DNSMystic virus (Virus Removal Instructions) - Free Guide

DNSMystic virus Removal Guide

What is DNSMystic virus?

Why my computer acts sluggish, and why do I see so many DNSMystic ads on my screen on a daily basis?

DNSMystic virus is a dangerous computer infection that causes annoying advertisements[1] appear on a computer screen on a daily basis. Other known as DNSMystic adware, this program is believed to belong to the DNSUnlocker group[2] of potentially unwanted programs (PUP). As is known, DNSUnlocker adware is an ad-supported program that maliciously pushes third-party advertisements to the user and making a virtual layer on the screen. The program tries to deliver sponsored content via banners, in-text links, pop-up and pop-under ads, interstitial ads, and other forms of advertising. It appears that DNSMystic functions in the same way. Although DNSUnlocker malware is advertised as a tool that helps to “access Geo restricted web sites” by changing DNS settings[3], and, judging by the name of it, DNSMystic is probably going to be praised the same way, it is better to avoid these programs as much as possible. DNS Mystic might configure browser shortcuts, install helpers and change your browser settings to gain full control of your web browser and use it for its own purposes. It seems that now this adware program can affect all major browsers, including IE, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and most likely others. If infected, these browsers will start displaying DNSMystic ads at random times.

DNSMystic adwareExpert from our team reveals how DNSMystic adware looks, and what kind of ads DNSMystic displays on the computer screen.

Annoyance is not the only problem that “Ads by DNSMystic” cause. Most importantly, these advertisements are not trustworthy, and consequently it is not safe to click on them. Each of them carries a link pointing to an external third-party website, and not all of them are secure to visit. Besides, content displayed by these ads might not be real, too. Do not be surprised if a click on an interesting-looking ad throws you on a completely suspicious gambling or gaming website. Sadly, just like any other adware-type program, DNSMystic might collect information about your browsing activities and habits, analyze it and use it to provide you with a selection of targeted third-party advertisements. We must point out that the aim of ad-supported programs is to convince users visit external websites and generate pay-per-click[4] revenue this way. However, we already mentioned that these websites might not be safe, for example, they can advertise vague software pieces, for instance, adware or browser hijackers. In the worst case, you might come across a website that falsely claims that a certain program on your computer is outdated and you need to install updates. Remember – such updates can be bundled with spyware or malware, and you definitely do not want such software on your computer. If you suspect that your system is infected with this threat, better remove DNSMystic immediately. The most efficient DNSMystic removal method requires an anti-malware or anti-spyware program, and if you do not have it, we suggest installing FortectIntego software.

How did this adware manage to slip through Firewall and infect my PC?

The most shocking fact about adware programs is that the majority of them are considered to be legitimate programs. DNSMystic adware is one of them. However, techniques that it uses to infiltrate the target system are not so fair, at least in our opinion. The software spreads with a help of other free programs and can be easily installed alongside many free programs available to download online. Therefore, you should set proper installation settings when installing programs downloaded from the Internet. Contrary to a popular belief, “Default” and “Standard” installation settings are not the best choices. They often hide statements about additional third-party software added to the main program. Your task is to switch the installation settings to “Custom” or “Advanced” option and remove ticks from agreements to install these extra programs.

How can I fix my computer after DNSMystic hijack?

In order to fix the damage that DNSMystic adware has done, you have to uninstall this ad-supported software from the system. The best way to remove DNSMystic virus is to scan the entire system with anti-malware[5] software to detect all files that belong to it. In case you are willing to test your DNSMystic removal skills without using anti-malware software, you might want to rely on instructions written by our experts:

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.

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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.
Alternative Software
Different software has a different purpose. If you didn’t succeed in fixing corrupted files with Fortect, try running SpyHunter 5.
Alternative Software
Different software has a different purpose. If you didn’t succeed in fixing corrupted files with Intego, try running Combo Cleaner.

Getting rid of DNSMystic virus. Follow these steps

Uninstall from Windows

In order to remove DNSMystic virus, you will need to complete series of very important tasks. You must do everything carefully if you do not want to make any mistakes that would result in system stability problems. First of all, go to your Control Panel, and, using instructions given below, find and uninstall DNSMystic or DNSUnlocker from the system. Then, we suggest you check if these folders are still on the system:

  • C:\Windows\System32\Tasks\dnsmystic;
  • C:\Program Files (x86)\DNSMYSTIC.

