Tools then Extensions
• Remove the Searchvaults.com 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 Searchvaults.com

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 Searchvaults.com, 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 Searchvaults.com 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 Searchvaults.com 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.