Nov 14, 2014

Remove Websearch.search-plaza.info Browser Hijacker

You feel sick to see this strange site Websearch.search-plaza.info again and again when you surf the Internet? You do not know what it is, but you can be sure that it is not a good thing. It has the ability to set itself as the default homepage and search engine without notifying you. It also redirects you to some strange web sites when you are using the browser. How to get rid of this annoying hijacker completely from your computer?

More Details about Websearch.search-plaza.info:

Websearch.search-plaza.info is classified as a malicious browser hijacker which can tamper with the system settings including default browser settings and DNS settings to interfere computer user’s web browsing activities. Those modifications are done furtively without permission. Although the hijacker has a professional appearance which looks similar to some other famous search engines like Bing, Google and Yahoo, it cannot provide good search service. The hijacker loads some unnecessary web sites in the browser rather than going to accurate web sites according to your commands. In general, this hateful browser hijacker enters into the computer together with some free items online. If you accidentally download and install them from the Internet, you will see it on the computer.

Once Websearch.search-plaza.info gets into your computer successfully, it has the ability to take over your browser. All major browsers (Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera etc.) can be occupied by it quietly. You cannot use your default search engine such as Google search engine to search for information normally. As is known to all, browser hijackers are designed to increase the visiting traffics and improve the search ranking for itself or its partner sites, so you have to use it as the homepage and search engine. At the same time, all kinds of annoying ads will pop up constantly to disturb your work in the computer. In addition, the performance of the computer and the speed of the network are getting worse and worse. Sometimes you have to spend a few minutes in waiting for the page buffer. If you open the control panel, you can see some unknown programs are installed on your computer without your permission. More importantly, cyber criminals can make use of the hijacker to collect your browsing history and other important data stored in the computer. Letting strangers with evil purpose know your information is very dangerous, because no one knows how they will use the information. Therefore, in order to protect your privacy, you should completely remove this browser hijacker.

Processing manual removal is supposed to have a certain level of computer literacy. If you are not sure how to start and are afraid of making any critical mistakes damaging the computer system, please live chat with YooCare Expert now.

Screenshot of the Websearch.search-plaza.info Browser Hijacker:

Websearch.search-plaza.info Browser Hijacker

Primary Symptoms and Potential Risks:

1. It is able to become the startup page of your web browser via modifying browser settings. No matter which browser you are using (Internet Explorer, Safari, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or Opera), you can see the browser is occupied by it completely.
2. It may also install plug-ins, extensions and toolbars in the browser so as to record your search history as well as cookies.
3. You need to wait for a long time when visiting websites because the browser always gets stuck and is slow in reaction.
4. This annoying redirect may also result in unstable Internet connection and system freezes frequently.
5. You are forced to receive many advertisement windows when the computer is connected to the Internet.

Manual Removal Guide:

Websearch.search-plaza.info is a browser hijacker with a false search bar. It can affect your web browsing experience. If we want to stay away from this annoying thing, we should be more careful when we review, open, click or download anything online. When it is in the computer, you will be redirected to some strange web sites rather than the correct places you want to go to when you are surfing the Internet. Cyber criminals can make use of the hijacker to access the computer and record your personal information furtively and you know nothing about that. Antivirus software cannot successfully remove it. Therefore, you should get rid of it with manual removal as soon as possible.

1. Clean Add-ons and Extensions

* Internet Explorer:

(1). Click Tools in the Menu bar and then click Internet Options

Tools in IE

(3). Click Programs tab, click Manage add-ons and disable the suspicious add-ons

* Firefox:

(1). Click Tools in the Menu bar and then click Add-ons

Tools in Firefox

(2). Click Extensions, select the related browser add-ons and click Disable

* Google Chrome:

(1). Click Customize and control Google Chrome button → Tools → Extensions

Customize and control Google Chrome button

(2). Disable the extensions of Websearch.search-plaza.info

2. End Relevant Processes

(1). Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc together to pop up Windows Task Manager, click Processes tab

Windows Task Manager

*For Win 8 Users:

Click More details when you see the Task Manager box

Win 8 Task Manager

And then click Details tab

Details Tab in Win 8 Task Manager

(2). Find out and end Websearch.search-plaza.info’s processes

3. Show Hidden Files

(1). Click on Start button and then on Control Panel

(2). Click on Appearance and Personalization

(3). Click on Folder Options

(4). Click on the View tab in the Folder Options window

(5). Choose Show hidden files, folders, and drives under the Hidden files and folders category

(6). Click OK at the bottom of the Folder Options window

*For Win 8 Users:

Press Win+E together to open Computer window, click View and then click Options

View in Computer Window

Click View tab in the Folder Options window, choose Show hidden files, folders, and drives under the Hidden files and folders category

View Tab in Folder Options Window

4. Delete Relevant Registry Entries and Files

(1). Delete the registry entries related to Websearch.search-plaza.info through Registry Editor

Press Win+R to bring up the Run window, type “regedit” and click “OK”

While the Registry Editor is open, search and delete its registry entries

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\[RANDOM CHARACTERS].exe

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run ‘Random’

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Random

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings “CertificateRevocation” =Random

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\Explorer\run\Random.exe

(2). Find out and remove the associated files

%AllUsersProfile%\random.exe

%AppData%\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Templates\random.exe

%Temp%\random.exe

%AllUsersProfile%\Application Data\random

%AllUsersProfile%\Application Data\~random

%AllUsersProfile%\Application Data\.dll HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Random “.exe”

Video Shows You How to Safely Modify Windows Registry Editor:

As an annoying browser hijacker, Websearch.search-plaza.info is widely spread by the developers on the Internet. It pretends to be a legitimate web site that can improve your web browsing experience and provide fast search function. But when you use it to search for something online, you are redirected to some ads pages. It can also change your homepage as well as search engine. Cyber criminals can implant spy software on your computer to monitor your activities through using the hijacker. If your computer is infected with Websearch.search-plaza.info unfortunately, we recommend that you remove it as soon as possible.

The above manual removal is quite dangerous and complicated, which needs sufficient professional skills. Therefore, only computer users with rich computer knowledge are recommended to implement the process because any errors including deleting important system files and registry entries will crash your computer system. If you have no idea of how to process the manual removal, please contact experts from YooCare Online Tech Support for further assistance.

Published by & last updated on November 14, 2014 6:50 pm

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