If they are, make sure you delete them. Finally, clean your browsers from suspicious add-ons and extensions if you do not want to see DNSMystic ads ever again. However, remember that DNSMystic often travels in bundles with other spyware, so running a system scan with anti-spyware or anti-malware is a highly recommended, although optional task to do. Thorough system scan can reveal hidden spyware samples on your system. 

Instructions for Windows 10/8  machines:

  1. Enter Control Panel into Windows search box and hit Enter or click on the search result.
  2. Under Programs, select Uninstall a program. Uninstall from Windows 1
  3. From the list, find the entry of the suspicious program.
  4. Right-click on the application and select Uninstall.
  5. If User Account Control shows up, click Yes.
  6. Wait till uninstallation process is complete and click OK. Uninstall from Windows 2

If you are Windows 7/XP user, proceed with the following instructions:

  1. Click on Windows Start > Control Panel located on the right pane (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
  2. In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program. Uninstall from Windows 7/XP
  3. Pick the unwanted application by clicking on it once.
  4. At the top, click Uninstall/Change.
  5. In the confirmation prompt, pick Yes.
  6. Click OK once the removal process is finished.

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 on Uninstall at the bottom. 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 Privacy & security.
  2. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  3. Select everything (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 Disable if you found any suspicious domain.

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

If this solution failed to help you, you need to use an advanced Edge reset method. Note that you need to backup your data before proceeding.

  1. Find the following folder on your computer: C:\\Users\\%username%\\AppData\\Local\\Packages\\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe.
  2. Press Ctrl + A on your keyboard to select all folders.
  3. Right-click on them and pick Delete Advanced MS Edge reset 1
  4. Now right-click on the Start button and pick Windows PowerShell (Admin).
  5. When the new window opens, copy and paste the following command, and then press Enter:

    Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\\AppXManifest.xml” -Verbose Advanced MS Edge reset 2

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. Reset Chromium Edge

Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)

Mozilla Firefox is one of the main targets of DNSMystic adware. You should delete suspicious extensions from it ASAP. You might encounter add-ons such as Conduit, DNSUnlocker, DNSMystic, or Iminent. Better remove them from the browser.

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 unwanted plugin 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 Options.
  3. Under Home options, enter your preferred site that will open every time you newly open the Mozilla Firefox.

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, as well as Cached Web Content and press 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

Your task is to review all extensions installed in Chrome and remove them one by one. We suggest looking for extensions such as Iminent Toolbar, Conduit, DNSUnlocker, DNSMystic, and similarly entitled ones. They all can be related to this software.

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 the suspicious plugins that might be 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 unwanted extensions from Safari:

  1. Click Safari > Preferences…
  2. In the new window, pick Extensions.
  3. Select the unwanted extension and select Uninstall. Remove extensions from Safari

Clear cookies and other website data from Safari:

  1. Click Safari > Clear History…
  2. From the drop-down menu under Clear, pick all history.
  3. Confirm with Clear History. Clear cookies and website data from Safari

Reset Safari if the above-mentioned steps did not help you:

  1. Click Safari > Preferences…
  2. Go to Advanced tab.
  3. Tick the Show Develop menu in menu bar.
  4. From the menu bar, click Develop, and then select Empty Caches. Reset Safari

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 DNSMystic 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

Stream videos without limitations, no matter where you are

There are multiple parties that could find out almost anything about you by checking your online activity. While this is highly unlikely, advertisers and tech companies are constantly tracking you online. The first step to privacy should be a secure browser that focuses on tracker reduction to a minimum.

Even if you employ a secure browser, you will not be able to access websites that are restricted due to local government laws or other reasons. In other words, you may not be able to stream Disney+ or US-based Netflix in some countries. To bypass these restrictions, you can employ a powerful Private Internet Access VPN, which provides dedicated servers for torrenting and streaming, not slowing you down in the process.

Data backups are important – recover your lost files

Ransomware is one of the biggest threats to personal data. Once it is executed on a machine, it launches a sophisticated encryption algorithm that locks all your files, although it does not destroy them. The most common misconception is that anti-malware software can return files to their previous states. This is not true, however, and data remains locked after the malicious payload is deleted.

While regular data backups are the only secure method to recover your files after a ransomware attack, tools such as Data Recovery Pro can also be effective and restore at least some of your lost data.

About the author
Olivia Morelli
Olivia Morelli - Ransomware analyst

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References
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