Remove BrainFinds.com virus (Quick Decryption Solution) - Free Guide
Brainfinds.com generates unwanted ads for computer users
Brainfinds.com is also categorized as a browser hijacker[1]. It pledges to improve your browsing experience. In reality, it stealthily modifies your browser settings in order to generate revenue for the developers. This fake search engine alters homepage, new tab URL, and default search engine by assigning hxxps://www.brainfinds.com to these settings.
It also offers to install supposedly handy “helper objects”[2] that are designed to reassign pre-defined values mentioned above as soon as the user attempts to replace them with different ones. This way, users trying to remove brainfinds.com can get stuck with the “the virus keeps coming back” problem.
Usually, users are attracted by this fake engine because it looks similar to other popular search engines such as Yahoo, Bing or Google. However, we want to assure you that you do not benefit from using it. According to the developers, they “specialize in online advertising, web traffic generation, online search syndication and Search Engine Marketing, helping owners of websites and web networks to generate revenue.”
Even though brainfinds.com is not a malicious virus, IT specialists tent to call it that way because it may stealthily install other potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) or plug-ins that cause redirects to suspicious websites and intrusive ads.
The developers explicitly state that they are not responsible neither for the harms your computer might face due to their services nor for the content displayed in the sponsored advertisements. Thus, if cybercriminals promote websites which are distributing malicious programs, you risk getting infected.
If you saw that you are continuously redirected to suspicious pages by brainfinds.com virus, our IT professionals recommend scanning your computer with Reimage Reimage Cleaner Intego or any other security software. It will quickly detect the infected files and maintain your system’s security in the future. Zondervirus.nl team also says that the quickest Brainfinds.com removal option (the automatic one) is also the most secure one you choose.[3]
Brainfinds.com is a suspicious search engine that security experts do not recommend choosing for daily web browsing.
You can unconsciously install browser hijacker while downloading other regular applications
The developers of potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) are usually not completely honest and hide the information about the installation of the hijacker among the “recommended downloads” added to the main program that the user downloads.
Users who rush through steps of download/installation process can get tricked and do not notice the hidden PUP. Thus, we strongly recommend avoiding Quick/Recommended settings while installing applications. You should choose Custom/Advanced options instead and be aware of the possible threads.
Also, hijackers may spread through the intrusive ads as well. The genuine appearance of the advertisement might lure you into clicking it, but that is precisely what the developers aim for. We suggest avoiding to click those ads in order to protect your system from the spyware attack.
Brainfinds.com removal directions
Once you notice that your PC is infected, you can choose to remove brainfinds.com virus automatically or manually.
As mentioned above, potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) can cause intrusive ads to pop-up and redirect to suspicious websites. You can never be sure whether they do not distribute various types of malware. Thus, we recommend choosing automatic brainfinds.com removal using a reliable security software that will detect possible viruses you are not aware of.
However, if you opt for a manual elimination of brainfinds.com, our IT professionals prepared a detailed step-by-step guide provided below.
You may remove virus damage with a help of Reimage Reimage Cleaner Intego. SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner and Malwarebytes are recommended to detect potentially unwanted programs and viruses with all their files and registry entries that are related to them.
To remove BrainFinds.com virus, follow these steps:
Uninstall BrainFinds.com from Windows systems
To clean up a computer that has been infected with Brainfinds.com redirect virus, use the following tips.
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Click Start → Control Panel → Programs and Features (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
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If you are Windows 10 / Windows 8 user, then right-click in the lower left corner of the screen. Once Quick Access Menu shows up, select Control Panel and Uninstall a Program.
- Uninstall BrainFinds.com and related programs
Here, look for BrainFinds.com or any other recently installed suspicious programs. -
Uninstall them and click OK to save these changes.
- Remove BrainFinds.com from Windows shortcuts
Right click on the shortcut of Mozilla Firefox and select Properties.
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Go to Shortcut tab and look at the Target field. Delete malicious URL that is related to your virus.
Repeat steps that are given above with all browsers' shortcuts, including Internet Explorer and Google Chrome. Make sure you check all locations of these shortcuts, including Desktop, Start Menu and taskbar.
Erase BrainFinds.com from Mac OS X system
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If you are using OS X, click Go button at the top left of the screen and select Applications.
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Wait until you see Applications folder and look for BrainFinds.com or any other suspicious programs on it. Now right click on every of such entries and select Move to Trash.
Delete BrainFinds.com from Internet Explorer (IE)
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Remove dangerous add-ons
Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top right corner of the browser and choose Manage Add-ons.
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You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for BrainFinds.com and other suspicious plugins. Disable these entries by clicking Disable:
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Change your homepage if it was altered by virus:
Click on the gear icon (menu) on the top right corner of the browser and select Internet Options. Stay in General tab. -
Here, remove malicious URL and enter preferable domain name. Click Apply to save changes.
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Reset Internet Explorer
Click on the gear icon (menu) again and select Internet options. Go to Advanced tab. - Here, select Reset.
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When in the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset again to complete BrainFinds.com removal.
Eliminate BrainFinds.com virus from Microsoft Edge
Reset Microsoft Edge settings (Method 1):
- Launch Microsoft Edge app and click More (three dots at the top right corner of the screen).
- Click Settings to open more options.
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Once Settings window shows up, click Choose what to clear button under Clear browsing data option.
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Here, select all what you want to remove and click Clear.
