Most of Internet users are still not aware that there are hundreds of search engines that can pose a serious harm for their computers. Is Privatelee.com taking over your homepage? Why this webpage keeps popping up during your browsing session? Unlike other reputable search engines such as Google, Yahoo or Bing, Privatelee Search could put shady websites in the top of their search results. Please follow the guides below to get rid of it completely as quickly as you can.
Privatelee.com is a deceitful search website associated with browser hijacker that uses shady schemes for getting inside target computers and affecting all Internet browsers that are installed which include Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Safari. It is often installed when users download and install some software they get online. Once downloaded, this redirecting application can modify browser settings without your permission. It sets Privatelee Search as your default homepage and will not let you change back to your desired webpage. In addition, it can install unwanted applications, browser helper objects (add-ons, extensions, toolbars), and third party programs to your computer without your knowledge. As a result, your Internet speed will become slow and whenever you go online, a seemingly endless barrage of ads may pop up on your screen that keep interrupting your browsing activities.
Generally speaking, this type of fake search engine is designed to redirect unaware web surfers to potentially malicious pages and increase website rank. It cannot provide you any reliable search results at all. Instead, Privatelee Search always puts ads website on the top of the search result and it can easily direct people to domains that sell useless goods, promote unwanted services or, most shockingly, spread malware. Once your homepage is set to this fake search engine, that means you have agreed to give your consent to display all third party ads, and give the access to third party to collect and use your personal information, such as online history, email address, even other private data. Considering this sophisticated browser redirecting malware usually comes from freebies, therefore users should pay more attention on your online activity and should always be thoughtful and careful when you are going to install something. Stay away from Privatelee.com hijacker and remove all the related things manually to secure your PC now.
It belongs to browser hijacker virus which can totally mess up your browser setting.
It changes your default DNS configuration and blocks you accessing your favorite sites.
It may install some malware in your computer to make bad influence without your consent.
It degenerates your computer performance gradually.
Browser hijacker infection like Privatelee.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.
1. You keep getting random pop-ups opening in new browser tabs.
2. When clicking on Google search links you get taken to sites that have nothing to do with the subject you searched for.
3. Anti-virus and firewall software won’t start.
4. Internet stops working.
5. Unknown software has been installed without your authorization.
6. You can’t access reputable sites unless you type the URL into the navigation bar
Privatelee.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 Privatelee.com redirect 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 Privatelee.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
At first glance, Privatelee.com (as known as Privatelee Search) seems like a normal search engine that provides online search for its visitors, but in reality this is a spam search that can provide you nothing reliable. Instead, it disturbs your web browsing by displaying annoying advertisements on all of your web browsers. It may even change your default DNS configuration and block you accessing your favorite sites. Moreover, it may track your browsing history and other information about your browsing habits that could later be used for other marketing related projects, like generating personalized ads and getting even more clicks on affiliate links. Therefore it is highly recommended to remove Privatelee.com virus as soon as you detect it on your system.
Published by on December 27, 2014 4:16 am, last updated on December 27, 2014 4:16 am
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