IPrivate Multi Search virus (Virus Removal Guide) - Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge
iPrivate Multi Search virus Removal Guide
What is iPrivate Multi Search virus?
How iPrivate Multi Search benefits from the unsuspecting users?
iPrivate Multi Search virus is a tricky application that balances between a malware [1] and simply an annoying application. The program is promoted by the software distribution company called Ienjoyapps which is responsible for the release of a number of different applications. Unfortunately, most of them do not seem to be focusing much on benefitting the users, but rather bringing profit to the creators and their affiliates [2]. Like other apps of this company, iPrivate Multi Search malware generates revenue from advertising [3] which also allows the application to monetize itself. Sadly, this brings inconveniences to the users who are being forced to encounter ads, banners and all sorts of other online advertising [4] while using this service. While some users bring this burden on to themselves by voluntarily downloading this program, others are tricked into installing this application against their conscious will. Such unexpected system hijack only aggravates the inconveniences triggered by the virus and urges the users to reach to the experts for some iPrivate Multi Search removal advice. Luckily, our experts have prepared a couple of recommendations for you just below this article. You should also invest in anti-malware software, such as FortectIntego or SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner that will protect you from similar malware attacks in the future.
This slide illustrates iPrivate Multi Search website and app logo
Though iPrivate Multi Search is introduced as a reputable search engine that offers “a variety of unique features and search tools,” you probably already understand that it is actually a shady browser hijacker [5] that should not be trusted. And it’s not the annoying sponsored search results or the lack of promised unique features that cause most problems to the users. Due to the iPrivate Multi Search redirect and advertising issues, the web browser may operate much slower or even crash, progressively making the web search riskier, at the same time increasing the infected device’s vulnerability. The best way to solve these problems is to remove iPrivate Multi Search from the computer, cleaning all the web browsers from this malware and choosing an acknowledged and trustworthy search provider to take its place.
How did this program end up on your computer?
An aspect that tricks users into installing iPrivate Multi Search is that this application is distributed via legitimate software distribution site Chrome Web Store and scores a high rating on it as well. However, ratings can be easily rigged, and Google staff may take some time to eliminate such questionable programs from the search results. Thus, before installing any software, even if it comes from the trustworthy sources, you should check back with some security forums, etc. Besides, the program may appear on the computer even without your permission. Or so it may seem at first. In reality, iPrivate Multi Search usually receives permission to install on the computer when the users fail to properly read through the EULA and choose wrong installation settings that do not disclose the full list of software package components. To avoid this mistake, you should always choose advanced system installation option when and manually deselect components you do not wish to install on your computer.
Are you ready to remove iPrivate Multi Search? Here is what you have to do:
Basically, there are two ways to remove iPrivate Multi Search virus from the computer. You can either do it manually or find some reputable antivirus utility that will do it for you. Since this application has been categorized as a potentially unwanted program, antivirus utilities should be able to locate it and its files on your computer and remove them. Nevertheless, iPrivate Multi Search removal may run into a dead end if the software you own is outdated or its virus database does not contain the description of this particular virus yet. In such as case, you can trust the manual malware extermination recommendations we provide below the article.
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 iPrivate Multi Search virus. Follow these steps
Uninstall from Windows
If you have been looking for iPrivate Multi Search removal instructions, you’ve come to the right place. You will find all the necessary steps below.
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
Microsoft Edge may be affected by iPrivate Multi Search even after the virus removal from the computer. Thus, you must find the related browser-helper objects and remove them from the browser without hesitation. After that, reset the browser to set the changes.
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)
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
If you want your Google Chrome to stop working against you, you should free it from malware that is causing the malicious behaviour to occur. For this purpose we have prepared the following instructions:
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 iPrivate Multi 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 stealing programs
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. 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 the server or network manager that needs to monitor connections and activities. 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.
Recover files after data-affecting malware attacks
While much of the data can be accidentally deleted due to various reasons, malware is one of the main culprits that can cause loss of pictures, documents, videos, and other important files. More serious malware infections lead to significant data loss when your documents, system files, and images get encrypted. In particular, ransomware is is a type of malware that focuses on such functions, so your files become useless without an ability to access them.
Even though there is little to no possibility to recover after file-locking threats, some applications have features for data recovery in the system. In some cases, Data Recovery Pro can also help to recover at least some portion of your data after data-locking virus infection or general cyber infection.
- ^ What is malware and how can we prevent it?. Browser Defender. Powered by PC Tools blog.
- ^ Affiliate Marketing. Entrepreneur. Start, run and grow your business.
- ^ How important is advertising revenue in the Internet sector?. Investopedia. Sharper insight. Smarter investing..
- ^ Different types of online advertising. Focus Designer. Online Magazine for Web Designers.
- ^ DNS hijacking. Wikipedia. The free encyclopedia.