Phishing Protector ads. How to remove? (Uninstall guide)
Phishing Protector is a browser add-on for Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome web browsers. Security vendors claim that it’s just a newly crafted version of Web Protector, which is already included into our blog and is known for spreading around the web for a long time. As its name implies, Phishing Protector is a tool for preventing people from visiting malicious websites. However, it’s not going to fulfill the promise. In contrast, it can cause browser redirects to suspicious websites cause the loss of personally and non-personally identifiable information.
How does Phishing Protector adware spread?
Phishing Protector does not have the official website. Usually, it spread bundled with free software. For example, that may be a download manager, PDF creator, media player or another reputable software. This ‘protective’ tool can be attached to them as an ‘optional download’ and disguised under quick or express installation. Due to this fact, you should always check advanced or custom installation option and reject offers to install add-ons, plug-ins, toolbars, extensions. Keep in mind that third-party apps may be disclosed in a very misleading manner, i.e. information about them written in a very small font or disclosed in the least visible place of the check box. Thus, stay attentive and never agree to install Phishing Protector virus and its clones. If you have just installed it, we would recommend using Reimage and running a full system scan with it.
Phishing Protector PUP and adware. Why?
Phishing Protector is a classified as a PUP (potentially unwanted program) due to the distribution method. However, it has been attributed to the ‘adware’ category due to other reasons one of which is advertising. As soon as it infiltrates the system, it corrupts parameters (DNS settings) on Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer and starts displaying sponsored advertisements (“Ads by Phishing Protector,” “Phishing Protector ads”). This way, it makes people visit predetermined websites that belong to its sponsors. Unfortunately, but such activity may lead to severe consequences, such as Phishing Protector redirects to unsafe websites and infiltration of other potentially unwanted programs.
Also, security experts have noticed that this adware can occupy Task Manager by running several compromised websites that can affect PC’s performance in a negative way. Besides, as long as all processes will be running, you will not be able to remove Phishing Protector virus from the system.
Questions about Phishing Protector ads
Last, but not least, Phishing Protector redirect virus can be involved in the data collection. To provide users with tailored advertisements, this app may be set to analyze your search terms, pages viewed, clicks, data encountered, bookmarks, and similar information. Therefore, even if you have recently installed Phishing Protector add-on, and it has delivered you warning (provided below), don’t fall for thinking that it’s reliable. Such precautions about phishing attacks are just a trick to make people install and use it.
Phishing attach ahead!
Attackers on XXX might try to trick you to steal your information (for example, passwords, messages, or credit cards).
Should I remove this adware?
If you would read the whole article about Phishing Protector virus that is provided above, we believe that you would not raise such questions as ‘should or should not I remove this adware.’ Of course, if you don’t mind disclosing personally non-identifiable information about your browsing habits, don’t mind receiving a bunch of commercial and non-commercial ads generated by Phishing Protector adware, don’t mind your PC’s slowness, and similar inconveniences, you may keep it installed. However, we don’t think that there is a person on this earth that approves of being disrupted during browsing or working on a computer. Thus, if you want to restore your PC’s stability and security, we would recommend scanning your computer with a reputable anti-spyware and removing Phishing Protector virus once it starts generating ads during your browsing. Nevertheless, this tool can also be eliminated manually. If you need instructions for that, you can find them down below.
You can remove virus damage automatically with a help of one of these programs: Reimage, Malwarebytes MalwarebytesCombo Cleaner, Plumbytes Anti-MalwareMalwarebytes Malwarebytes. We recommend these applications because they detect potentially unwanted programs and viruses with all their files and registry entries that are related to them.

To remove Phishing Protector ads, follow these steps:
Delete Phishing Protector from Windows systems
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Click Start → Control Panel → Programs and Features (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
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If you are Windows 10 / Windows 8 user, then right-click in the lower left corner of the screen. Once Quick Access Menu shows up, select Control Panel and Uninstall a Program.
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Uninstall Phishing Protector and related programs
Here, look for Phishing Protector or any other recently installed suspicious programs. -
Uninstall them and click OK to save these changes.
