It's pretty much the same infection as the Nation Zoom browser hijacker. Except that this time, the malicious web browser extension called Extended Protection has even more permissions than the previous variant. Not only it can access your data on all websites and read browsing history but it can also modify your bookmarks detect your physical location and even manage other extensions. In other words, it's a perfect spyware that can download install additional malware on your computer.
Most browser hijackers find their way onto your system when you're downloading another piece of software. More often than not the publishers of the program you DO want are not even aware that their product has been packaged with another program. That's the sneaky publishers of the PUP and adware for you – they know you probably wouldn't download their software under your own volition so they take matters into their own hands by foisting it upon you via other methods.
Browser hijackers are not necessarily dangerous and they're not viruses but the point is, you already have your favorite, home page, search engine, toolbar etc – and you're happy with them, so why would you want to use another – particularly when it's probably an inferior product? You probably don't want Awesomehp, so how do you prevent it happening in the future? It's very important that you pay attention to the license agreements and installation screens when installing anything. Trust me, reading the the license agreements carefully will save you time and headache in the long run. If an installation screen offers you Custom or Advanced installation options, it is a good idea to select these as they will typically disclose what other 3rd party software will also be installed and allow you to opt out of them. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below. Good luck and be safe online!
Written by Michael Kaur, http://deletemalware.blogspot.com
Awesomehp removal instructions:
1. First of all, download recommended anti-malware software and run a full system scan. It will detect and remove this infection from your computer. You may then follow the manual removal instructions below to remove the leftover traces of this infection. Hopefully you won't have to do that.
Also, please feel free to call us (toll free) and we'll be happy to help you on the phone.
2. Remove Awesomehp related programs from your computer using the Add/Remove Programs control panel (Windows XP) or Uninstall a program control panel (Windows 7 and Windows 8).
Go to the Start Menu. Select Control Panel → Add/Remove Programs.
If you are using Windows Vista or Windows 7, select Control Panel → Uninstall a Program.
If you are using Windows 8, simply drag your mouse pointer to the right edge of the screen, select Search from the list and search for "control panel".
Or you can right-click on a bottom left hot corner (formerly known as the Start button) and select Control panel from there.
3. When the Add/Remove Programs or the Uninstall a Program screen is displayed, scroll through the list of currently installed programs and remove the following:
- WPM17.8.0.3159
- awesomehp Browser new tab extension
- IePluginService
- SupTab
If you are using Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8, click Uninstall up near the top of that window. When you're done, please close the Control Panel screen.
Remove Awesomehp from Google Chrome:
1. Click on Chrome menu button. Go to Tools → Extensions.
2. Ensure that the Developer mode checkbox in the top right-hand corner is checked. Go to Chrome extensions directory and delete the folder Extended Protection extension is loaded from.
3. Then select Settings. Scroll down the page and click Show advanced settings.
4. Find the Reset browser settings section and click Reset browser settings button.
5. In the dialog that appears, click Reset. Close Chrome.
6. Right-click Google Chrome shortcut you are using to open your web browser and select Properties.
7. Select Shortcut tab and remove "http://www.awesomehp.com...." from the Target field and click OK to save changes. Basically, there should be only the path to Chrome executable file.
Remove Awesomehp from Mozilla Firefox:
1. Open Mozilla Firefox. In the URL address bar, type about:config and hit Enter.
Click I'll be careful, I promise! to continue.
In the search filter at the top, type: awesomehp
Now, you should see all the preferences that were changed by Awesomehp. Right-click on the preference and select Reset to restore default value. Reset all found preferences!
4. Right-click the Mozilla Firefox shortcut you are using to open your web browser and select Properties.
5. Select Shortcut tab and remove "http://www.awesomehp.com...." from the Target field and click OK to save changes. Basically, there should be only the path to Firefox executable file.
Remove Awesomehp from Internet Explorer:
1. Open Internet Explorer. Go to Tools → Manage Add-ons.
2. Select Search Providers. First of all, choose Live Search search engine and make it your default web search provider (Set as default).
3. Select Awesomehp and click Remove to remove it. Close the window.
4. Right-click the Internet Explorer shortcut you are using to open your web browser and select Properties.
5. Select Shortcut tab and remove "http://www.awesomehp.com...." from the Target field and click OK to save changes. Basically, there should be only the path to Internet Explorer executable file.
6. Finally, go to Tools → Internet Options and restore your home page to default. That's it!
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét