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Remove Searchguide.level3.com virus (Easy Removal Guide) - updated Sep 2018

removal by Jake Doevan - - | Type: Browser hijacker
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Searchguide.level3.com — cyber intruder that changes DNS and browser settings

Searchguide.level3.com 

Questions about Searchguide.level3.com virus

Searchguide.level3.com is a suspicious online search service that affects the performance of your device and keeps you from accessing certain information. This is an address which the browser hijacker[1] assigns as the default homepage of the infected computer browser. Potentially unwanted programs seek to generate advertising revenue [2] and often employ pseudo-search engines to be able to deliver sponsored content to the victim’s computer without restrictions. Level3 Search Guide delivers intrusive ads to your Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and there are more problems finding relevant information and, there is a redirect issue[3] which might result in malware infections. The more you get exposed to commercial content, the higher is the risk of encountering potentially malicious ads or landing on dangerous domains. The worst part is that the hijacker leaves no alternatives and redirects traffic to affiliated sites filled with advertisements promoting questionable products and services while collecting various information about your browsing habits.

Name Searchguide.level3.com
Type  Browser hijacker
Symptoms Changes web browser settings, delivers intrusive ads, redirects to dubious websites
Distribution  Software bundling
Main danger  Changes DNS server, can attract malware
Removal  Use anti-malware software together with Reimage for best results

Searchguide.level3.com browser hijacker usually is not installed by users themselves. Instead, it finds its way to your machine via software bundling – an infamous PUP distribution technique. Freeware and shareware are often bundled together with unwanted programs for more profits and benefits to both parties. Thus, if you found your homepage change our of nowhere – remove Searchguide.level3.com virus from your PC by using our manual guide below or with the help of security software. For best results, use Reimage as well to clean all the mess the unwanted app left on your device.

If you must use your browser in order to download and antivirus utility or for other purposes, you should remember a few important things. Because Searchguide.level3.com hijack was intended to bring money to the program’s creators, we are confident that they will employ the most advanced techniques to achieve their goal.

One of the tactics used by Searchguide.level3.com developers that always proves successful is learning more about the user. Cookies [4] help collect information about the user’s visited websites, search queries, viewed pages and a bunch of other non-personally identifiable information which can be used to generate more user-specific content.

This Information collecting is addressed in the Privacy Policy on the main website. According to Searchguide.level3.com hijacker developers, the primary purpose of this data tracking is to provide you with access to other sites developed by them and to offer more services or products. Unfortunately, the personal data collected can be shared in the following way: 

We only share your PII with our affiliated group companies and with our selected business partners and subcontractors that provide services to us in relation to the purposes for which we use your PII outlined in this Privacy Policy. All such affiliates, business partners and subcontractors must commit to process your PII in accordance with the terms of this Privacy Policy and our instructions, and to keep all PII secure.

<…>

We may disclose, assign, sell, license, or otherwise transfer to a third party, your name, address, e-mail address, member name and any other PII in connection with an assignment, sale, joint venture, or other transfer or disposition of a portion or all of our assets or capital stock.

Due to the targeted advertising [5], the PUP becomes even more dangerous since it delivers ads and links relevant to the user’s interests, consequently making them more appealing and clickable. Do not waste your time tip-toeing through the minefield of ads and take care of Searchguide.level3.com removal. Check the recommendations below to find out more about the virus elimination options.

An image of Searchguide.level3.com hijacker virus
As it is evident from the image above, once the Searchguide.level3.com infects computers, it looks similar to the legitimate search providers. Nevertheless, it does not work like a legitimate search service, thus it's best to remove it from your computer!

Program bundles distribute various PUPs

Potentially unwanted programs are not an uncommon guest on the computer, solely because they are lightweight and can easily infiltrate computers undetected. Software packages serve the purpose of sneaking these applications on the system pretty well. PUP developers typically embed the permission to install within installation settings, so the users who pay little attention to the software installation get infected.

Nevertheless, this does not mean that this browser hijacker is unstoppable. If you opt for the Advanced settings instead of allowing all the software package components to install automatically during Default or Quick installation, you can easily check-out the undesirable entries and continue installation without anticipating unpleasant surprises.

Eliminate Searchguide.level3.com and get back to safe browsing online

If you’ve realized that this search service does not meet your needs and cause more problems, remove Searchguide.level3.com virus from your computer. If you want to be sure this malware is never coming back to your computer, you will have to employ anti-malware tools and scan your entire system.

Such utilities are not only useful in isolated cases such as Searchguide.level3.com removal but also come in handy when it comes to overall system protection. Thus, it is a valuable investment if you don’t already have one installed on your computer. Nevertheless, if you do not wish to make such an investment, you can always try to remove Searchguide.level3.com virus manually. Look for the guidelines on how to do it below the article.

You can remove virus damage automatically with a help of one of these programs: Reimage, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner, 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.

