What is Pdfconvertsearch.com?
Pdfconvertsearch.com is a browser hijacker that poses as a file converter. It should be able to convert PDF files to other formats and vice versa; however, it does not do that. If you try to convert files, you are introduced to a server error suggesting that the storage on LockBytes cannot be opened. This means that the hijacker serves you as a search tool, and, unfortunately, it is not one you could trust. According to the analysis conducted by our Anti-Spyware-101.com malware researchers, the hijacker can record personal information, and the search results it shows can be unreliable. These are the two main reasons we recommend removing Pdfconvertsearch.com from your browser. At the time of research, this threat was targeted at Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer browsers, but things could change in the future. If a different browser got hijacked, we will help you remove the infection, but you have to inform us so that we could provide you with the appropriate instructions. You can also use the comments section to ask questions related to this infection.
How does Pdfconvertsearch.com work?
Hopebest Inc. stands behind Pdfconvertsearch.com, as well as Convertpdfsearch.com, Isearchnow.com, and other browser hijackers that we do not recommend trusting. According to the Privacy Policy that represents all of them, personal information can be recorded to ensure “safe and customized user experience.” It is suggested that Hopebest performs targeted marketing and advertising using this information, and that is pretty strange. What does personally-identifiable information have to do with more useful ads or marketing strategies? Our biggest concern is that this information could be leaked to unknown parties, who could, potentially, use it in a malicious manner. Hopefully, that does not happen, but since there is a risk of having your virtual security jeopardized, you definitely need to consider deleting Pdfconvertsearch.com. Another reason to delete this threat is its inability to provide you with reliable search services. Although it finds search results according to our search queries, many of them are likely to be sponsored, which means that they might be useless when it comes to finding the information you need. Furthermore, they could be misleading and dangerous to click on.
The creator of Pdfconvertsearch.com might be promoting third-party links as a way to generate a profit, and the more clicks are made, the more money is likely to be earned as well. Due to this, many of the search results shown to you might represent sponsored content. Even if you find some of the links useful, remember that every time you click on one, you might be putting yourself at risk. You might be at risk even if you avoid the hijacker because the tracking cookies might spy on you and record information. You might face a whole new set of security-related issues if other infections are active on your operating system, and they might be if the hijacker slithered in bundled with third-party software. Our research team warns that the infection might be spread via such unreliable file-sharing sites as descargar.es, filewon.com, and malavida.es. Notably, these have been previously used for the distribution of many other hijackers, and so you should stay away from them.
How to remove Pdfconvertsearch.com
If you wish to delete Pdfconvertsearch.com from your browser – and that is what is recommended – you should first scan your operating system to see if other threats do not exist. If they do, take a few moments to research them to check if they deserve elimination. If you are not sure if malware exists, employ a legitimate malware scanner to help you figure this out. Although you might be able to identify and delete all infections manually (use the guides on this site), but our research team recommends employing anti-malware software to have all infections eliminated automatically. This is especially helpful if more serious infections are found, and if you are simply unable to get rid of them yourself. Furthermore, reliable anti-malware software can provide you with reliable protection, and that, of course, is priceless.
Removal Instructions
Mozilla Firefox:
- Launch Explorer (tap Win+E keys) and enter %AppData%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\ into the bar at the top.
- Open the folder representing your Firefox profile and then open a file named prefs.js.
- Find the hijacker’s URL and overwrite it to represent the desirable startup page. Save the file.
Internet Explorer:
- Launch RUN (tap Win+R keys) and then enter regedit.exe to launch Registry Editor.
- In the pane on your left navigate to HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main.
- Double-click the value named Start Page and overwrite the hijacker’s URL. Click OK.
Google Chrome:
- Launch Explorer (tap Win+E keys) and enter %LocalAppData%\Google\Chrome\User Data\ into the bar at the top.
- Open your Chrome profile folder or, if profiles do not exist, open the Default folder.
- Open the files named Preferences, Secure Preferences, and Web Data and overwrite the hijacker’s URL represented with them. Do not forget to save the files before closing them.
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