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  • Active
  • Severity: High
  • Stealing programs
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Jun 2017

How to remove KwanZy.com virus

A step-by-step removal guide for affected devices. Follow the verified procedure below — most readers complete it in under 10 minutes.

Jake Doevan · Computer technology expert

KwanZy.com – a bogus search tool that might flood the browser with advertisements

KwanZy.com is a dubious search engine that is presented in software bundles[1] and might enter the system silently. This program works a browser hijacker that after the installation turns browser’s address bar into a search box and replaces current search provider. Thus, after the hijack, users might find an unknown search engine once they launch their beloved web browsers. According to the Terms and Conditions, this tool may provide both sponsored and unsponsored search results. Thus, when looking for the information using KwanZy Desktop Search, you might be redirected to promotional sites and basically browse through commercial content. Undoubtedly, this activity is annoying and prevents from finding necessary information quickly. However, the research has shown that currently, this search engine is inactive. It means that no matter what search keywords you enter it will deliver you “There are no results matched your requested keywords. Please try different keywords.” message on the results page. Thus, if this useless search tool hijacked your browser’s startup page, there’s no need trying to get used to it. Just remove KwanZy.com from the Add/Remove program’s panel or speed up the process with FortectIntego.

The image of KwanZy.com

This potentially unwanted application (PUP) is also designed to collect particular information about the users. Once KwanZy.com is installed on the system, it starts collecting non-personally identifiable information, such as IP address, type of the browser and operating system, search queries, computer’s language, etc. All these aggregated details are necessary for providing better services, and of course, marketing reasons. In the Terms of Use, developers reveal that KwanZy might deliver advertisements because they are necessary for providing these services. Meanwhile, collected information about users allows building their profile and providing targeted ads. These ads are based on users’ interests. Thus, they are supposed to click these commercial offers more willingly. The more people click, the more advertising-based revenue developers receive. The Privacy Policy also reveals that aggregated information might be shared with Partners for the same marketing reasons. Hence, if you do not rush with KwanZy.com removal, you can expect to see an increased amount of online ads that diminishes browsing the Web significantly. What is more, they might also redirect to potentially dangerous websites where you can get infected with dangerous cyber threats.[2]

The picture of KwanZy.com virus

The browser hijacker spreads in software bundles

Just like many other similar applications, so-called KwanZy.com virus spreads as an optional component in freeware or shareware packages. This marketing and distribution method is called “bundling,” and widely used among developers of PUPs. When installing new programs downloaded from various online sources, users always have to choose between Quick/Recommended and Advanced/Custom installation settings. The KwanZy.com hijack might occur if users rely on Quick installation mode. Such settings do not openly disclose about third-party software and usually installs them without informing the user. As a result, people find this suspicious search engines and other applications installed on their computers and web browsers. Meanwhile, the Advanced setup allows seeing the list of “optional downloads” and rejecting their installation. During the installation, you may find the checkbox with pre-selected programs or agreements to make KwanZy Search your default search engine. Do not leave these entries ticked. Deselect them and avoid unwanted changes on your browser.

Getting rid of KwanZy.com

It should be enough to remove KwanZy.com using the Add/Remove Programs function in the Control Panel. However, this PUP may not be the only unwanted guest residing on the computer. You should also look up for other unknown applications or browser extensions that might have also been installed to your device. In order to investigate the system, please follow our prepared instructions below. However, if you want to speed up KwanZy.com removal, you can employ professional anti-malware/anti-spyware program and scan the system with the help of it. Your chosen software will do the job for you.

Uninstall from Windows

Uninstall from Windows 10/8:

  1. Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
  2. Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.Uninstall from Windows 10/8

Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:

  1. Click on Windows Start > Control Panel (Windows XP users should click on Add/Remove Programs).
  2. In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.Uninstall from Windows 7/XP

Remove the unwanted program:

  1. In the Programs and Features window, look for any recently installed suspicious entries, select them, and click Uninstall.
  2. If User Account Control appears, click Yes to confirm, then complete the removal.Uninstall the unwanted program from Windows

Delete from macOS

Remove the unwanted application:

  1. From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
  2. In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).Uninstall from Mac

Delete leftover files and folders:

  1. Select Go > Go to Folder.
  2. Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
  3. Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.Delete leftover files from Mac
  4. Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.

