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

How to remove Strongpasswordsearch.com virus

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

Olivia Morelli · Ransomware analyst

Reasons to remove Strongpasswordsearch.com search controller from your PC

Strongpasswordsearch.com

Strongpasswordsearch.com is an enormously suspicious search engine that was created by HopeBest Inc. Media. Users who experience redirects to hxxp://Strongpasswordsearch.com/ should scan their systems for spyware[1]. It turns out that this suspicious domain is actively promoted with the help of potentially unwanted programs nowadays.

It is important to remove Strongpasswordsearch.com virus if you care about your privacy and if you seek a better web searching experience. This shady search site hardly presents any useful search results because it mainly targets to provide sponsored ones. The same can be said about other search engines developed by HopeBest Media – Tracepackagesearch.com, Checkspeedsearch.com or Newstartsearch.com.

It is strategically designed to sneak into victims’ computers unnoticed and convince victims to start using Strong Password Search like it was a completely normal search engine. Unfortunately, it is created to earn money for its developers, not to deliver quality search service to you.

When you use this search engine, you must remember that each of your searches is being tracked by cookies[2] added by the browser hijacker that we mentioned earlier. Besides, it can find out what are your favorite websites, how much time do you spend on them, what ads do you click and your IP address.

Besides, it can’t be legally punished for initiating such activities because such data is considered to be personally non-identifiable. Sadly, your search queries can contain details that might help to identify you. You can never know where Hopebest Inc. transmits such information, so be careful!

The described browser hijacker aims to use your computer as a tool to research your browsing habits and analyze market’s needs. Besides, it starts picking “the right” ads for you and placing them next to regular search results. The biggest problem is that the hijacker nor the search engine hardly checks the safety of these search results.

Links behind them can make you enter highly untrustworthy sites, possibly malicious ones. That is yet another reason why we do not recommend trusting this domain and suggest carrying out Strongpasswordsearch.com removal as soon as it is possible. A quick way to do it is to use FortectIntego, although you can try removing it manually with a help of tutorial given down below. Polish computer users are advised to visit UsunWirusa.pl[3] site for additional information.

Strongpasswordsearch.com virus

Installation of potentially unwanted programs can be prevented

You can avoid installation of potentially unwanted programs by choosing the right settings for software installation. The main thing you should remember is that spyware-type programs (adware, browser hijackers) rarely travel on their own. In most cases, they arrive as optional components added to popular freeware such as games, media players or other programs.

To ensure that the software installer will place only the right components on your system without any unwanted ones, choose Custom or Advanced settings. This will give you an opportunity to control the installation. You will be introduced to extra programs bundled with your download, and then you will get a chance to drop them off. Do it without any hesitations.

Remove Strongpasswordsearch.com virus in a minute

Get ready to remove Strongpasswordsearch.com virus today because our team has already prepared a comprehensive tutorial on how to do it. You just need to check certain computer locations and wipe out unwanted elements from them. A detailed explanation is below the article.

However, even if you think that Strongpasswordsearch.com removal went smoothly and there’s nothing to worry about, we suggest double-checking the system with anti-malware software. It can notice and eliminate files and programs that you may have overlooked.

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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