Myprivacyassistant.com virus (Virus Removal Guide) - Free Instructions
Myprivacyassistant.com virus Removal Guide
What is Myprivacyassistant.com virus?
Myprivacyassistant.com search hardly guarantees privacy protection
Myprivacyassistant.com (by NextAd Media Group Ltd.) appears to come from SearchAssist.net browser hijacker’s family. It is one of those annoying programs that replace your browser’s start page and search engine settings.[1] Such changes are made in order to convince the user to use different ad-supported search tools that generate revenue for their developers.
Although the name of Myprivacyassistant.com virus suggests that it should offer some privacy during your browsing sessions, it behaves in a completely opposite way. Instead of securing your browsing sessions from tracking, it tracks you itself. Although it says that “SearchAssist takes your privacy very seriously,” it later admits collecting certain pieces of information using tracking cookies.
We wouldn’t describe this as privacy protection, or at least wouldn’t say that it can be called dedication to user’s privacy. To put it simply, it behaves like any other browser hijacker that collects browsing-related data to serve interest-based ads.[2] Therefore, we see no difference between My Privacy Assistant or any other browser redirect virus that injects affiliate links into search results.
MyPrivacyAssistant’s collaboration with Trovi Search[3] doesn’t encourage us to trust this search tool as well, especially because Trovi.com is known to be one of the top browser hijackers available today. Sponsored results provided by it can lead the victim to all sorts of websites, so the user has to be extra careful while trying to find information online. We see no point in using such search tools that aggravate browsing, so we recommend you to remove Myprivacyassistant.com without any hesitation.
If you hesitate whether you should remove the described hijacker or not, just remember that it serves sponsored links in search results without checking whether they are trustworthy or not. We do not think that such search tool should be considered reliable.
Therefore, Myprivacyassistant.com removal is the only way to fix your browsers and use your preferred search engine instead. If you are interested in its removal methods, check out programs like FortectIntego or use the guide provided below the article.
Myprivacyassistant.com virus changes user's homepage settings in browsers such as Chrome, Firefox or Internet Explorer.
Things to know if you cannot remember installing the browser hijacker
The described browser hijacker installs itself on computers that lack essential anti-spyware protection. However, even without security programs, it is possible to keep browser hijackers at bay, which cannot be said about critical computer programs like ransomware.
To prevent browser hijackers from sneaking in, always choose advanced software installation options to install your downloads. Differently, than default installation settings, these will provide you with a possibility to deselect unwanted additional programs bundled with your download. This way, you won’t have to search for their removal guidelines later.
Remove Myprivacyassistant.com redirect virus for good
Can’t find a way to remove Myprivacyassistant.com virus? Just use the guidelines provided below the article. Typical browser hijacker removal routine consists of checking for recently installed suspicious programs, modified browser shortcut settings and elimination of unwanted browser add-ons. In rare cases, users need to meddle with Registry settings to wipe the remains of the hijacker.
However, hopefully, you won’t need to take such drastic actions to complete Myprivacyassistant.com removal. When in doubt, you can always run a security software and see what components of browser hijacker still stay on your system. You can delete these manually or automatically.
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 Myprivacyassistant.com virus. Follow these steps
Uninstall from Windows
Delete MyPrivacyAssistant virus from Windows manually: find associated programs that set the described domain as your homepage in every web browser and uninstall them.
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)
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 My Privacy Assistant and SearchAssist extensions from 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 Myprivacyassistant.com 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
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.
- ^ What is Browser Hijacking?. McAfee Blog. Securing Tomorrow. Today.
- ^ Browser hijacking. Wikipedia. The Free Encyclopedia.
- ^ DieViren. DieViren. Security News and Spyware Removal Guides.