How to Remove Directions.cm Redirects

Can’t Remove Directions.cm hijacker virus? This page includes detailed Directions.cm Removal instructions!

Directions.cm is a hijacker-related website. If it pops up on your screen, prepare for trouble. Your computer is no longer infection-free. The nasty Directions.cm hijacker lurks somewhere in the corners of your system. This parasite is an invader. It enters your OS through trickery ate takes over your web browsers. Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Safari, Edge, there is no immune program. The hijacker turns them into ad-displaying tools. This intruder injects various ads on every website you load. When you click on the adverts, it gets paid. Thus, it has no intentions of limiting their number. Quite the contrary. This parasite floods its victims and advertisements. It covers your screen with advertising content. Every time you as much as touch your browser, the hijacker open dozens of pop-ups. And, if you resist clicking, the hijacker starts to redirect your browser to sponsored websites. This intruder is an utter menace. It knows no boundaries. The more time it spends on your system, the more aggressive it becomes. Its numerous adverts, however, take a toll on your system. The Directions.cm hijacker causes system underperformance, browser crashes, and slow Internet connection. Do not put up with this situation. Do not wait for the parasite to get out of control. Remove the Directions.cm hijacker ASAP! The sooner this parasite is gone, the better!

How did I get infected with?

The Directions.cm hijacker is not an ingenious virus. It cannot hack your computer. To enter your OS, this parasite needs an invitation. Yet, as you can imagine, it knows how to steal one. The parasite uses trickery to lure you into approving its installation. It usually lurks behind corrupted links, software bundles, and torrents. It might also sneak in as a fake update. The thing is, all these methods rely on your naivety. Your caution, on the other hand, prevents them from succeeding. The key to a secure and infection-free computer is vigilance. Even a little extra attention goes a long, long way. Don’t be lazy. Always do your due diligence. Download your software from reputable sources only. When installing an app, pay attention to the fine print. When available, use the advanced setup option. Also, before you click on that “Accept” button, read the terms and conditions. You can, of course, speed up this step by using an online EULA analyzer. If you detect anything suspicious, abort the installation immediately.

Why is this dangerous?

The Directions.cm hijacker is not a mere annoyance. Yes, the parasite interferes with your every online action. It also floods your browser with adverts. Yet, these issues are not the real problem. These are the side effects of the parasite’s secret operations. The Directions.cm hijacker threatens to steal sensitive information and to expose it. The parasite spies on you. It monitors your browsing-related data. Even the Incognito mode of your browser cannot hide you from the pest. The hijacker records and analyzes our online activities. When it deems it has enough data, it proceeds to send it to its owners. Do you think that ends well for you? The pest may or may not discover sensitive information. Bear in mind, though, that even information that doesn’t strike as sensitive can still be used against you. The crooks use the hijacker and its resources to prepare customized ads and to push them on you. They show you what you want to see, but when you click, bad things happen. You risk ending up on scam and infected pages. The crooks target your wallet. They are ready to do whatever it takes to get them. They may even try you lure you into installing rogue software. Don’t play their game! Remove the Directions.cm hijacker before it lures you into an online trap!

How to Remove Directions.cm virus

The Directions.cm 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 Directions.cm 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 Directions.cm related processes in the computer memory

STEP 2: Locate Directions.cm startup location

STEP 3: Delete Directions.cm traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

STEP 4: Undo the damage done by the virus

STEP 1: Track down Directions.cm 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 Directions.cm 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 Directions.cm 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 Directions.cm traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

• Open Google Chrome

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

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 Directions.cm, 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 Directions.cm 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 Directions.cm 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.