Smartsrch.com Hijacker Removal

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

You’ve noticed sudden change in your browser? If instead of the homepage and search engine that you’ve set appears the Smartsrch.com page, chances are that you have malware on your computer. This webpage is a redirect, caused by a browser hijacker. It is created for the sole purpose of pay-per-click revenue by modifying your browser settings. Smartsrch.com is a product, designed by Airfind Corporation. If you click on any ads, pages or other content on the webpage, Airfind would immediately make a profit. Even if the advertisement seems legitimate, the browser hijacker may very well promote unreliable third-party sites as well. And you never know what danger those sites can cause to your computer.

How did I get infected with?

As a typical hijacker virus, the most common ways for the user to get infected with this malware is by installing it on their computer, whether they did it knowingly or not. Often this happens by downloading bundled software or browser extensions. At first, the victim may think that they are installing a harmless add-on, but in reality, it hides malicious features. If you have any doubts that your browser is infected, you should check if your browser’s search provider and homepage are changed to Smartsrch.com. While it redirects, your browser may show a message in the status bar like “Waiting for Smartsrch.com”, “Connecting to Smartsrch.com”, etc. If those symptoms are shown, you can know for sure you are a victim of this hijacker virus.

Why is this dangerous?

Browser hijackers might are not considered to be very dangerous. However, Smartsrch.com should not be taken lightly. The danger is still there. While the virus itself will not encrypt the user’s files or do any severe damage to your computer, this website’s connection is not secure. This means that whatever information you type in, might end up in the hands of unreliable third parties. Not to mention the possibility of those said third-parties to contain other threats for your computer like cryptocoin mining activities that could potentially use the PC’s CPU or graphics card power. This is why it is strongly advised to always pay attention to what you download and install on your computer. You never know what malware threat is waiting to infect your computer and take hold of your personal information.

How to Remove Smartsrch.com virus

The Smartsrch.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 Smartsrch.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 Smartsrch.com related processes in the computer memory

STEP 2: Locate Smartsrch.com startup location

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

STEP 4: Undo the damage done by the virus

STEP 1: Track down Smartsrch.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 Smartsrch.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 Smartsrch.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 Smartsrch.com traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

• Open Google Chrome

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