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Now you should right-click on the Start button (Windows logo). Here, select Task Manager.
- When in Processes tab, search for Microsoft Edge.
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Right-click on it and choose Go to details option. If can’t see Go to details option, click More details and repeat previous steps.
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When Details tab shows up, find every entry with Microsoft Edge name in it. Right click on each of them and select End Task to end these entries.
Resetting Microsoft Edge browser (Method 2):
If Method 1 failed to help you, you need to use an advanced Edge reset method.
- Note: you need to backup your data before using this method.
- Find this folder on your computer:
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe. -
Select every entry which is saved on it and right click with your mouse. Then Delete option.
- Click the Start button (Windows logo) and type in window power in Search my stuff line.
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Right-click the Windows PowerShell entry and choose Run as administrator.
- Once Administrator: Windows PowerShell window shows up, paste this command line after PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> and press Enter:
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register $($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml -Verbose}
Once these steps are finished, BrainFinds.com should be removed from your Microsoft Edge browser.
Get rid of BrainFinds.com from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
Try to find all suspicious Firefox add-ons using the provided guide. Remove them all in accordance with provided instructions.
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Remove dangerous extensions
Open Mozilla Firefox, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Add-ons → Extensions.
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Here, select BrainFinds.com and other questionable plugins. Click Remove to delete these entries.
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Change your homepage if it was altered by virus:
Click on the menu (top right corner), choose Options → General. - Here, delete malicious URL and enter preferable website or click Restore to default.
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Click OK to save these changes.
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Reset Mozilla Firefox
Click on the Firefox menu on the top left and click on the question mark. Here, choose Troubleshooting Information.
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Now you will see Reset Firefox to its default state message with Reset Firefox button. Click this button for several times and complete BrainFinds.com removal.
Remove BrainFinds.com from Google Chrome
Go to chrome://extensions page and delete Brainfinds extension from Chrome.
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Delete malicious plugins
Open Google Chrome, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Tools → Extensions.
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Here, select BrainFinds.com and other malicious plugins and select trash icon to delete these entries.
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Change your homepage and default search engine if it was altered by your virus
Click on menu icon and choose Settings. -
Here, look for the Open a specific page or set of pages under On startup option and click on Set pages.
- Now you should see another window. Here, delete malicious search sites and enter the one that you want to use as your homepage.
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Click on menu icon again and choose Settings → Manage Search engines under the Search section.
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When in Search Engines..., remove malicious search sites. You should leave only Google or your preferred domain name.
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Reset Google Chrome
Click on menu icon on the top right of your Google Chrome and select Settings. -
Scroll down to the end of the page and click on Reset browser settings.
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Click Reset to confirm this action and complete BrainFinds.com removal.
Uninstall BrainFinds.com from Safari
- Remove dangerous extensions
Open Safari web browser and click on Safari in menu at the top left of the screen. Once you do this, select Preferences.
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Here, select Extensions and look for BrainFinds.com or other suspicious entries. Click on the Uninstall button to get rid each of them.
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Change your homepage if it was altered by virus:
Open your Safari web browser and click on Safari in menu section. Here, select Preferences as it was displayed previously and select General. -
Here, look at the Homepage field. If it was altered by BrainFinds.com, remove unwanted link and enter the one that you want to use for your searches. Remember to include the "http://" before typing in the address of the page.
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Reset Safari
Open Safari browser and click on Safari in menu section at the top left of the screen. Here, select Reset Safari....
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Now you will see a detailed dialog window filled with reset options. All of those options are usually checked, but you can specify which of them you want to reset. Click the Reset button to complete BrainFinds.com removal process.
Access your website securely from any location
When you work on the domain, site, blog, or different project that requires constant management, content creation, or coding, you may need to connect to the server and content management service more often. It is a hassle when your website is protected from suspicious connections and unauthorized IP addresses.
The best solution for creating a tighter network could be a dedicated/fixed IP address. If you make your IP address static and set to your device, you can connect to the CMS from any location and do not create any additional issues for server or network manager that need to monitor connections and activities. This is how you bypass some of the authentications factors and can remotely use your banking accounts without triggering suspicious with each login.
VPN software providers like Private Internet Access can help you with such settings and offer the option to control the online reputation and manage projects easily from any part of the world. It is better to clock the access to your website from different IP addresses. So you can keep the project safe and secure when you have the dedicated IP address VPN and protected access to the content management system.
Backup files for the later use, in case of the malware attack
Computer users can suffer various losses due to cyber infections or their own faulty doings. Software issues created by malware or direct data loss due to encryption can lead to problems with your device or permanent damage. When you have proper up-to-date backups, you can easily recover after such an incident and get back to work.
It is crucial to create updates to your backups after any changes on the device, so you can get back to the point you were working on when malware changes anything or issues with the device causes data or performance corruption. Rely on such behavior and make file backup your daily or weekly habit.
When you have the previous version of every important document or project you can avoid frustration and breakdowns. It comes in handy when malware occurs out of nowhere. Use Data Recovery Pro for the system restoring purpose.
About the author
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References
- ^ Gabriel E. Hall. What are browser hijackers and how to remove them. 2-Spyware. Security and Spyware News.
- ^ Browser Hijack Objects (BHOs). Malwarebytes Labs. Security News, Threat Research.
- ^ ZonderVirus. ZonderVirus. Malware Removal Guidance, Security News.
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