Search.pdftoolkit.net virus (Free Instructions) - Easy Removal Guide
Search.pdftoolkit.net virus Removal Guide
What is Search.pdftoolkit.net virus?
Search.pdftoolkit.net – the hijacker that targets Mac OS X
Search.pdftoolkit.net and Home.pdftoolkit.net domains are associated with a PDF Toolkit Safari extension. All these applications are known as potentially unwanted programs that might hijack Mac web browser, alter its settings and cause various browser-related problems.
Therefore, Search.pdftoolkit.net virus works as a browser hijacker even though it looks like an ordinary search engine. The program infiltrates the system when a user downloads PDF Toolkit app from the official website. However, most of the time this extension is installed without user’s realization with the help of other freeware.
Once inside, the Search.pdftoolkit.net redirect virus might:
- set its domain as default search engine, home or new tab URL;
- install a new toolbar or plugin that allows converting doc to pdf files;
- redirects to potentially dangerous websites;
- displays add;
- possibility collects browsing-related information.
After the hijack, immediate Search.pdftoolkit.net removal is recommended because the hijacker might trick you into visiting suspicious websites. This Yahoo-supported search engine might be capable of initiating redirects to affiliate sites directly from the search results page. Thus, trusting this tool is not recommended.
Another fact that makes Search.pdftoolkit.net a suspicious program is the lack of Privacy Policy and EULA.[1] Even though links to these documents are included, they only lead to Error 404 page. Thus, you cannot know how the hijacker treats your personal information.
However, researchers from No Virus[2] tell that the majority of potentially unwanted programs are capable of tracking at least non-personally identifiable and browsing-related information. This activity is necessary for advertising purposes. However, the problem is that users might be delivered dangerous ads or aggregated data might be shared with unknown third-parties.
Browser hijacker itself is not a dangerous cyber infection. However, its infiltration increases chances to catch malware or suffer from phishing attacks. Thus, it’s better to remove Search.pdftoolkit.net as soon as it hijacks Safari’s startup page. We suggest going for automatic elimination using FortectIntego or another anti-malware.
Guidelines for protecting the browser from the hijacker
As we have mentioned at the beginning, Search.pdftoolkit.net or Home.pdftoolkit.net became your default search tools after the installation of a suspicious browser extension.[3] Security researchers claim that currently, these search tools are spreading via PDF Toolkit which is Safari extension.
This PUP may have sneaked inside your device when you incorrectly installed some free program downloaded from the Internet. To avoid unintentional installation of undesired apps, you should always stick to Advanced/Custom installation and carefully follow the instructions.
Keep in mind that Standard/Quick setup does not let to monitor and adjust installation of free programs. Thus, using these settings, you give indirect permission to third-party apps to get installed.
Remove Search.pdftoolkit.net virus from the Safari entirely
Obviously, to remove Search.pdftoolkit.net from your startup page, you have to uninstall PDF Toolkit extension from Safari:
- Open Safari menu and click Preferences.
- Go to Extensions tab and find the troublesome extension.
- Click Uninstall button.
We also recommend resetting the browser. It’s unknown if the hijacker installed cookies or other tracking technologies. Thus, it’s better to make sure that such invisible entries are eliminated entirely. You can find manual Search.pdftoolkit.net removal below.
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 Search.pdftoolkit.net virus. Follow these steps
Uninstall from Windows
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
If your Safari was hijacked, you should check the system as well. Make sure that any other applications were not installed on your Mac too. These instructions will help you:
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 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
Acess Safari extensions and remove PDF Toolkit. Additionally, if you find other unknown entries, uninstall them as well. In order to eliminate Search.pdftoolkit.net completely, you should also reset the browser. Follow these steps:
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 Search.pdftoolkit.net 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.
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- ^ Does Anyone Actually Read Software EULAs?. Coding Horror. The IT blog.
- ^ No Virus. No Virus. Spyware and cyber security news.
- ^ Iskander Sanchez-Rola, Igor Santos, Davide Balzarotti. Extension Breakdown: Security Analysis of Browsers Extension Resources Control Policies. USENIX. The Advanced Computing Systems Association.