Remove Search.co-cmf.com Virus

Search.co-cmf.com is a bogus search engine, which bodes bad news. The website conceals a dangerous cyber threat. It indicates the threat lurks somewhere in the corners of your PC. And, from the shadows, wreaks havoc. That why you should NOT, under any circumstances, trust Search.co-cmf.com! It’s a malicious website, harboring a malicious infection. A browser hijacker, to be exact. And, hijackers aren’t a threat you should underestimate. They slither into your PC undetected, via trickery and deceit. And, then they wreck it. They cause countless problems. As well as bring your system to the brink of the dreaded blue with each passing day. Yes, The Blue Screen of Death IS a possibility, albeit a minuscule one. If you don’t act against the threat ASAP, you take unnecessary risks! Every extra moment you allow the tool to stay on your PC, is an opportunity for it to make a mess. And, you better be sure, it takes advantage of each one. The more time, the bigger the mess. That’s how it goes. It’s as simple as that. So, do yourself a favor, and don’t let your predicament worsen! As soon as you see Search.co-cmf.com, take it as a sign to act! And, do it! Locate where the hijacker, using the page as a front, lurks. And, when you do, delete it. The sooner, the better.

How did I get infected with?

Search.co-cmf.com does not take over your screen unless there’s a hijacker there already. A hijacker, making it do so. And, hijackers do not enter unless invited. They have to ask for your permission on their install. And, only enter after your consent. In other words, you agree to the hijacker’s installment. But don’t beat yourself up too hard. You got duped. The application doesn’t just come forward, and seek access. That leaves too much room for denial. And, it doesn’t leave anything to chance. Instead, it asks permission in the sneakiest way possible. It tends to turn to the old but gold methods of infiltration as they provide the easiest entry point. Those include freeware, corrupted links or sites, spam email attachments. The hijacker can even pretend to be a fake system or program update. Like, Java or Adobe Flash Player. That’s why vigilance is crucial! Always take the time to read the terms and conditions before agreeing to anything. That extra time you spend doing your due diligence can save you a ton of troubles in the future. Choose caution over carelessness. Infections prey on the latter.

Why is this dangerous?

The Search.co-cmf.com domain is a sign there’s a browser hijacker on your PC. It uses it as a shield to hide behind, and wreaks havoc from the shadows. The page is a front to the actual threat, you’re dealing with. The hijacker has a specific target group. It’s aimed at online gamers, particularly ones, who wish to advance more in their games. The tool, behind Search.cl-cmf.com, promises a pleasurable online gaming experience. It claims to offer links to free gaming websites. Like, Minecraft, Skincraft, BigFish games, and more. All it promises is lies! It delivers nothing! Well, nothing but issues. From the nasty hijacker, you can expect only grievances and headaches. It replaces your default homepage and search engine without asking your permission. Or, informing you of the reshuffle. One day, you just come to find Search.co-cmf.com in their stead. But that’s just the beginning. Every time you browse, you suffer disruptions. You get redirected to Search.co-cmf.com. You get flooded with countless pop-up ads. And, don’t think those interruptions go unnoticed. Your system starts to crash. Your computer slows down to a crawl. But all these troubles are minor in comparison. To what? Well, as annoying and dangerous as they are, they cannot compare to the privacy issue. Yes, you face a severe security threat when you’re stuck with a hijacker. It spies on you from the moment it invades your PC. Your every online move gets cataloged. And, when the tool decides it has gathered enough data from you, it sends it to the people behind it. Strangers with agendas. Don’t let them into your private life. Protect your personal and financial details, as well as your PC. Locate and delete the hijacker as soon as it redirects you to Search.co-cmf.com. Do it now, so you don’t regret your inaction later.

How to Remove Search.co-cmf.com virus

The Search.co-cmf.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 Search.co-cmf.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.

WARNING! Stopping the wrong file or deleting the wrong registry key may damage your system irreversibly.
If you are feeling not technical enough just use Spyhunter Professional Malware Removal Tool to deal with the problem!
>>Download SpyHunter – a Professional Remover.

Please, keep in mind that SpyHunter’s scanner tool is free. To remove the Search.co-cmf.com infection, you need to purchase its full version.

STEP 1: Track down Search.co-cmf.com in the computer memory

STEP 2: Locate Search.co-cmf.com startup location

STEP 3: Delete Search.co-cmf.com traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

STEP 4: Undo the damage done by the virus

STEP 1: Track down Search.co-cmf.com 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 Search.co-cmf.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 Search.co-cmf.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 Search.co-cmf.com traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

• Open Google Chrome

• In the Main Menu, select Tools then Extensions
• Remove the Search.co-cmf.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 Search.co-cmf.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 example, 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 Search.co-cmf.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 Search.co-cmf.com Virus (automatic) Removal Guide

Please, have in mind that once you are infected with a single virus, it compromises your system 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.