Author Archives: Sarah Stewart - Page 64

Privacyassistant.net

Posted by on September 7, 2017 No comments
Privacyassistant.net

Privacyassistant.net can one day replace your start page, new tab page, or even default search engine preferences if you are too careless while installing the software you find on the Internet. Our researchers at Anti-spyware-101.com say it is a browser hijacker and same as other similar threats from this category, the application could be traveling with doubtful pop-up ads or bundled program installers. Even though it is not a harmful threat and cannot do any damage to the computer, its presence might make the system more vulnerable. Therefore, if you do not think Privacyassistant.net is an application you cannot live without, we encourage you to replace it with a more trustworthy tool. The browser hijacker’s deletion should not take long, and if you check the instructions below this text, you may find the task is not so complicated. Read more »

Search.searchfana.com

Posted by on September 6, 2017 No comments
Search.searchfana.com

Search.searchfana.com might look like a legitimate search engine, but our researchers say that this hijacker is nothing more than a browser hijacker that can get onto your PC without your permission via software bundles and replace your browser’s homepage address and new tab page address. If you use Search.searchfana.com to search the Internet, then this hijacker will show you ad-supported search results. The problem is that this hijacker can display malicious links to scammy, malware-ridden websites that can jeopardize your computer’s security. For this reason, removing this search engine is highly recommended. Read more »

Driving Directions Home

Posted by on September 6, 2017 No comments
Driving Directions Home

If you download Driving Directions Home yourself, you might believe that this piece of software is useful and reliable. If it enters your operating system and browsers illegally, it should become obvious that it is malicious right away. So, how did this program get in? In fact, that does not matter all that much because, in either case, Anti-Spyware-101.com malware researchers recommend removing it. It is also advised that you inspect your operating system using a trusted and up-to-date malware scanner because the chances are that some other pieces of software were installed along with the PUP. This is extremely relevant for those users who find this software installed illegally. It is important that you inspect your PC right away because you do not want to waste time on some PUP if more serious threats are running wild. Of course, in the end, all threats must be eliminated. Naturally, in this report, we focus on deleting Driving Directions Home, as well as Drivingdirectionshome.org. Read more »

Nulltica Ransomware

Posted by on September 5, 2017 No comments

Nulltica Ransomware is one of the newest ransomware infections that we have come across recently on the web. This infection slithers into your computer behind your back and then it holds your computer hostage, demanding that you pay a ransom fee as soon as possible. Computer security experts recommend removing Nulltica Ransomware and then looking for ways to restore your encrypted files. It might sound discouraging because there is no public decryption tool available that would help you decrypt the files. Nevertheless, you should try out everything because there is a very good chance that you have copies of your files saved somewhere. Read more »

OhNo Ransomware

Posted by on September 5, 2017 No comments
OhNo Ransomware

OhNo Ransomware is a very suspicious infection that, at the moment, does not seem to fulfill its potential. In the future, this threat could become a serious file-encrypting threat, but, at the moment, the worst it can do is show a notification demanding a ransom in return of the so-called “Unique Key” that, supposedly, is the only thing that can get your files decrypted. If your files are encrypted, unfortunately, this key might be the only thing that could save them; however, you need to keep in mind that it is held hostage by cyber criminals, and they are unlikely to keep their promises even if you follow their demands. At the time of research, they demanded a ransom of 2 XMR/Monero. Monero is a crypto-currency similar to Bitcoin, a currency used by most ransomware creators. In the past, we have seen at least one other file-encryptor to use Monero, and it was called “Kirk Ransomware.” Needless to say, both of these threats deserve removal, but in this report, we focus on showing you how to delete OhNo Ransomware. Of course, our Anti-Spyware-101.com research team also reveals interesting information about this threat. Read more »

