Remove Istartsurf.com (Virus Removal Guide)

Istartsurf.com – a fake search engine that seeks to gain monetary benefit using ads campaigns

Istartsurf.com virus

Istartsurf.com is a browser hijacker^[1] developed by Greensky Technology Co Ltd. users can find it as their homepage and new tab after the installation of freeware or shareware because the questionable application spreads using software bundling – a deceptive marketing technique. While users might not think much about it and keep using it, they will soon notice their their Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, etc. are plagued by intrusive ads, as well as redirects that can lead to insecure sites.

SUMMARY
Name	Istartsurf.com
Type	Browser Hijacker
Developer	Greensky Technology Co Ltd.
Compatible browsers	Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Safari, etc.
Registry modification	HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Policies\Google\Chrome\HomepageLocation HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Policies\Google\Chrome\RestoreOnStartupURLs\1
Symptoms	Altered browser settings, questionable ads and redirects
Distribution	Software bundling
Elimination	Use Fortect Intego for a quick solution or make use of our manual instructions below

Istartsurf.com virus is very persistent, as it not only modifies browser settings (homepage, search engine, and new tab address) but also makes new entries in the Windows Registry.^[2] Thus, even if users delete related shortcuts and remove Istartsurf.com from their machine, it will still redirect the browser to sponsored websites.

As we already mentioned, Istartsurf.com hijack might not be noticed right away, primarily if the user never dealt with one before. The set homepage is very primitive, as it does not include any special quick access buttons nor art. Even though the search results are redirected to Google.com, they are not entirely genuine, because the initial search engine used was not Google's. Thus, users might see sponsored links at the top, making relative information gathering a hard task.

The ads that Istartsurf.com hijacker generates might be harmless and lead to official sites, while others might be extremely suspicious and bring users to phishing, or even malware-ridden sites. Furthermore, redirects are even more dangerous, as users cannot control their behavior. Thus, even if you clicked on a questionable add accidentally, close down your browser and perform Istartsurf.com removal instead.

Besides annoying ads, users' privacy is at risk as well, as the developer can be gathering a large amount of information about them. While personal information is kept on Greensky's servers and is not shared, the aggregated non-personally identifiable data is collected:

As is true of most Web sites, we gather certain information automatically and store it in log files. This information includes internet protocol (IP) addresses, browser type, operating system, date/time stamp, and click stream data.

The tracking of your browsing habits is a common practice, but you might think twice if you want to share that data with the unknown company. This is done in order to obtain a personal profile for each individual using services and feed them relevant ads (unfortunately, they might be dangerous, as the Istartsurf.com authors are not responsible what websites their product redirects users to), increasing the profits.

To conclude, you should not trust potentially unwanted programs like Istartsurf.com, as it may compromise your personal and non-personal information, inject your machine with malware or use various tricks to make you buy services, products or applications you do not need in the first place. Instead, we suggest you use reputable search engines such as Google.com or Yahoo.com.

Istartsurf.com browser hijacker

Ways the potentially unwanted program infects your machine

The browser hijacker is using the bundling technique for its distribution. PUP developers often affiliate with third-party software developers and include their products inside the installers. Furthermore, freeware developers often hide these unwanted programs under Advanced or Custom settings, which not many people choose. That is why hijackers have no troubles when it comes to spreading – they do it deceptively.

Additionally, users might be tricked into downloading the dubious application on various websites. PUP authors often disguise the primary purpose of a hijacker by covering it with some “useful” feature that people might be interested in. In reality, they quickly get disappointed as the promised functionality is either not what they expected or is entirely useless. However, as the hijacker is already injected, users might have troubles with its removal.

Thus, rather avoid potentially unwanted programs in the first place. Follow these simple tips:

Download software from trusted sources only;
Carefully read through ToS and Privacy Policy;
Never pick Recommended or Quick installation method;
Select Advanced or Custom mode;
Eliminate all optional components in the Advanced settings.

Istartsurf virus removal steps

Unfortunately, Istartsurf.com virus removal might be quite complicated. While other hijackers are very easy to eliminate, this one modifies Registry entries, and some users might find it difficult to set them back. Nevertheless, if you are an experienced computer user, go ahead and use out manual instructions below. You will have to eliminate all questionable applications from your device and then reset each of the affected browsers individually.

