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

How to remove Search.sonicpdfconverter.com virus

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

Alice Woods · Likes to teach users about virus prevention

Search.sonicpdfconverter.com offers bogus search engine to generate pay-per-click revenue

Search.sonicpdfconverter.com virus is a browser hijacker that provides undesirable browser extension[1]. Once it adds Sonic PDF Converter to victim’s browsers, the homepage and default new tab page settings get changed immediately. If you liked the previous start page and had no problems with default search, we bet that such changes won’t please you. Search engine that is provided at Search.sonicpdfconverter appears to be part of Safer Browser network, so it provides search results that seem to be from Yahoo, although they are actually customized by SaferBrowser. It means that instead of finding lots of useful information, you will be forced to visit third-party websites that this vague search tool seeks to advertise. That is quite annoying, to say at least, and also dangerous. You can never trust content shared by suspicious third-party companies because it can either point you to other shady websites or pose a threat[2] to your PC itself. We suggest you act carefully when redirected to sites that you did not intend to visit – avoid questionable download buttons, aggressive ads and also do not fill out forms that require entering personal information. This way, you won’t install any suspicious programs, and your sensitive information will remain private. If you do not want to be stopped by these annoying redirects on a daily basis, remove Search.sonicpdfconverter.com with FortectIntego or another trustworthy malware removal tool. You can also try to delete it manually.

Search.sonicpdfconverter.com virusWhen speaking of this program’s drawbacks, we must also mention privacy concerns. After analyzing program’s Privacy Policy, we discovered that it is yet another app developed by Polarity Technologies, Ltd., which is known to be related to Spigot. These two companies have been developing browser hijackers for a long time now. On top of that, the object of this article seems to be collecting certain user data as long as it stays on the target system. The Privacy Policy discloses that if the user chooses to use it, he/she provides Polarity Technologies access to user’s search queries that might contain personally identifiable information, also to user’s browsing history. The company claims that it gathers and collects such data to share them with third parties. If you are not sure if you actually want to grant this company permission to dispose such data however it wants, Search.sonicpdfconverter.com removal should be written in the first place of your to-do list.

Search.sonicpdfconverter.com browser hijacker

Users get infected with spyware by installing freeware carelessly

Users allow programs like Search.sonicpdfconverter hijack their computers only because users do not realize that some free programs carry additional software that is suggested to the user during the installation of the main program. So when you decide to install a program from the Internet, pay close attention to its setup. In the Settings panel, switch the selection from Standard/Default/Basic to Custom or Advanced. If there is no such option, simply look for pre-marked checkboxes and statements written next to them, saying that you agree to install “new tab pages,” “default search engines,” or perform similar modifications on your computer. Deselect them and proceed with the installation.

You can remove Search.sonicpdfconverter.com without a computer technician’s help

There is no need to call a computer technician when you can remove Search.sonicpdfconverter.com virus on your own. In fact, there are even two options you can choose from. Of course, one of them is related to computer scanners that can remove spyware and malware automatically. If you’re not interested in such programs and all that you look for is a comprehensive Search.sonicpdfconverter.com removal guide, we suggest you scroll down the page a little. The tutorial we provided is easy-to-follow, so even inexperienced computer users will manage to delete the hijacker without hassle.

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

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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