Remove Nigelify Chrome Extension

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

Nigelify Chrome Extension falls into the browser hijacker category. What usually happens when you get infected by this malware is that you start receiving annoying pop-ups that advertise both legitimate and suspicious third-party sites. Coupons, deals and other means of advertisement and redirects will start to interupt user’s internet experience. The victim might even notice that their homepage and preferred search engine has been replaced by a custom one. The browser hijacker’s goal is simple – creating a pay-per-click revenue for the developers behind it. Nigelify Chrome extension can easily get hold of the victim’s browsing data, as well as manipulate the browser’s settings to make sure it can work without being interrupted.

How did I get infected with?

The most common way of getting infected with Nigelify is through free bundled software. Most likely, the victim did it unknowingly. Often, the presence of malicious malware is not disclosed in such free bundles, so the person installing it is unintentionally infecting their computer. Which is why it is so important to be cautious when downloading software. You never know what may be hidden inside a seemingly harmless program. Every user should pay extra attention during the installation process and make sure to uncheck the boxes next to any additional software that is suggested for installation along the main one. More often than not, they turn out to be malicious software in disguise.

Why is this dangerous?

While the Nigelify Chrome extension alone poses low level of danger for the victim’s computer, the same cannot be said about the potential threats that lie behind the advertised content or where the redirects may lead to. The already mentioned pop-ups will most likely lead to dangerous third-party webpages that may try to steal the user’s personal data, bank account information, passwords or even turn the victim’s computer in a cryptocoin mining machine. The latter would result in the drastic change of the system’s behavior such as increased use of CPU’s and graphics card power, as well as decreased speed when running programs and applications. But fear not, there are ways for you to get rid of this annoying Nigelify browser hijacker!

How to Remove Nigelify virus

The Nigelify 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 Nigelify 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 Nigelify related processes in the computer memory

STEP 2: Locate Nigelify startup location

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

STEP 4: Undo the damage done by the virus

STEP 1: Track down Nigelify 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 Nigelify 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 Nigelify 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 Nigelify traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

• Open Google Chrome

• In the Main Menu, select Tools then Extensions
• Remove the Nigelify 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 Nigelify

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 Nigelify, 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 Nigelify 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 Nigelify 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.