How do I stop getting redirected to Webswitch.tk on my browser (Firefox and internet explorer)? The problem started after I downloaded a music player. I have tried every single piece of software but until now I have found nothing. I believe the virus must still hide somewhere. How do I find it out and get rid of it completely?
If you find your current homepage or search engine suddenly changed to Webswitch.tk and your web browser starts displaying crazy pop-up ads, it is a clear sign that your PC has been infected by adware or browser hijacker virus. Web Switch is classified as browser hijacker which can change your browser’s homepage and redirect you to some strange pages while you are searching the web. It can mislead innocent users to visit questionable webs that filled with endless ads. Once a user mistakenly clicks on the ads, their computer may download some potentially unwanted programs or toolbars in the background. Usually those PUPs and toolbars will contain trojan and keyloggers that can be used to steal sensitive data like passwords, credit card, bank account and etc. So do not trust the search results shown by Webswitch.tk although the page seems like a regular search page. It is important to know that Web Switch Search won’t give PC users any reliable search results at all.
Webswitch.tk redirect tracks user’s web browsing history, displays ads and modifies your default homepage or search engine. Once inside, it will change your registry settings and other important windows system files as well, and then it may invite more infections to your computer. Apart from all these, Webswitch.tk popup ads corrupts your system applications, especially browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer. It also can make your computer work slowly and degrade your computer CPU resources. Then you will find that your computer is hard to manage, and it will be slower and slower. So it is a dangerous browser hijacker. Basically this virus comes bundled with some free software or files which may have been infected. Spam emails and malicious websites are the other ways to trick user to click into its trap. To avoid any other damages on the computer, it is urgent to remove this hijacker from the machine.
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 Webswitch.tk 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
Webswitch.tk 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 Webswitch.tk 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 Webswitch.tk 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
Webswitch.tk is an undesirable and unwanted page that can pop up as your default homepage or a new tab without your permission. It is a low-quality search engine that displays more advertisements than legitimate results. To prevent this kind of hijacker attacks, it is advised users not click any unknown ads or emails in any circumstance. Also do not skip over the terms and agreements and click too fast through the installation process when you are able to download software from the Internet. Otherwise you may install some other unwanted software on your computer. If the installer offers an advanced or custom option button, click it to find out if there is any other malicious software offered during the installation process, if so, unmark it before you proceed the next step. Anyway, don’t let unwanted programs or extension change your browser settings. Most importantly, you need to get rid of Webswitch.tk redirect malware once it is found.
Published by on March 16, 2015 7:20 am, last updated on March 16, 2015 7:20 am
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