Get rid of Phishing Protector from Mac OS X system
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If you are using OS X, click Go button at the top left of the screen and select Applications.
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Wait until you see Applications folder and look for Phishing Protector or any other suspicious programs on it. Now right click on every of such entries and select Move to Trash.
Uninstall Phishing Protector from Internet Explorer (IE)
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Remove dangerous add-ons
Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top right corner of the browser and choose Manage Add-ons. -
You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for Phishing Protector and other suspicious plugins. Disable these entries by clicking Disable:
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Change your homepage if it was altered by virus:
Click on the gear icon (menu) on the top right corner of the browser and select Internet Options. Stay in General tab. -
Here, remove malicious URL and enter preferable domain name. Click Apply to save changes.
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Reset Internet Explorer
Click on the gear icon (menu) again and select Internet options. Go to Advanced tab. - Here, select Reset.
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When in the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset again to complete Phishing Protector removal.
Remove Phishing Protector ads from Microsoft Edge
Reset Microsoft Edge settings (Method 1):
- Launch Microsoft Edge app and click More (three dots at the top right corner of the screen).
- Click Settings to open more options.
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Once Settings window shows up, click Choose what to clear button under Clear browsing data option.
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Here, select all what you want to remove and click Clear.
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Now you should right-click on the Start button (Windows logo). Here, select Task Manager.
- When in Processes tab, search for Microsoft Edge.
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Right-click on it and choose Go to details option. If can’t see Go to details option, click More details and repeat previous steps.
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When Details tab shows up, find every entry with Microsoft Edge name in it. Right click on each of them and select End Task to end these entries.
Resetting Microsoft Edge browser (Method 2):
If Method 1 failed to help you, you need to use an advanced Edge reset method.
- Note: you need to backup your data before using this method.
- Find this folder on your computer:
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe.
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Select every entry which is saved on it and right click with your mouse. Then Delete option.
- Click the Start button (Windows logo) and type in window power in Search my stuff line.
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Right-click the Windows PowerShell entry and choose Run as administrator.
- Once Administrator: Windows PowerShell window shows up, paste this command line after PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> and press Enter:
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register $($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml -Verbose}
Once these steps are finished, Phishing Protector should be removed from your Microsoft Edge browser.
WindowsMac OS XInternet ExplorerMicrosoft EdgeFirefoxGoogle ChromeSafariErase Phishing Protector from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
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Remove dangerous extensions
Open Mozilla Firefox, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Add-ons → Extensions. -
Here, select Phishing Protector and other questionable plugins. Click Remove to delete these entries.
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Reset Mozilla Firefox
Click on the Firefox menu on the top left and click on the question mark. Here, choose Troubleshooting Information. -
Now you will see Reset Firefox to its default state message with Reset Firefox button. Click this button for several times and complete Phishing Protector removal.
Eliminate Phishing Protector from Google Chrome
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Delete malicious plugins
Open Google Chrome, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Tools → Extensions. -
Here, select Phishing Protector and other malicious plugins and select trash icon to delete these entries.
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Click on menu icon again and choose Settings → Manage Search engines under the Search section.
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When in Search Engines..., remove malicious search sites. You should leave only Google or your preferred domain name.
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Reset Google Chrome
Click on menu icon on the top right of your Google Chrome and select Settings. -
Scroll down to the end of the page and click on Reset browser settings.
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Click Reset to confirm this action and complete Phishing Protector removal.
Delete Phishing Protector from Safari
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Remove dangerous extensions
Open Safari web browser and click on Safari in menu at the top left of the screen. Once you do this, select Preferences. -
Here, select Extensions and look for Phishing Protector or other suspicious entries. Click on the Uninstall button to get rid each of them.
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Reset Safari
Open Safari browser and click on Safari in menu section at the top left of the screen. Here, select Reset Safari.... -
Now you will see a detailed dialog window filled with reset options. All of those options are usually checked, but you can specify which of them you want to reset. Click the Reset button to complete Phishing Protector removal process.