Remove Video Search Search Redirects

Can’t Remove Video Search Search hijacker virus? This page includes detailed Video Search Search Removal instructions!

If the Video Search Search app has replaced your browser’s homepage, the news is not good. Security researchers have classified this application as a browser hijacker. Once on board, the Video Search Search hijacker takes over your favorite web browser. It injects various advertisements on every website you open. But don’t imagine an ad or two. The hijacker covers its victims’ displays with ads. Coupons, discounts, deals. You name it. You will notice that websites that used to be ad-free are now heavy on adverts too. Thank the hijacker for that. This aggressive marketing, however, has a price. It causes your browser to be slow and unresponsive. It may freeze and crash frequently. Your Internet connection will also seem slower than usual. You will hate the experience. Prevent this scenario from unfolding. Remove the Video Search Search hijacker as soon as possible. Bear in mind that if you delay the removal, your conditions will worsen rapidly. As time passes, the hijacker gets more and more aggressive. It will display more and more adverts. Your browser will get redirected more often. Your device will not be able to keep up. It will become sluggish and unstable. So, don’t waste your time! Act against the Video Search Search hijacker!

Remove Video Search Search

How did I get infected with?

The Video Search Search hijacker is very resourceful. To travel the web, it uses numerous distribution techniques. Torrents, spam emails, malvertising, fake updates, etc. Yet, one distribution method stands above all others. The software bundling technique is the number one cause of such infections. The scheme is very simple, yet, brilliant. Software developers attach the parasite as an extra to the payload file of third-party programs. When you start the installation of such a bundled program, you will be offered a choice between Advanced and Standard setup. If you prefer the Standard, you should change your habits. This installation process is completely automatic, once started, you lose control over it. The setup wizard installs all additional apps that have been attached. So, don’t allow this. These extras, more often than not, are malicious. Select the Advanced method instead. Under it, you will be presented with a list of all extras. You can deselect them and still install the app you originally planned to set up. Always make sure you know what you are giving your approval to. You can read the Terms and Conditions/End User License Agreement (EULA). If you spot anything out of the ordinary, abort the installation immediately

Why is this dangerous?

The Video Search Search hijacker should not remain on your computer. It ruins your browsing experience. It is also exposing you to numerous online threats. Every ad displayed by the hijacker is potentially malicious. The parasite has no security mechanism. It doesn’t verify the ads nor the advertisers behind them. All sorts of crooks use the parasite to spread misleading content. An unverified advert will arouse unwarranted expectations at best. At worst, it will redirect you to scam websites. If you are extremely unlucky, you may end up on infected websites, too. And don’t think that you can avoid the ads. The nasty hijacker is programmed to generate clicks. It will trick you eventually. When you least expect it, the hijacker will open pop-ups right under the cursor of your mouse. It will also camouflage adverts as organic search results. The parasite injects fake entries among the search results you are provided with. No matter which search engine you use, the hijacker can manipulate the displayed results. You can never be sure which entries are organic and with are promoted. Dodge websites pay hefty sums for their links to be displayed on the top. You cannot trust your own browser anymore. Stop this madness! Remove the parasite as soon as possible!

The Video Search Search 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 Video Search Search 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 Video Search Search related processes in the computer memory

STEP 2: Locate Video Search Search startup location

STEP 3: Delete Video Search Search traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

STEP 4: Undo the damage done by the virus

  • 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.

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 Video Search Search 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

  • Open Google Chrome

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

disable Video Search Search 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 Video Search Search 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 Video Search Search from ie

  • Restart Internet Explorer

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 Video Search Search, 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 Video Search Search 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.

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.

Leave a Comment