PDFConverterHQ Toolbar

Posted by Lisa Blanc on January 5, 2016

What is PDFConverterHQ Toolbar?

Our security experts at Anti-spyware-101.com have analyzed PDFConverterHQ Toolbar and have come to the conclusion that it is a malicious toolbar that you ought to remove as soon as possible. This toolbar is somewhat similar to a browser hijacker. However, it is also unique because it features more malicious functions than a typical hijacker. However, on the outside, this program seems to look legitimate and even fun. Nevertheless, from a practicality standpoint, this program does not offer anything of real value since its features can be substituted for other much more legitimate solutions. This brief description includes the most relevant information presented in understandable terms. So if you are not a techie, then this article is exactly what you have been searching for. test test test

Where does PDFConverterHQ Toolbar come from?

This toolbar is a product of the infamous Mindspark Interactive Network, Inc. This company has acquired a bad reputation from releasing numerous malicious toolbars, such as SMSFromBrowser Toolbar, MergeDocsOnline Toolbar, and EasyDocMerge Toolbar, among others. All of these programs offer a trivial function that is their main selling point for inexperienced PC users. So as you can see, this program has many clones and is in no way unique. The reason PDFConverterHQ Toolbar has so many clones probably has something to do with Mindspark’s programs being under the magnifying glass, hence industry-leading anti-malware programs, such as SpyHunter swiftly detect and remove PDFConverterHQ Toolbar as well as its numerous clones.

Our researchers say that this toolbar can infect your computer using two methods. The first method is downloading and installing it from its website at Free.pdfconverterhq.com hosted on 74.113.237.180 located in New York. The other method is truly deceptive because PDFConverterHQ Toolbar’s installation files are embedded in a malicious software bundle that may not present any information about its additional software whatsoever or this information may be hidden from you in the custom/advanced settings section. So, when installing an unfamiliar program, be sure to opt from custom installation settings and remove unwanted programs, such as PDFConverterHQ Toolbar.

How does PDFConverterHQ Toolbar work?

As always, Mindspark had outdone itself when it came to developing PDFConverterHQ Toolbar’s conversion functions. In all honesty, PDFConverterHQ Toolbar delivers on its promises and its Mindspark-developed PDF and DOC converter can work with an all be it small but essential range of file types, such as RTF, PPT, TXT, XLS, JPG, BMP, and more.

However, PDFConverterHQ Toolbar has a very dark side to it. According to our researchers, it is programmed to hijack you web browser’s homepage and replace its homepage and search provider with a customized Ask.com search engine. This search engine is set to connect to various third-party servers. Thus, its search results are populated with promotional links and ads. Rolling back the changes made by this infection may prove difficult, but they are necessary to ensure your computer’s security as PDFConverterHQ Toolbar’s promoted links can be malicious. Furthermore, this toolbar is set to add values to Windows registry and modify the files of Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, while all modifications for Internet Explorer are made at the registry level, mostly at [HKLM|HKCU]\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\, but at some other places as well. In addition, the files for Chrome are located in four different locations, but the most important are located at %UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions and %PROGRAMFILES(x86)%\PDFConverterHQ. Likewise, files for Firefox will be located at %AppData%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\*.default\PDFConverterHQ_fs and %AppData%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\*.default\extensions\*Members_@free.pdfconverterhq.com.

How do I remove PDFConverterHQ Toolbar?

Getting rid of PDFConverterHQ Toolbar involves uninstalling its executable file via Control Panel and removing its browser extensions from Internet Explorer, Chrome, and Firefox. However, this also requires cleaning the Windows registry of the values that may prevent you from changing the homepage. If manual removal proves unsuccessful and you cannot change the homepage, then try using our recommended Anti-malware program.