Clever Search is an adware program which initiates display of multiple ads
Ads by Clever Search continuously displays numerous advertisements in the form of pop-ups, ads, banners, deals, in-text links and similar. If you see the ad loading and displaying “Brought to you by Clever Search,” “Ads by Clever Search,” “Powered by Clever Search” it is highly likely that your PC is affected by an adware program.
Adware program creators use bundling method to infect most popular browsers, such as Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox[1] and others. Thus, they invad users' PCs without their consent.
The primary goal of adware developers is to generate profit while exposing users to sponsors' content. In reality, it brings no usefulness to regular users. Thus, Clever Search ads removal should be performed by everybody who values their privacy and wants to enjoy carefree web browsing sessions.
Although adware can hardly pose a risk to your computer and data kept on it, it may cause infiltration of other apps that may be much more dangerous. As research showed,[2] some of the ads launched by this adware can contain links to malicious websites that may be involved in the distribution of viruses or malware.
Therefore, even though statistically the majority of Clever Search redirects lead to online shopping websites, you should always keep the risk of disclosing your computer to cyber threats in mind. Alongside irritating advertisements, you may be annoyed by various slowdowns, crashes, and similar issues during your browsing.
Nevertheless, there are several issues which may not be seen or experienced because they are initiated absolutely silently. Once installed, Clever Search virus may start to weaken your PC's security system step-by-step with an intention to help other PUPs infiltrate your computer.
Besides, it may drop tracking cookies[3] on each of your web browsers and start accumulating information related to your browsing habits and preferences. Even though its targeted data, including search terms, visited websites visited, data entered in them, clicks, IP address, PC's location and similar data is treated as non-personal, its disclosure to suspicious third-parties may lead to such issues as the increased number of spam.
All in all, if you suspect Clever Search adware to be hiding in your machine, we highly recommend you to remove it using reputable security software, such as FortectIntego.
Bundling is used to distribute adware programs
Clever Search ads cannot be downloaded from the official website; therefore, it is assumed that its developers apply other software marketing techniques. Security experts[ref en-] have worked on that and found out that this adware is typically distributed bundled with other freeware and shareware that are quite popular among Internet users, such as download managers, PDF creators, media players, and so on.
Be aware that software bundles are usually distributed via popular download websites, including Cnet, Softonic, Soft32, and many others. Therefore, no matter what kind of free software and from what type of download source you are going to download it, you have to check it for 'additional components.'
To do that, you should always rely on Advanced or Custom installation option (instead of Quick/Basic) and read all the terms that are provided to you. Finally, reject the installation of add-ons, toolbars, search engines, optimization tools, etc. and only then finish the installation.
Clever Search ads displayed whether users want them or not. Uninstall Clever Search ads and prevent it from displaying unwanted content
If it's too late to prevent infiltration of Clever Search virus because it's already displaying ads, causing redirects and other inconveniences, you should opt for quick and easy Clever Search removal by employing a robust anti-malware tool. We recommend picking one of the programs mentioned below; they can eliminate PUPs in just a few minutes.
Additionally, we prepared a step-by-step guide which can be used to remove Clever Search just as successfully. However, we do not advise using this method if you are not familiar with computers and its processes. An incorrect procedure will merely fail to eliminate the virus.
You may remove virus damage with a help of FortectIntego. 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.
Compatible with Microsoft Windows
Compatible with macOS
What to do if failed?
If you failed to fix virus damage using Fortect Intego, submit a question to our support team and provide as much details as possible.
Fortect Intego has a free limited scanner. Fortect Intego offers more through scan when you purchase its full version. When free scanner detects issues, you can fix them using free manual repairs or you can decide to purchase the full version in order to fix them automatically.
You need to set your Google Chrome settings to default once Clever search is eliminated.
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 the suspicious plugins that might be 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.
Select the unwanted extension and select Uninstall.
Clear cookies and other website data from Safari:
Click Safari > Clear History…
From the drop-down menu under Clear, pick all history.
Confirm with Clear History.
Reset Safari if the above-mentioned steps did not help you:
Click Safari > Preferences…
Go to Advanced tab.
Tick the Show Develop menu in menu bar.
From the menu bar, click Develop, and then select Empty Caches.
After uninstalling this potentially unwanted program (PUP) and fixing each of your web browsers, we recommend you to scan your PC system with a reputable anti-spyware. This will help you to get rid of Clever Search registry traces and will also identify related parasites or possible malware infections on your computer. For that you can use our top-rated malware remover: FortectIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes.
How to prevent from getting adware
Protect your privacy – employ a VPN
There are several ways how to make your online time more private – you can access an incognito tab. However, there is no secret that even in this mode, you are tracked for advertising purposes. There is a way to add an extra layer of protection and create a completely anonymous web browsing practice with the help of Private Internet Access VPN. This software reroutes traffic through different servers, thus leaving your IP address and geolocation in disguise. Besides, it is based on a strict no-log policy, meaning that no data will be recorded, leaked, and available for both first and third parties. The combination of a secure web browser and Private Internet Access VPN will let you browse the Internet without a feeling of being spied or targeted by criminals.
No backups? No problem. Use a data recovery tool
If you wonder how data loss can occur, you should not look any further for answers – human errors, malware attacks, hardware failures, power cuts, natural disasters, or even simple negligence. In some cases, lost files are extremely important, and many straight out panic when such an unfortunate course of events happen. Due to this, you should always ensure that you prepare proper data backups on a regular basis.
If you were caught by surprise and did not have any backups to restore your files from, not everything is lost. Data Recovery Pro is one of the leading file recovery solutions you can find on the market – it is likely to restore even lost emails or data located on an external device.
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