However, most of the security experts^[3] recommend using anti-virus software that can automatically remove Istartsurf.com hijacker and fix all the damage done to the system automatically.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Question. My computer was affected by www.Istartsurf.com virus and I don't know how to remove it. It seems that it recovers itself right after rebooting my computer!

Answer: While Istartsurf search site is not a virus, it has been added to browser hijacker category. We believe that you should avoid it because it can show you altered search results that are filled with sponsored content. In addition, it can be used for tracking users and their browsing on the Internet. So, you are right for trying to remove www.istartsurf.com browser hijacker from your computer. However, you should opt for automatic removal option because this program has been spread in a bundle with special components that sometimes are preventing its elimination from the system.

Question. Help me! Could you please tell me whether IStartSurf search is legitimate or not? I have this page instead of my start page and the default search engine but I feel that I should stop using it because IStartSurf redirects are interrupting my searches…

Answer: Please, stop using Istartsurf browser hijacker because it is not a legitimate search engine! It can easily trick you into visiting a corrupted website that is used only for spreading other potentially unwanted programs, like adwares and browser hijackers! In addition, it can try recording information about your browsing habits and may even share it with unknown parties. That's why we want to offer you to go back to Google, Yahoo or Bing search engine. For that you should follow a guide below and delete www.istartsurf.com.

Question. Please help! I clicked on some ad on the Internet and now I'm suffering from redirects to www.istartsurf.com. I want to throw my PC out the window…

Answer: You don't have to do that. You can easily repair your computer and get rid of istartsurf hijacker with a help of a step-by-step guide, which is given down below.

Question. After downloading a needed program (video streaming software) I discovered that my start page and the default search engine was changed to search site Istartsurf.com. Should I ignore these changes or should I go back to using Google?

Answer: No matter how good it looks, Istartsurf is nothing but a misleading search engine, which is used for promoting affiliate parties. If you don't want to be tricked into visiting a questionable site that is used for spreading questionable programs, you should get rid of this browser hijacker. It may seem like a complicated task, so our security researchers prepared a detailed istartsurf.com removal guide. Please check it below.

Question. No matter how hard I try, Istartsurf.com virus finds a way to my computer. Could you give me some tips so I could get rid of this aggressive search engine for good?

Answer: If you have been trying to remove istartsurf.com browser hijacker by eliminating it thru Add/remove programs, there is no surprise why it has been showing up on your computer again and again. In order to get rid of it for good, you need to remove each of programs that could be related to it. In addition, you should reset every web browser and then scan your computer with updated anti-spyware, such as Fortect Intego. A detailed guide for removing istartsurf.com from the system can be found below.

Uninstall from Windows

Uninstall from Windows 10/8:

Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.

Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:

Click on Windows Start > Control Panel (Windows XP users should click on Add/Remove Programs).
In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.

Remove the unwanted program:

In the Programs and Features window, look for any recently installed suspicious entries, select them, and click Uninstall.
If User Account Control appears, click Yes to confirm, then complete the removal.

Delete from macOS

Remove the unwanted application:

From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).

Delete leftover files and folders:

Select Go > Go to Folder.
Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.
Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.

Reset Internet Explorer

Remove dangerous add-ons:

Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
Pick Manage Add-ons.
You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.

Change your homepage if it was altered:

Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
Select Internet Options.
In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
Click Apply and then select OK.

Delete temporary files:

Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
Under Browsing history, click Delete...
Select relevant fields and press Delete.

Reset Internet Explorer:

Click on Gear icon > Internet options and select Advanced tab.
Select Reset.
In the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset.

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 Remove.

Clear cookies and other browser data:

Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
Select Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files. (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 Remove next to any suspicious startup page.

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.

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.
This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.

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 the unwanted extension and click Remove.

Reset the homepage:

Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
Choose Settings.
Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.

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 and Temporary cached files and pages, then click 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 suspicious extensions 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 dangerous extensions:

Open Safari, click Safari in the menu at the top-left of the screen, and select Preferences.
Go to the Extensions tab, look for any suspicious entries, and click Uninstall to remove them.

Clear history and website data:

Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.

Reset Safari:

Click Safari in the menu and select Preferences > Advanced.
Enable Show Develop menu in menu bar.
From the menu bar, click Develop and select Empty Caches.

How to remove Istartsurf.com

Istartsurf.com – a fake search engine that seeks to gain monetary benefit using ads campaigns

Ways the potentially unwanted program infects your machine

Istartsurf virus removal steps