Remove Search.officeworksuite.com Hijacker

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

Did you set the Search.officeworksuite.com website as your new homepage? We won’t be surprised if your answer is negative. This page is often reported for suspicious behavior. Yet, it is not the website you should worry about. Unfortunately, we must inform you that your device has been infected with the Search.officeworksuite.com hijacker. This parasite changes your homepage and default search engine. These changes are the obvious symptoms of the infection. There are more. You must have noticed that you are exposed to more online commercials recently. You are not imagining it! The hijacker is programmed to inject commercials on every website you open. Coupons, deals, discounts, pop-ups and video commercials follow you around the Web. The ad-blocking tools cannot save you. You are a target. The Search.officeworksuite.com hijacker is programmed to turn you from a visitor into a customer. To reach its goal, this app uses misleading and hazardous techniques. It is not exposing you to random adverts. No! It monitors your browser related data and bases the ads on the collected information. Thus, if you type “sneakers” into some search engine, the hijacker will start to bombard you with ads for sports shoes. These advertisements are not safe. Avoid them. The hijacker does not verify the ads. Anyone willing to spend some money can use the hijacker to promote. With the Search.officeworksuite.com utility on board, you are very likely to end up on scam or infected websites. Do not risk it! This parasite can be removed. Take action ASAP!

Remove Search.officeworksuite.com

How did I get infected with?

The Search.officeworksuite.com hijacker surprised you. You haven’t expected it. However, if you were a bit more vigilant, you could have prevented this “surprise.” To infect your computer, the hijacker needs permission. Your permission. And you provided it. Not intentionally, of course. To travel the Internet, this parasite uses software bundles. Software developers attache extra programs to the installation files of many popular apps. When you start an installation process, opt for the Advanced option in the Setup Wizard. Under it, you will be presented with a list of all “bonuses” that are about to be installed. You can safely deselect them and still install the program you originally planned to set up. The Internet is a dangerous place. Only your caution can spare you infections. Make sure you know what sorts of apps you allow on board. Read the Terms and Conditions/End User License Agreement (EULA). You can also research the apps online. Even a little extra caution goes a long, long way. Don’t be lazy and do your due diligence!

Why is this dangerous?

The Search.officeworksuite.com hijacker is a pain in the neck that is hard to be tolerated. It modifies your browser’s settings without your approval and bombards you with countless unverified advertisements. On top of that, it is also spying on you. Every page you open, every link you follow, every search inquiry you make. Everything is recorded and analyzed. The collected information, however, is not used for marketing purposes only. The hijacker sells every bit of data to third parties. As strange as it may sound, there are many potential buyers. They range from desperate marketing agents to dangerous hackers. With the Search.officeworksuite.com hijacker on board, there is nothing private any longer. Furthermore, all clients of the hijacker can access your data. All sorts of unknown individuals may choose to target you with custom marketing campaigns. Do not trust a word you read. No matter how good an offer looks, remember, it may as well be a scam. Think twice before you click on the next “great deal.” One click is all it takes for a virus to be downloaded. There, unfortunately, is no way to distinguish the malicious adverts from the legit. Avoiding the commercials is not an option either. The hijacker is designed to generate clicks. When you least expect it, it will open pop-ups right under the cursor of your mouse. When you get used to the adverts, the hijacker will start redirecting your browser automatically. Do not put up with this program. Remove the Search.officeworksuite.com hijacker immediately!

How to Remove Search.officeworksuite.com virus

The Search.officeworksuite.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.officeworksuite.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 Search.officeworksuite.com related processes in the computer memory

STEP 2: Locate Search.officeworksuite.com startup location

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

STEP 4: Undo the damage done by the virus

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

  • Open Google Chrome

  • In the Main Menu, select Tools then Extensions
  • Remove the Search.officeworksuite.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.officeworksuite.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.officeworksuite.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.officeworksuite.com from ie

  • Restart Internet Explorer

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