How to Remove Search.searchfzlm.com Redirect

Can’t Remove Search.searchfzlm.com hijacker virus? This page includes detailed Search.searchfzlm.com Removal instructions!

The appearance of Search.searchfzlm.com as your new homepage is never a good sign. This website is just a facade. It is the face of a nasty browser hijacker. Yes, that is right. Your computer is infected. This infection must be dealt with immediately. Trust us, you should not neglect the hijacker. It is working in silence. Even now, as you read this article, the malicious tool is is manipulating your web browser. In fact, it is the hijacker that controls your browsers, not you. The malicious tool has changed your homepage, this is obvious, yet, it has caused some other changes too. Your default search engine has been replaced. The search results you are seeing now do appear as if provided by a well-known search engine, yet, they are not what they seem to be. The malicious app injects fake entries among them. These, most of the time, are ads. However, they aren’t marked as such. The hijacker creates an ad-layer which blocks its competitors’ commercials. Thus, you will see only what the malicious app allows you to see. You will think that you are getting the best deal available, yet, you will pay more than necessary. This tool is turning you into an easy target. Don’t shop online while this tool remains active on your PC. It is not just the fake deals, the hijacker is also monitoring your online activities. It keeps a record of your search inquiries, visited websites and followed links. It can also “see” your usernames and passwords. Thus, if you use your credit card to pay for goods, the Search.searchfzlm.com app may steal your billing address and credit card details. The Search.searchfzlm.com hijacker can never be beneficial to you. Don’t hesitate to remove it!

remove Search.searchfzlm.com

How did I get infected with?

The Search.searchfzlm.com hijacker is a piece of software that was installed on your computer. As all such programs, this tool needs your permission and assistance to operate. And you provided these. Yes, you did. You may not remember installing the Search.searchfzlm.com app. This is to be expected. You, after all, were not asked openly. The malicious app may have arrived as a bundled program to some freeware you downloaded off the Internet. The bundling method is quite popular nowadays. It is an easy way to distribute malware without much hustle. All the malware developers are required to do is to attach their malicious apps to the installation files of other programs. Everything else is up to you. When installing a program, especially if it is a free one, opt for advanced/custom setup wizard. Under the custom option, you will be presented with a list of all additional apps that are about to be installed. Be careful. Examine the list. Give your permission only to the apps you trust. Don’t rush. Consider the situation. These third parties apps often fail to disclose what they are programmed to do. More often than not, they are malware. Remember that you aren’t obligated to install them. You will read that these tools are recommended, that they are useful ect, yet, if you truly needed such programs, you would have downloaded them by yourself. This is your computer. You are the one who decides what to be installed on it.

Why is this dangerous?

The Search.searchfzlm.com hijacker is a real menace. It is working behind your back and brings only troubles. This tool is classified as malicious for various reasons. The most dangerous one is probably the fact that the app collects information about you. The hijacker monitors all your browser related data. Thus, it can steal your usernames, passwords, emails addresses and credit card information. The collected data will be used for marketing purposes mainly. Yet, it will also be sold to third parties. As strange as it may sound, there are many interested buyers. They range from desperate marketing agents to dangerous hackers. Keeping the hijacker on board is a risk not worth taking. This program is also known to slow computers down. The hijacker was never meant as a light app. It is using an enormous amount of computer resources. It can cause some older machines to freeze and crash frequently. Your Internet connection may also become unstable. Do yourself a favor. Remove this parasite. The sooner it is gone, the better. You can delete it manually, simply follow our guide.

How to Remove Search.searchfzlm.com virus

The Search.searchfzlm.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.searchfzlm.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.searchfzlm.com infection, you need to purchase its full version.

STEP 1: Track down Search.searchfzlm.com related processes in the computer memory

STEP 2: Locate Search.searchfzlm.com startup location

STEP 3: Delete Search.searchfzlm.com traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

STEP 4: Undo the damage done by the virus

STEP 1: Track down Search.searchfzlm.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.

end-malicious-process

  • Write down the file location for later reference.

Step 2: Locate Search.searchfzlm.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.searchfzlm.com 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 Search.searchfzlm.com traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

  • Open Google Chrome

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

disable Search.searchfzlm.com 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 Search.searchfzlm.com 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 Search.searchfzlm.com from ie

  • Restart Internet Explorer

Step 4: Undo the damage done by Search.searchfzlm.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 Search.searchfzlm.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.

safebrowsing-biz-shortcut-removal

  • in the target field remove Search.searchfzlm.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.searchfzlm.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.

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