Go.paradiskus.com – a bogus search engine

Go.paradiskus.com is a browser hijacker that is presented as a useful search engine. Nevertheless, it redirects search queries to Yahoo; it’s not a secure tool to browse the web. It might trick into visiting questionable or high-risk websites, as well as diminish browsing experience significantly.
| Summary | |
|---|---|
| Name | Go.paradiskus.com |
| Type | Browser hijacker |
| Danger level | Medium. Affects web browser shortcuts and alters their settings |
| Symptoms | Replaced browser's startup page and default search engine, more ads appear on the browser, redirects to third-party sites |
| Distribution method | Software bundling |
| To uninstall Go.paradiskus.com, install FortectIntego and run a full system scan | |
Go.paradiskus.com virus gets into the system with the help of software bundles.[1] Hence it can sneak unnoticed if users do not pay proper attention to freeware installation. The hijacker immediately modifies Windows registry and alters browser’s shortcuts to cause these issues:
- setting hxxp://go.paradiskus.com/ as default homepage and search engine;
- redirect to sponsored websites;
- display ads, in-text, banners and other types of ads;
- installation of unknown add-ons;
- blocking attempts to remove go.paradiskus.com.
The main purpose of Go.paradiskus.com is to control user’s browsing sessions and possibly collect information about him or her. The main page of the search engine includes inactive links to About page, Contacts and Privacy Policy but they are not working.
Once clicked, they redirect to paradiskus.com website that displays 504 Gateway Time-out error. Hence users cannot learn what information might be collected and how it can be used. Researchers warn that such unclarity should not be tolerated because it may lead to privacy-related issues, but that’s not all.
Based on the aggregated information, the hijacker can display targeted ads which might be misleading and redirect to questionable websites. The similar Go.paradiskus.com redirect problem might occur when users click on a link in the results page. The hijacker might trigger redirect to sponsored site any minute.
Some webmasters use hijackers and other PUPs for promoting their services or increasing traffic to their sites. However, malware developers and scammers might take advantage of this service too. Hence redirects to scam, phishing[2] or other shady sites are quite common after the hijack.
For this reason, immediate Go.paradiskus.com removal is recommended. You can follow the elimination guide below the virus description. However, you can speed up the process by scanning the machine with FortectIntego or another anti-malware software.

Distribution of the hijacker
As we have mentioned in the beginning, this shady search tool spreads bundled with various free programs. You can find a suggestion to replace your search engine when downloading video players graphic design programs or other programs. However, in order to see these offers, you need to use Advanced/Custom settings.
However, the majority of users rely on Quick/Recommended setup which does not openly disclose about third-party apps spreading with them. Hence, when you use this setup, you let the whole package to be installed. It goes without saying that it’s time to stop using these settings.
Security experts from the LesVirus.fr[3] note that choosing reliable software download sites also helps to avoid installation of undesired apps. Thus, you should stay away from file-sharing networks or unknown free download sites.
Uninstall Go.paradiskus.com and make your browser virus free
Go.paradiskus.com removal can be achieved by following our prepared manual removal guide. However, you have to be careful. Your task is to eliminate all programs browser extensions and similar entries. After that, browser reset is needed.
However, if you fail to remove Go.paradiskus.com manually or you are looking for a quicker solution, you should take advantage of the reputable anti-malware program. All you have to do is to scan the device with an updated program and reset web browser.
Uninstall from Windows
Uninstall from Windows 10/8:
- Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
- Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.

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

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

Delete from macOS
Remove the unwanted application:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).

Delete leftover files and folders:
- Select Go > Go to Folder.
- Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
- Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.

- Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.
Reset Internet Explorer
Remove dangerous add-ons:
- Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
- Pick Manage Add-ons.
- You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.

Change your homepage if it was altered:
- Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
- Select Internet Options.
- In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
- Click Apply and then select OK.

Delete temporary files:
- Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
- Under Browsing history, click Delete...
- Select relevant fields and press Delete.

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

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

Clear cookies and other browser data:
- Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- 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.

Restore new tab and homepage settings:
- Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
- Then find On startup section.
- Click Remove next to any suspicious startup page.
Reset MS Edge if the above steps did not work:
- Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
- Select Details tab.
- 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.

Instructions for Chromium-based Edge
Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):
- Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
- Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.

Clear cache and site data:
- Click on Menu and go to Settings.
- Select Privacy, search and services.
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Under Time range, pick All time.
- Select Clear now.

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

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

Reset the homepage:
- Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
- Choose Settings.
- Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.
Clear cookies and site data:
- Click Menu and pick Settings.
- Go to Privacy & Security section.
- Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
- Click on Clear Data...
- Select Cookies and Site Data and Temporary cached files and pages, then click Clear.

Reset Mozilla Firefox
If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
- Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.

- Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox...
- Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox.

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

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

Change your homepage:
- Click menu and choose Settings.
- Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
- 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:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
- Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
- Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
- Confirm with Reset settings.

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

Clear history and website data:
- Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
- Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.

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

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