Reset Internet Explorer

Remove dangerous add-ons:

  1. Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
  2. Pick Manage Add-ons.
  3. You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.Remove add-ons from Internet Explorer

Change your homepage if it was altered:

  1. Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
  2. Select Internet Options.
  3. In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
  4. Click Apply and then select OK.Reset IE homepage

Delete temporary files:

  1. Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
  2. Under Browsing history, click Delete...
  3. Select relevant fields and press Delete.Clear temporary files from Internet Explorer

Reset Internet Explorer:

  1. Click on Gear icon > Internet options and select Advanced tab.
  2. Select Reset.
  3. In the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset.Reset Internet Explorer

Remove from Microsoft Edge

Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:

  1. Select Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and pick Extensions.
  2. From the list, pick the extension and click on the Gear icon.
  3. Click Remove.Remove extensions from Edge

Clear cookies and other browser data:

  1. Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
  2. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  3. Select Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files. (apart from passwords, although you might want to include Media licenses as well, if applicable) and click on Clear.Clear Edge browsing data

Restore new tab and homepage settings:

  1. Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
  2. Then find On startup section.
  3. Click Remove next to any suspicious startup page.

Reset MS Edge if the above steps did not work:

  1. Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
  2. Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
  3. Select Details tab.
  4. Now scroll down and locate every entry with Microsoft Edge name in it. Right-click on each of them and select End Task to stop MS Edge from running.Reset MS Edge

Instructions for Chromium-based Edge

Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):

  1. Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
  2. Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.Remove extensions from Chromium Edge

Clear cache and site data:

  1. Click on Menu and go to Settings.
  2. Select Privacy, search and services.
  3. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  4. Under Time range, pick All time.
  5. Select Clear now.Clear browser data from Chroum Edge

Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:

  1. Click on Menu and select Settings.
  2. On the left side, pick Reset settings.
  3. Select Restore settings to their default values.
  4. Confirm with Reset.
  5. This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.Reset Chromium Edge

Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)

Remove dangerous extensions:

  1. Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click on the Menu (three horizontal lines at the top-right of the window).
  2. Select Add-ons.
  3. In here, select the unwanted extension and click Remove.Remove extensions from Firefox

Reset the homepage:

  1. Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
  2. Choose Settings.
  3. Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.

Clear cookies and site data:

  1. Click Menu and pick Settings.
  2. Go to Privacy & Security section.
  3. Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
  4. Click on Clear Data...
  5. Select Cookies and Site Data and Temporary cached files and pages, then click Clear.Clear cookies and site data from Firefox

Reset Mozilla Firefox

If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:

  1. Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
  2. Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.Reset Firefox 1
  3. Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox...
  4. Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox.Reset Firefox 2

Remove from Google Chrome

Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

  1. Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
  2. In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all suspicious extensions related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove.Remove extensions from Chrome

Clear cache and web data from Chrome:

  1. Click on Menu and pick Settings.
  2. Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
  3. Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
  4. Click Clear data.Clear cache and web data from Chrome

Change your homepage:

  1. Click menu and choose Settings.
  2. Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
  3. Click on Open a specific or set of pages and click on three dots to find the Remove option.

Reset Google Chrome:

If the previous methods did not help you, reset Google Chrome to eliminate all the unwanted components:

  1. Click on Menu and select Settings.
  2. In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
  3. Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
  4. Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
  5. Confirm with Reset settings.Reset Chrome 2

Delete from Safari

Remove dangerous extensions:

  1. Open Safari, click Safari in the menu at the top-left of the screen, and select Preferences.
  2. Go to the Extensions tab, look for any suspicious entries, and click Uninstall to remove them.Remove extensions from Safari

Clear history and website data:

  1. Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
  2. Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.Clear history from Safari

Reset Safari:

  1. Click Safari in the menu and select Preferences > Advanced.
  2. Enable Show Develop menu in menu bar.
  3. From the menu bar, click Develop and select Empty Caches.Reset Safari

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