How to Remove Cleanserp.net Redirect (Full Removal)

Can’t Remove Cleanserp.net hijacker virus? This page includes detailed Cleanserp.net Removal instructions!

Cleanserp.net is an obnoxious search engine that’s bad news. Why? Well, it conceals a cyber threat. A browser hijacker, to be precise. Don’t trust its deceitful marketing. It may be advertised as “The search engine that respects your privacy,” but that’s a lie. Look past the sugary layer of advertisement, and you’ll see that’s not true. It’s an impostor! The search engine does not ease your browsing, improve your results, or do anything of the sort. You gain nothing positive if you trust it. Only negatives, only troubles. Don’t make that mistake. Do yourself a favor, and acknowledge the danger it presents from the get-go. As soon as you see the site that first time, take actions against the threat. Find where on your computer it lurks. Then, when you do, delete it. Understand that the sooner you remove the hijacker, the better. They are hazardous, harmful infections. And, don’t deserve a place on your PC. Think of the Cleanserp.net page as the threat announcing its existence. Once it does, locate and remove it. It’s the best thing you can do. You won’t regret getting rid of it. In fact, your future self will thank you for it.

remove Cleanserp.net

How did I get infected with?

Cleanserp.net takes over your screen after a hijacker invasion. So, ask yourself. How did the hijacker come to be on your PC? These tool don’t appear out of thin air. They require approval. For such a tool to enter, you have to permit it. The hijacker has to ask you, the use, if you agree to its install. Only after you do, can it proceed with installment. Do you remember approving a hijacker into your system? You must have. If you hadn’t, Cleanserp.net wouldn’t intrude every time you go online. It’s not surprising you have no memory of the exchange. Hijackers don’t outright pop up, and seek access. If they did, what’s to stop you from rejecting them? They can’t have that. So, to avoid denial, they choose a different approach. A sneaky approach. The programs turn to every known trick in the book to deceive you. Through slyness and subtlety, they fool you into admitting them in. They can hide behind freeware or corrupted links. Or, spam email attachments. Or, supposed system or program updates. But whichever invasive method, they pick, they need one thing to succeed. Your carelessness. Hijackers need you to give into naivety, distraction, and haste. That eases their infiltration. Why make it easier for a cyber threat to invade? Do yourself a favor, and don’t give into carelessness. Don’t rush, and don’t throw caution to the wind. Instead, be extra thorough and vigilant. Always do your due diligence. It goes a long way. And, it can save you an abundance of issues.

Why is this dangerous?

After the hijacker threats slithers into your system, prepare for unpleasantness. The nasty program throws you into a whirl of trouble. It begins with your browsing experience. It turns into an utter nightmare. When you go online, open a new tab, surf the web, do anything at all, the tool interferes. It redirects you to a myriad of unreliable third-party sites. And, above all, to Cleanserp.net. That website becomes your online shadow. It even replaces your homepage and search engine. Yes, you did not ask for the switch. Or, approve it. But, there it is! But the intrusions don’t end with the redirects. The program also bombards you with ads. Banner, in-text, pop-up, all kinds of ads. Make a move online, and you suffer an avalanche of interferences. Pretty soon, that takes a toll. Your computer slows down to a crawl. Your system crashes all the time. And, you know what? Those are the minor grievances. Believe us when we say, you do NOT want to experience the major ones. The one that towers over all other threats has to do with your privacy. Hijackers follow programming to steal and expose your private life. The one, hiding behind Cleanserp.net, is no different. It tracks your activities, and records your every online move. After it gathers sufficient data, it sends it. Yes, it hands it over to the third parties that published. So, ask yourself. Are you willing to allow strangers with agendas into your private life? Don’t buy the lies. There may be a search engine that “respects your privacy” but Cleanserp.net is not that search engine. Once the page pops up, find and delete the hijacker, forcing it on you. The sooner, the better.

How to Remove Cleanserp.net virus

The Cleanserp.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 Cleanserp.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.

STEP 1: Track down Cleanserp.net related processes in the computer memory

STEP 2: Locate Cleanserp.net startup location

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

STEP 4: Undo the damage done by the virus

STEP 1: Track down Cleanserp.net 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.

end-malicious-process

  • Write down the file location for later reference.

Step 2: Locate Cleanserp.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 Cleanserp.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 Cleanserp.net traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

  • Open Google Chrome

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

disable Cleanserp.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 Cleanserp.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 Cleanserp.net from ie

  • Restart Internet Explorer

Step 4: Undo the damage done by Cleanserp.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 Cleanserp.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 Cleanserp.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 Cleanserp.net 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.

Leave a Comment