Chromestart.info

What is Chromestart.info?

If you have allowed Chromestart.info to replace your homepage, you made a mistake. This search tool is a browser hijacker that works in an unpredictable manner and that can showcase unreliable search results. For all you know, every single link represented by this hijacker could route you to a malicious website. Anti-Spyware-101.com researchers have analyzed this infection, and the conclusion is that it must be deleted as soon as possible. If you do not get rid of this infection, it is possible that you could get into serious trouble without even realizing it. If you wish to learn more about this browser hijacker, this is the report you need to read. Once we are done introducing you to the threat, we also show how to remove Chromestart.info from your web browsers. If something remains unclear, do not hesitate to start a discussion below. You can also communicate with us if you are having issues eliminating the infection.

How does Chromestart.info work?

Our research team indicates that Chromestart.info is most likely targeted at users who speak Russian, and so it is possible that this threat is specifically targeted at a certain region. Because of that, you are likely to find the hijacker packaged in bundles that are promoted on Russian file-sharing websites. Of course, there is always a possibility that the distributors of this infection will spread it in other regions. Needless to say, the suspicious hijacker does not travel on its own. Instead, it could be bundled with other programs, and these might be more attractive just to lure you in. It is always possible that legitimate software will be packaged along with Chromestart.info – after all, the distributor has to offer something interesting – but you must be cautious about malware. Did you know that malware can hide? Well, you already know that malicious infections can pose as something else (e.g., a hijacker can pretend to work as a search tool), but there are threats that are silent, and these are the threats that you need to be most cautious about.

Have you noticed banned advertisements on the home page of Chromestart.info? These ads might be selected after analyzing your browsing history, which is why they might appear to be useful. Do not be fooled. These advertisements were created by third-party advertisers, and they could be malicious. This is exactly the same reason why we do not recommend interacting with the ads displayed via the search results page. Although the “Search” logo might remind you of the Google logo, and the search tool is linked to Google Custom Search, you should not treat Chromestart.info as the popular Google search provider. The links shown might correspond to your search queries, but ads could be added as well, and these are unpredictable. In fact, the hijacker itself is unpredictable, and one of the reasons for this is the lack of information. Legitimate services always provide users with information about themselves, and the hijacker hides this information, which, of course, is not a good sign.

How to remove Chromestart.info

It is strongly recommended that you delete Chromestart.info from your browsers. We have created a simple guide that explains how to manually remove this hijacker from Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Chrome web browsers. If you do not want to proceed manually – and you should not if a legitimate malware scanner identifies more serious threats running along with the hijacker – it is best for you to employ automated anti-malware software. If you choose this option, make sure you install legitimate, reputable, and up-to-date software; otherwise, your operating system might remain infected with malware. Our research team is ready to address any issues that you might face regarding the hijacker. Simply post a comment below, and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Removal Guide

Internet Explorer:

1. Tap keys Win+R on the keyboard to launch RUN.
2. Type regedit.exe and click OK.
3. In Registry Editor, move to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main.
4. Right-click the value named Start Page and select Modify.
5. Erase the hijacker’s URL, enter the desired URL, and click OK.
6. Move to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\SearchScopes\{0633EE93-D776-472f-A0FF E1416B8B2E3A}.
7. Right-click the value (repeat with all values listed below), select Modify, and overwritethe hijacker’s URL:
   • FaviconURL
   • FaviconURLFallback
   • TopResultURL
   • URL

Mozilla Firefox:

1. Tap keys Win+E keys on the keyboard to access Explorer.
2. Enter %AppData%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\ into the empty bar at the top.
3. Open the file named prefs.js file.
4. Replace the hijacker’s URL in the user_pref("browser.startup.homepage", "http://Chromestart.info"); string (do not forget to save the file before closing it).

Google Chrome:

1. Tap keys Win+E keys on the keyboard to access Explorer.
2. Enter %LocalAppData%\Google\Chrome\User Data\ (enter %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\User Data\ if you are on Windows XP) into the empty bar at the top.
3. Open the Default folder (if multiple profiles exist, open your unique Profile folder).
4. Open the file (repeat with all files listed below) and overwritethe hijacker’s URL:
   • Preferences
   • Secure Preferences
   • Web Data

Download Removal Tool100% FREE spyware scan and
tested removal of Chromestart.info*