Remove Private.search-protection.com Hijacker

Can’t Remove Private.search-protection.com hijacker virus? This page includes detailed Private.search-protection.com Removal instructions!

The Private.search-protection.com website is not a page you should use. It is associated with a browser hijacker. If your browser tends to load this website automatically, or if you suffer an intensive ad bombardment, be certain. Your browser is infected. The nasty Private.search-protection.com hijacker has managed to slip into your OS unnoticed and is now causing troubles. Luckily, this pest is not a real virus. It cannot corrupt your entire system. The hijacker limits its influence to your web browsers. Following a successful infiltration, the parasite scans your system for installed browsers, adds its malicious extension to them and takes control of your browsing experience. The hijacker is created with one purpose only – to make money for its owners. It does this through a pay-per-click scheme. Basically, when you click on an advert provided by the parasite, its owners get paid. And so, the hijacker floods your browser with various advertisements. You must have noticed that previously ad-free pages are now heavy on banners, sliding panels, and in-text ads. That’s right. The hijacker forces these advertisements on you. It is also behind the strange browser redirection. This intruder interferes with every aspect of your day to day browsing activities. You cannot get a simple task done without getting interrupted by an advert of some kind. And it seems that your conditions worsen with each passing day. Unfortunately, that is exactly what’s happening. The Private.search-protection.com hijacker gets more and more aggressive as time passes. It is bound to get out of control. Do not wait for this scenario to unfold. You won’t like the consequences. Act before it’s too late. Remove the hijacker as soon as possible.

How did I get infected with?

The Private.search-protection.com hijacker did not hack your computer. It “hacked” you. The parasite tricked you into installing it unintentionally. You either clicked on a corrupted link, downloaded a fake update or installed a malicious software bundle. All these methods would have failed if you were just a bit more careful. The hijacker relies on your carelessness to succeed. Your caution on the other hand, can keep your computer virus-free. Download your software from reputable sources only. Pay close attention to the fine print. If available, always select the Advanced/Custom installation option. Many software developers attach extra apps to the payload files of their programs. If you are not careful and use the Standard/Fast setup, these extras get installed without your explicit approval. Do not allow this. These third-party apps, more often than not, are numerous programs like the Private.search-protection.com hijacker. Under the Advanced installation, you will be given the opportunity to prevent them from invading. Make sure you know what you are the giving green light to. Read the terms and conditions/EULA. If you cannot spare enough time to read the whole document, use an online EULA analyzer to scan it. If you detect anything out of the ordinary, abort the installation immediately.

Why is this dangerous?

The Private.search-protection.com hijacker is more than annoying. It is quite dangerous. This parasite opens your browser to surveillance and targeted ads. You didn’t think that the hijacker displays random ads, did you? Of course, it doesn’t. The parasite monitors your browser-related data and bases the ads on the collected information. The problem is that this information is accessible to anyone who uses the parasite as an advertising platform. Numerous crooks use the parasite and its resources to target potential victims. They prepare customized adverts and force them on you. Yet, when you click, bad things happen. The Private.search-protection.com hijacker is more likely to redirect you to scam and potentially infected pages than to legitimate ones. The parasite is a breach of your security. It exposes you to numerous online threats. Can you imagine what may happen if the crooks discover your real name, phone number, home and/or email address? You won’t like it for sure. Countless phishing websites are promoted through the hijacker. It’s just a matter of time for one to trick you into revealing sensitive information. The Private.search-protection.com hijacker jeopardizes both your privacy and security! It has no place on your device. Remove it before it lures into an online trap!

How to Remove Private.search-protection.com virus

The Private.search-protection.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 Private.search-protection.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 Private.search-protection.com related processes in the computer memory

STEP 2: Locate Private.search-protection.com startup location

STEP 3: Delete Private.search-protection.com traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

STEP 4: Undo the damage done by the virus

STEP 1: Track down Private.search-protection.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 Private.search-protection.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 Private.search-protection.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 Private.search-protection.com traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

• Open Google Chrome

• In the Main Menu, select Tools then Extensions
• Remove the Private.search-protection.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 Private.search-protection.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 Private.search-protection.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 Private.search-protection.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 Private.search-protection.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.