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  • Active
  • Severity: High
  • Stealing programs
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Mar 2017

How to remove Search.aquatoria.net virus

A step-by-step removal guide for affected devices. Follow the verified procedure below — most readers complete it in under 10 minutes.

Julie Splinters · Anti-malware specialist

Things to know if Search.aquatoria.net PUP hijacked your homepage settings

Search.aquatoria.net virus is a suspicious free application that can install itself on the computer system without user’s permission. In fact, it spreads with the help of software bundling technique[1], which means that technically the user has to give the permission to install it, although it usually happens without user’s knowledge. Search.aquatoria.net hijack immediately changes browser’s homepage and new tab page settings[2] in Chrome, Firefox, Safari and possibly other web browsers such as IE or Microsoft Edge. After the attack, compromised web browsers start redirecting the user to Search.aquatoria.net page, which provides a search engine. It belongs to Search Engines | News Search browser hijacker category, and potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) that fall into it typically promote a specific search engine that seeks for monetary revenue by promoting suspicious links incorporated into search results[3].

This search engine can become the bane of your life because you won’t find a way to get rid of it so easily since it manages to hide its components deeply in the system. Users who start using this search engine typically complain about packs of sponsored search results that reach them. These search results are likely to contain suspicious links that can create a route to dangerous Internet websites, and visiting them can pose a threat to your PC. These redirects are what generates the pay-per-click revenue[4] for Search.aquatoria.net redirect virus developers, but they are not needed in your daily life at all. Therefore, if you are looking for a search engine that would deliver you relevant search results and not an array of ads, we suggest you remove Search.aquatoria.net hijacker right away. For that, you can use FortectIntego or MalwarebytesMalwarebytes software.
Search.aquatoria.net hijack

Another concern that bothers us is that the described browser hijacker might try to sneakily track your activities online. We must, however, emphasize the fact that it does not target your personal information, but mostly browsing-related data, for example, your search queries, browsing history, IP address, time spent on particular websites and more. All collected data can be used to deliver you targeted advertisements, which can be very annoying. We believe that users are forced to encounter enough ads that originate from websites they’re visiting already – so there’s no need to receive even more advertisements on a daily basis. To improve the situation and make your computer function a little bit faster, we suggest completing Search.aquatoria.net removal procedure.

How did this suspicious application get into my PC?

Computer programs can be grouped and distributed together. Such software packets are also known as software bundles, but surprisingly, one cannot simply identify a software pack by looking at it. Therefore, we highly recommend you to be careful when installing freeware downloaded from the Internet. Once you open program’s setup, look for suspicious statements provided under Custom/Advanced installation option[5]. These descriptions usually claim that you agree to install “recommended” third-party software alongside your chosen program. Deselect these suggestions and proceed with the installation. Another fact that you should remember is that Default/Standard software installation settings mostly hide the aforementioned agreements, therefore by choosing these settings you automatically agree to install all bundled programs along with your download. Do not let it happen – decompose the software packs using Custom and Advanced settings!

How can I delete Search.aquatoria.net hijacker and improve my computer’s performance?

Potentially unwanted programs like Search.aquatoria.net virus tend to slow down the computer system and make web browsers lag. Such programs seek to convince victims to click on sponsored links and search results in order to make them visit affiliate websites and generate pay-per-click revenue for the developers of such PUPs. However, you do not have to take part in this scheme because you get nothing useful from it. To remove Search.aquatoria.net virus, we highly suggest using anti-spyware or anti-malware programs; however, manual Search.aquatoria.net removal instructions can help you to eliminate this computer threat as well. Follow them carefully!

Uninstall from Windows

Uninstall from Windows 10/8:

  1. Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
  2. Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.Uninstall from Windows 10/8

Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:

  1. Click on Windows Start > Control Panel (Windows XP users should click on Add/Remove Programs).
  2. In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.Uninstall from Windows 7/XP

Remove the unwanted program:

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

Delete from macOS

Remove the unwanted application:

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

Delete leftover files and folders:

  1. Select Go > Go to Folder.
  2. Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
  3. Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.Delete leftover files from Mac
  4. Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.

Reset Internet Explorer

Remove dangerous add-ons:

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

Change your homepage if it was altered:

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

Delete temporary files:

  1. Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
  2. Under Browsing history, click Delete...
  3. Select relevant fields and press Delete.Clear temporary files from Internet Explorer

Reset Internet Explorer:

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

Remove from Microsoft Edge

Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:

  1. Select Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and pick Extensions.
  2. From the list, pick the extension and click on the Gear icon.
  3. Click Remove.Remove extensions from Edge

Clear cookies and other browser data:

  1. Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
  2. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  3. 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.Clear Edge browsing data

Restore new tab and homepage settings:

  1. Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
  2. Then find On startup section.
  3. Click Remove next to any suspicious startup page.

Reset MS Edge if the above steps did not work:

  1. Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
  2. Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
  3. Select Details tab.
  4. 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.Reset MS Edge

Instructions for Chromium-based Edge

Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):

  1. Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
  2. Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.Remove extensions from Chromium Edge

Clear cache and site data:

  1. Click on Menu and go to Settings.
  2. Select Privacy, search and services.
  3. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  4. Under Time range, pick All time.
  5. Select Clear now.Clear browser data from Chroum Edge

Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:

  1. Click on Menu and select Settings.
  2. On the left side, pick Reset settings.
  3. Select Restore settings to their default values.
  4. Confirm with Reset.
  5. This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.Reset Chromium Edge

Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)

Remove dangerous extensions:

  1. Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click on the Menu (three horizontal lines at the top-right of the window).
  2. Select Add-ons.
  3. In here, select the unwanted extension and click Remove.Remove extensions from Firefox

Reset the homepage:

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

Clear cookies and site data:

  1. Click Menu and pick Settings.
  2. Go to Privacy & Security section.
  3. Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
  4. Click on Clear Data...
  5. Select Cookies and Site Data and Temporary cached files and pages, then click Clear.Clear cookies and site data from Firefox

Reset Mozilla Firefox

If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:

  1. Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
  2. Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.Reset Firefox 1
  3. Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox...
  4. Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox.Reset Firefox 2

Remove from Google Chrome

Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

  1. Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
  2. In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all suspicious extensions related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove.Remove extensions from Chrome

Clear cache and web data from Chrome:

  1. Click on Menu and pick Settings.
  2. Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
  3. Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
  4. Click Clear data.Clear cache and web data from Chrome

Change your homepage:

  1. Click menu and choose Settings.
  2. Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
  3. 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:

  1. Click on Menu and select Settings.
  2. In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
  3. Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
  4. Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
  5. Confirm with Reset settings.Reset Chrome 2

Delete from Safari

Remove dangerous extensions:

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

Clear history and website data:

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

Reset Safari:

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

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