Yesterday I update uTorrent and this thing called Search Protect by Conduit installs itself on the computer. Now I have a problem to get online because my IE start up page keeps defaulting to “Search”. I can see Search.conduit.com in the URL. When I try to reset the default start up page using Internet Tools, IE is shut down. Also I have tried going to control panel, but there is nothing that is even close to being conduit made there. Until now, I’ve tried everything I can to get rid of it but it still keeps popping up with that page. How do I get rid of it from my computer permanently?
Search Protect by Conduit (as known as Conduit Virus or Search.Conduit.com redirect) is categorized as an adware that presents itself to be a fake search engine in order to trick inexperienced users into using it as the default homepage or default search provider. Working as a browser hijacker threat, Conduit virus also can make change to your browser settings and perform other negative effects on all browsers you have installed which include Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome. It is created and managed by online criminals who attempt to make use of harmful software as a way to take over and control your internet browser and then collect your information to earn money. Usually this type of threat comes bundled with freeware or other potentially unwanted programs. It disguises itself as an additional add-on or plug-in so many inexperienced users may download it without any awareness until they find out the web browser is going crazy and out of control. Users should be careful when they are going to download something from the Internet. Always read the terms and policy before you agree to download, or it will be easy for you to skip optional offers to change your homepage or add some unknown program to your computer.
Search Protect by Conduit has a deceitful appearance, though it looks like a regular search engine, it cannot be compared with any reliable search providers like Google or Bing. This hijacker forces computer users to visit its sites again and again so as to generate network traffic and increase its search ranking. You will see a bunch of pop-up ads under its bogus search which always ask you to update your flash player or warn you that your computer is at risk. In addition, careful users will detect that additional banner or toolbars are installed on the top of the browser and there is no way to get rid of them. Whenever you perform a search using this Conduit Search, you won’t get the reliable results as you expect, instead you will be shown sponsored websites which are full of various ads. Search Protect claims it is a free desktop application that saves your preferred browser’s homepage and default search settings so that they can’t be changed by software you download from the Internet. However, what this program really does on your computer is to hijack your browser and mess up your computer. The main goal of this program is to deliver advertisements and promote sponsored websites, therefore it should be considered as a potentially unwanted program. Search Protect by Conduit can do nothing helpful for your browsing experience, it just brings numerous commercial websites in your search results and attempt to make you visit them. Don’t hesitate to uninstall it if you have detected it on your PC.
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.
Browser hijacker infection like Search Protect by Conduit 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.
Search Protect by Conduit 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 Search Protect by Conduit virus 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 Search Protect by Conduit 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
Search Protect by Conduit is closely connected to browser hijacker malware and adware designed to boost advertising revenue and corrupt user’s browser. It is another browser extension that was developed by Conduit Ltd and mainly used to corrupt the target browsers. Once infected, it can change the default browser settings without asking any permissions from the PC owner. As a result, every time you open the browser, this site comes up immediately as your start up page or a new tab. Even though it is an unwanted program, it can not be uninstalled like other legitimate software because it won’t list in Control Panel(Add or Remove Program). And the worse is that most browser hijackers won’t be detected by antivirus programs. To completely get rid of the annoying redirection, you have to remove Search Protect by Conduit manually.
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 April 8, 2014 9:41 am, last updated on April 8, 2014 12:26 pm
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