Defendsearch.com “Malware” Removal

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

Defendsearch.com is not a legitimate website. If it has replaced your homepage, or if you get flooded with ads provided by it, prepare for bad news. These issues are symptoms of a browser infection. A browser hijacker lurks in the corners of your OS and causes trouble. Do not panic. The so-called Defendsearch.com hijacker is not a full-fledged malware. This invader cannot corrupt your entire system. The hijacker targets your web browsers. Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Edge; there is no immune program. The hijacker detects all installed browsers and alters their settings. The Defendsearch.com hijacker makes a mess of your browsers and throws you into a whirlwind of reshuffles. It replaces your homepage, changes your default search engine, and installs extensions. The hijacker puts you through a horrendous experience. It makes a mess of your browser and prevents you from restoring your preferences. The more time this invader spends on your system, the worse its interference become. The hijacker follows instructions to open your browser to surveillance and targeted ads. This parasite studies your online habits and uses the collected information to turn you into an easy target. Do not put up with this situation. The Defendsearch.com hijacker threatens to lure you into unwanted actions, as well as into online scams. This hazardous parasite has no place on your system. Do what’s best for you and your device; remove the hijacker ASAP!

How did I get infected with?

The Defendsearch.com hijacker is sneaky. It uses trickery to slither into your device undetected. And, the thing is, it does so with your permission. Confused? Well, it’s quite simple. The hijacker needs your (the user’s) approval to get installed. It, however, has no need of straightforwardness. The parasite steals your approval through deception. This trickster hides in the shadows and waits for you to let your guard down. It preys on your naivety and carelessness. Bear this in mind the next time you are about to click on an “Accept” button. Always make sure you know what you are approving. It goes without saying that you should always read the terms and conditions. This time-consuming task, of course, is not always achievable. Especially when we are in a hurry. In such cases, you can use an online EULA analyzer. Scan the document, and use your best judgment. If something looks suspicious, there probably is a good reason for that. Opt out of the questionable service/software. Other hijacker distribution methods you should know about are: torrents, fake updates, corrupted links, and spam emails. A little extra caution can prevent these strategies from succeeding. Always take the time to do your due diligence!

Why is this dangerous?

The Defendsearch.com hijacker is like a pain in the neck: the more time you tolerate it, the worse it becomes. This invader becomes more and more aggressive with each passing hour. It drowns its victims in a constantly rising sea of adverts. The hijacker injects various ads on every website you visit. It injects in-text and banner ads even on web pages that are otherwise ad-free. It also loads pop-ups and push-up notifications. The hijacker knows no boundaries. It interferes with your every activity. It even dares pause your online videos for commercial breaks. The Defendsearch.com hijacker becomes your online shadow. You cannot get a simple task without encountering content provided by this parasite. This aggressive advertising strategy, of course, causes issues. The hijacker slows down your browser. You face constant freezes and crashes. You may also experience Internet connection instabilities. And this doesn’t even scratch the tip of the iceberg. What happens in the background is far more worrisome. The Defendsearch.com hijacker threatens to steal sensitive information and to send it to criminals. Confused? The hijacker monitors your online activities and bases its ads on the collected data. In other words: it spies on you. This parasite accumulates data which is accessible to anyone willing to pay. Numerous crooks are more than willing to open their wallets. They use the hijacker and its resources to target potential victims. The crooks show you what you want to see, but when you click, bad things happen. Do not risk falling into an online trap. Remove the tricky hijacker before it gets you in trouble!

How to Remove Defendsearch.com virus

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

STEP 2: Locate Defendsearch.com startup location

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

STEP 4: Undo the damage done by the virus

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

• Open Google Chrome

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