Hi there. For some reasons my web browser is hijacked and I really need help in removing it. My default homepage is changed to Dozensearch.com and the page almost pops up every time I try to open a regular browser. Also I cannot get rid of the annoying ads I see on almost every page I go to. How can I stop my browser from redirecting me to this page? Changing the browser settings does not work. I just need Google back as my homepage and I don’t want to see those advertisements. Please help!
Browser Hijacks appear to be increasing at an alarming rate globally, and it can be a real nuisance, and at times dangerous too. Being as one of the nasty browser hijackers, Dozensearch.com interferes with user’s browsing activities and can cause unwanted redirection to make infected users crazy and annoyed. It stops users to go to their desired web pages and instead makes them visit sponsored websites again and again. The purpose of browser hijacker is to boost traffic of commercial websites, increase malicious page rank in search results and make affiliate revenue. Generally this hijacker is distributed through freeware, shareware or ad-supported programs. It disguises as a helpful add-on or service to trick users into downloading it and then causing modifications in web browser’s settings to start its attacks. Once installed, it can affect any web browsers as it is compatible with all of them. Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome or even Safari could be affected.
The fist thing that Dozensearch.com hijacker does is to change your browser settings. It replaces your homepage and default search provider to its own site without even asking your permission. Once these modifications are made successful, it starts displaying annoying pop-up ads with coupons, deals, and online offers on your browser. Your online activities will be interrupted and when you make a search, it only returns irrelevant search results that usually include sponsored links in priority and lots of commercial advertisements. You will get no chance to change the homepage back to your favorite site. Every time you go online, you only have Dozensearch.com on your browser, as well as tons of ads. The hijacker slows down your Internet and reduces your PC performance, also it has the ability to collect some non-personally identifiable information and store a cookie on your computer. That means you could be tracked and your information about browsing habits, log in password or even credit card information could be collected. So you should remove it as soon as you notice Dozensearch.com on any of your browsers.
Browser hijacker infection like Dozensearch.com may enter your system as an add-on for your browser or bundled-up with some free software. Most of time, it can be downloaded from a website you visited, something you clicked on, or a pop-up that you did not request to view. You may not even know when and how you download this browser hijacker which compromises your internet security until you find your computer is fully messed up. A hijack virus is a type of computer virus known for its ability to disrupt your Internet browsing. It can redirect your Internet searches to random sites, disallow you from visiting certain Web sites, and change your Internet home page. In addition, it is able to slow your computer, decrease your available memory, and flood your computer with popup advertisements. When you detect the presence of such malicious hijacker, a complete removal is needed without any hesitation.
Dozensearch.com hijacks your browser to redirect your web search results and changes the homepage and browser settings. To completely uninstall it from an infected system, manual removal is the first choice because sometimes antivirus software cannot pick up the exact computer threat timely or remove it permanently. Now most browser hijackers are quite similar to spyware and adware threats and therefore cannot be removed with the help of popular antivirus products. Users can follow the manual guide here to get rid of this browser hijacker completely.
1. Clear all the cookies of your affected browsers.
Since this tricky hijacker virus has the ability to use cookies for tracing and tracking the internet activity of users, it is suggested users delete all the cookies before a complete removal.
Google Chrome:
Click on the “Tools” menu and click the “Clear browsing data” button.
Select “Delete cookies and other site data” to delete all cookies from the list.
Internet Explorer:
Open Internet explorer window
Click the “Tools” button
Point to “safety” and then click “delete browsing history”
Tick the “cookies” box, then click “delete”
Mozilla Firefox:
Click on Tools, then Options, select Privacy
Click “Remove individual cookies”
In the Cookies panel, click on “Show Cookies”
To remove a single cookie click on the entry in the list and click on the “Remove Cookie”
To remove all cookies click on the “Remove All Cookies” button
2. End the malicious process from Task Manager.
Once Dozensearch.com hijacker is installed, computer user may notice that CPU usage randomly jumps to 100 percent. At any time Windows always has many running processes. A process is an individual task that the computer runs. In general, the more processes, the more work the computer has to do and the slower it will run. If your system’s CPU spike is constant and remain at a constant 90-95%, users should check from Task Manager and see if there is a suspicious process occupying the system resources and then end it immediately.
(The name of the virus process can be random.)
Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to quickly bring up Task Manager Window：
3. Show hidden files and folders.
Open Folder Options by clicking the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking Appearance and Personalization, and then clicking Folder Options.
Click the View tab.
Under Advanced settings, click Show hidden files and folders, uncheck Hide protected operating system files (Recommended) and then click OK.
4. Remove all the malicious files related to Dozensearch.com hijacker manually.
%AppData%Local[random].exe
C:\Documents and Settings\LocalService\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\*.exe
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main StartPage
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
Dozensearch.com is a fraudulent website connected to sophisticated browser redirecting malware that can change browser settings in Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari and Internet Explorer. It not only annoys you to no end, but also can cause fatal damage on your PC. Dozen Search just offers fraudulent search results and forces your web browser to illegal websites. Every time you try to go online, you’ll be bombarded by an entire array of pop-up ads. Also you will see more infected symptoms like homepage and DNS configuration change, slow computer performance, unwanted redirection to phishing websites and others. Your browser will be filled with annoying pop-up ads and you will be taken to tons of sponsored websites against your will. To avoid these troubles, we recommend you to take all the necessary measures and remove the hijacker from your PC immediately.
Note: If you are not a computer expert and have no idea how to perform the removal, please contact experts from YooCare Online Tech Support for further help.
Published by on May 9, 2016 8:37 am, last updated on May 9, 2016 8:37 am
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