Locate Your Package

Posted by on September 5, 2017 No comments
Locate Your Package

Locate Your Package might sound like a service related to your local post office, but the truth is that this is a browser hijacker. This program clearly enters your computer when you expect it the least, and then it modifies your browser’s settings without your permission. If you see that your default homepage has been changed, you should do everything to remove Locate Your Package from your PC. While you are at it, you should also run a full system scan with a reliable antispyware tool because there is always a chance that you have more undesirable and potentially harmful programs on-board. Read more »

Haze Ransomware

Posted by on September 4, 2017 No comments
Haze Ransomware

Haze Ransomware is a screen-locker that poses as a file-encrypting infection. Although the notification that this threat displays suggests that your files were encrypted, that is unlikely to be the truth. Of course, by the time you are reading this report, the ransomware might have become capable of encrypting data, but that was not the case when our Anti-Spyware-101.com research team was analyzing this threat. We conclude that the infection presents bogus information to trick you into paying 25 Euros. You will not achieve anything by doing that, and so we do not recommend it. What we recommend doing instead is deleting Haze Ransomware. Although it appears that this infection locks the screen to prevent you from accessing your operating system and doing anything – including the removal of malware – unlocking the screen and then cleaning the operating system from malicious threats might be easy. If you are confused, read this report before you jump to the guide below. Also, note that you can add questions for our research team in the comments box below. Read more »

Shielddefense.net Redirect

Posted by on September 4, 2017 No comments
Shielddefense.net Redirect

If you have noticed that your homepage and new tab page changed in your browser, you may be experiencing Shielddefense.net Redirect. The redirections coming from this particular source are due to a potentially unwanted program (PUP) called Shield Defense. This Google Chrome browser extension claims to block malware and tracking of websites, and thus provide you with a safe browsing experience. Although we cannot claim that this PUP does not do as it says, we have found a few worrisome traits while testing it. In fact, this PUP changes your browser settings without your knowledge and it also quite persistent since you cannot even change those back. Therefore, you could be exposed to its potentially risky search engine that may show you modified results by promoting affiliates that may not all be of the trustworthy kind. All in all, having this PUP on your system could indirectly cause some system security issues for you. We suggest that you remove Shielddefense.net Redirect from your system if you do not want to see what might happen if you leave a questionable application active on board. For the details, please continue reading our article. Read more »

MuteAllTabs

Posted by on September 4, 2017 No comments
MuteAllTabs

If you are about to download a program that goes by the name of MuteAllTabs, we highly advise you not to do so since it is one more potentially unwanted program. Malware experts at Anti-Spyware-101.com have categorized it in such a way due to a couple of reasons. One of them is that it exhibits quite a few invasive features, which should not be tolerated. Another reason is its devious distribution, which could prove to be quite dangerous, to put it lightly. If you wish to learn more about the inner workings of this potentially unwanted program, so you can understand why its complete removal is essential, make sure to read the rest of our report. Besides such information, we also provide a few virtual security tips along with detailed removal instructions for MuteAllTabs. Read more »

Search.searchfaa.com

Posted by on September 1, 2017 No comments
Search.searchfaa.com

Search.searchfaa.com is a featured search website that may show up in your main browsers after you install a suspicious free program. Our malware specialists at anti-spyware-101.com say that this search page is indeed the creation of a well-known company called Polarity Technologies Ltd. By "well-known" we actually mean notorious, as this team seems to be specialized on creating identical and similar browser hijackers like Search.youremailnow.com, Search.searchytds.com, and Search.hfreeforms.co. This particular feature, quick access to your e-mail accounts, is also not the first time that it has emerged; we have seen at least two previous search engines that seem to be perfect clones of this one. This hijacker actually claims that it is "all about making your email experience quicker, easier, and overall better" but this simply means that it provides you with buttons on a fake toolbar leading to web-based e-mail accounts. This you can easily have if you bookmark your e-mail accounts and display the bookmarks bar in any of your browsers. Since this hijacker may introduce you to questionable third-party content through manipulated search results, we advise you to remove Search.searchfaa.com as soon as possible. Read more »