Internet Speed Tool virus (Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge) - Virus Removal Instructions
Internet Speed Tool virus Removal Guide
What is Internet Speed Tool virus?
How beneficial is Internet Speed Tool?
Internet Speed Tool virus tries to appeal to users who are looking for ways to improve the performance of their browsers. Despite how alluring the design may look and how convincing it may sound, it is not recommended to install this plug-in. IT experts label it as adware. The owner of this tool, Polarity Technologies Ltd has already made itself prominent in the virus world for making dozens of browser hijackers. It seems that it is following the steps of Imali Ltd, which earlier was active in filling the market with PUPs as well. Another negative feature of this plug-in is that it collects quite much information about your browsing habits. There is a risk of privacy violation as well. Therefore, we recommend you not to waste time and remove Internet Speed Tool. Let FortectIntego help you.
Naturally, you might question such advice. If you have never encountered a PUP before, you might not suspect this tool of any suspicious behavior. Internet Speed Tool or Internet Speed Pilot offers to test your browser’s speed for free. In case, your browser underperforms, you can download the respective plug-in and improve its performance. At least it is how the owners of this PUP want you to think. In exchange of downloading it, the admins will be aware of your browsing habits: visited web pages, search frequency, and other technical information which can identify you. Though they commit of not compiling personal information, such details might still get compiled into the collectible information.
In exchange of boosting your browser's speed, Internet Speed Tool tends to spy on your browsing habits.
The provisions state that the technical information might be shared with third parties and subcontractors[1]. As a result, your Inbox folder might get overcrowded with customized messages[2]. Note that spam messages are often the tool of ransomware developers[3]. What is more, the authors of this company might be using the retargeting technique. In short, once you visit their web page, after a while, you might start noticing more Internet Speed Tool ads. Likewise, there is a higher chance that you click on the advertisements and get directed to their website. Needless to say, that such commercial pop-ups bother your browsing sessions. Internet Speed Tool redirect phenomenon eventually becomes an irritating tendency.
How did this browser get into my computer?
If you cannot understand how this adware sneaked into your computer, let us briefly explain the distribution methods. Such programs are attached to free programs. When users launch the installation wizard, they often fail to notice add-ons pinned under “Recommended” settings. Likewise, clicking the “Install” button may only facilitate Internet Speed Tool hijack or infiltration of a similar PUP. Regardless of what program and what source you download it from, choose “Custom” settings. Watch carefully for unwanted attachments and unmark them. Note that such well-known programs as Adobe Flash Player or Java are especially prone to bear unwanted add-ons[4]. Now lets us proceed to Internet Speed Tool removal.
Remove the tool effectively
You are unlikely to experience any problems during Internet Speed Tool removal. Nonetheless, though the process takes only a couple of minutes, precision and attention are required to get rid of the program. Users, who encounter this threat for the first time, might opt for the automatic elimination. Install an anti-spyware program. It will remove Internet Speed Tool for you in a couple of minutes. In addition, review the list of system applications and remove the unnecessary ones to improve the overall performance of the device[5]. Delete suspicious plug-ins and extensions from the browser as well.
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.
Getting rid of Internet Speed Tool virus. Follow these steps
Uninstall from Windows
Instructions for Windows 10/8 machines:
- Enter Control Panel into Windows search box and hit Enter or click on the search result.
- Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.
- From the list, find the entry of the suspicious program.
- Right-click on the application and select Uninstall.
- If User Account Control shows up, click Yes.
- Wait till uninstallation process is complete and click OK.
If you are Windows 7/XP user, proceed with the following instructions:
- Click on Windows Start > Control Panel located on the right pane (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
- In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.
- Pick the unwanted application by clicking on it once.
- At the top, click Uninstall/Change.
- In the confirmation prompt, pick Yes.
- Click OK once the removal process is finished.
Delete from macOS
Remove items from Applications folder:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for all related entries.
- Click on the app and drag it to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash)
To fully remove an unwanted app, you need to access Application Support, LaunchAgents, and LaunchDaemons folders and delete relevant files:
- Select Go > Go to Folder.
- Enter /Library/Application Support and click Go or press Enter.
- In the Application Support folder, look for any dubious entries and then delete them.
- Now enter /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders the same way and terminate all the related .plist files.
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 on Uninstall at the bottom.
Clear cookies and other browser data:
- Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Privacy & security.
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Select everything (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 Disable if you found any suspicious domain.
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.
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.
- Find the following folder on your computer: C:\\Users\\%username%\\AppData\\Local\\Packages\\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe.
- Press Ctrl + A on your keyboard to select all folders.
- Right-click on them and pick Delete
- Now right-click on the Start button and pick Windows PowerShell (Admin).
- 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
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.
Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
Make sure to remove all associated plug-ins with Internet Speed Tool does. Lastly, reset the browser.
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 unwanted plugin and click Remove.
Reset the homepage:
- Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
- Choose Options.
- Under Home options, enter your preferred site that will open every time you newly open the Mozilla Firefox.
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, as well as Cached Web Content and press 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 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.
- Confirm with Reset settings.
Delete from Safari
Remove unwanted extensions from Safari:
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- In the new window, pick Extensions.
- 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 Internet Speed Tool 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 browser plugins
Choose a proper web browser and improve your safety with a VPN tool
Online spying has got momentum in recent years and people are getting more and more interested in how to protect their privacy online. One of the basic means to add a layer of security – choose the most private and secure web browser. Although web browsers can't grant full privacy protection and security, some of them are much better at sandboxing, HTTPS upgrading, active content blocking, tracking blocking, phishing protection, and similar privacy-oriented features. However, if you want true anonymity, we suggest you employ a powerful Private Internet Access VPN – it can encrypt all the traffic that comes and goes out of your computer, preventing tracking completely.
Lost your files? Use data recovery software
While some files located on any computer are replaceable or useless, others can be extremely valuable. Family photos, work documents, school projects – these are types of files that we don't want to lose. Unfortunately, there are many ways how unexpected data loss can occur: power cuts, Blue Screen of Death errors, hardware failures, crypto-malware attack, or even accidental deletion.
To ensure that all the files remain intact, you should prepare regular data backups. You can choose cloud-based or physical copies you could restore from later in case of a disaster. If your backups were lost as well or you never bothered to prepare any, Data Recovery Pro can be your only hope to retrieve your invaluable files.
- ^ Evan Malmgren. How To Fight for Your Rights and Privacy Online. The Nation. Politics, Finances, Security.
- ^ Greg Masters. Spam hitting Germans with personalized messages. SC Media. The cyber security soyurce.
- ^ Danny Palmer. This old ransomware variant is back - with sneaky new tricks. ZDNet. News, reviews, comments for IT professionals.
- ^ Dan Thorp-lancaster . Microsoft issues critical Adobe Flash Player fix after delayed Patch Tuesday. Windows Central. News, Forum, Reviews, Help for Windows Phone .
- ^ Derek Walter. 5 ways to speed up Chrome: Tips for power users and newbies. PC World. IT news, comments, analysis.