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Alternative Software
Different security software includes different virus database. If you didn’t succeed in finding malware with Reimage, try running alternative scan with SpyHunter 5.
Download SpyHunter 5 Review »
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Malwarebytes
Download | Review | Privacy policy | Terms of Use | Product Refund Policy | Uninstall Instructions
Alternative Software
Different security software includes different virus database. If you didn’t succeed in finding malware with Reimage, try running alternative scan with Combo Cleaner.
Download Combo Cleaner Review »
Privacy policy | Terms of Use | Product Refund Policy | Uninstall Instructions

To remove Searchguide.level3.com virus, follow these steps:

Eliminate Searchguide.level3.com from Windows systems

Browser hijackers such Searchguide.level3.com are not difficult to remove, even if the elimination is carried out manually. Of course, such elimination asks for a certain level of precision. So, pay extra attention to the instructions provided below before you attempt the elimination.

  1. Click Start → Control Panel → Programs and Features (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs). Click 'Start -> Control Panel -> Programs and Features' (if you are 'Windows XP' user, click on 'Add/Remove Programs').
  2. 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. 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'.
  3. Uninstall Searchguide.level3.com and related programs
    Here, look for Searchguide.level3.com or any other recently installed suspicious programs.
  4. Uninstall them and click OK to save these changes. Right click on each of suspicious entries and select 'Uninstall'
  5. Remove Searchguide.level3.com from Windows shortcuts
    Right click on the shortcut of Mozilla Firefox and select Properties. Right click on browsers' icon and select 'Properties'
  6. Go to Shortcut tab and look at the Target field. Delete malicious URL that is related to your virus. Select 'Shortcut' tab and delete 'http://isearch.babylon.com...' or other suspicious URL

Repeat steps that are given above with all browsers' shortcuts, including Internet Explorer and Google Chrome. Make sure you check all locations of these shortcuts, including Desktop, Start Menu and taskbar.

Uninstall Searchguide.level3.com from Mac OS X system

  1. If you are using OS X, click Go button at the top left of the screen and select Applications. Cick 'Go' and select 'Applications'
  2. Wait until you see Applications folder and look for Searchguide.level3.com or any other suspicious programs on it. Now right click on every of such entries and select Move to Trash. Click on every malicious entry and select 'Move to Trash'

Delete Searchguide.level3.com from Internet Explorer (IE)

  1. 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. Click on menu icon and select 'Manage add-ons'
  2. You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for Searchguide.level3.com and other suspicious plugins. Disable these entries by clicking Disable: Right click on each of malicious entries and select 'Disable'
  3. 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.
  4. Here, remove malicious URL and enter preferable domain name. Click Apply to save changes. Delete malicious URL, enter your desired domain name and click 'Apply' to save changes
  5. Reset Internet Explorer
    Click on the gear icon (menu) again and select Internet options. Go to Advanced tab.
  6. Here, select Reset.
  7. When in the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset again to complete Searchguide.level3.com removal. Go to 'Advanced' tab and click on 'Reset' button. Now select 'Delete personal settings' and click on 'Reset' button again

Get rid of Searchguide.level3.com virus from Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge may be regarded as one of the safest browsers currently on the market, nevertheless it is not completely malware-proof, thus software like Searchguide.level3.com can infect it. Luckily, you will get rid of this annoying hijacker with the help of these steps:

Reset Microsoft Edge settings (Method 1):

  1. Launch Microsoft Edge app and click More (three dots at the top right corner of the screen).
  2. Click Settings to open more options.
  3. Once Settings window shows up, click Choose what to clear button under Clear browsing data option. Go to Settings and select 'Choose what to clear'
  4. Here, select all what you want to remove and click Clear. Select 'Clear' button
  5. Now you should right-click on the Start button (Windows logo). Here, select Task Manager. Open the start menu and select 'Task Manager'
  6. When in Processes tab, search for Microsoft Edge.
  7. 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. Right-click 'Microsoft Edge' and select 'Go to details' Select 'More details' if 'Go to details' option fails to show up
  8. 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. Find Microsoft Edge entries and select 'End Task'

Resetting Microsoft Edge browser (Method 2):

If Method 1 failed to help you, you need to use an advanced Edge reset method.

  1. Note: you need to backup your data before using this method.
  2. Find this folder on your computer: C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe.
  3. Select every entry which is saved on it and right click with your mouse. Then Delete option. Go to Microsoft Edge folder on your computer, right-click every entry and click 'Delete'
  4. Click the Start button (Windows logo) and type in window power in Search my stuff line.
  5. Right-click the Windows PowerShell entry and choose Run as administrator. Find Windows PowerShell, right-click it and select 'Run as administrator'
  6. 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}
    Copy and paste a required command and press 'Enter'

Once these steps are finished, Searchguide.level3.com should be removed from your Microsoft Edge browser.

Remove Searchguide.level3.com from Mozilla Firefox (FF)

  1. Remove dangerous extensions
    Open Mozilla Firefox, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Add-ons → Extensions. Click on menu icon and select 'Add-ons'
  2. Here, select Searchguide.level3.com and other questionable plugins. Click Remove to delete these entries. Select 'Extensions' and look for malicious entries. Click 'Remove' to get rid of each of them
  3. Change your homepage if it was altered by virus:
    Click on the menu (top right corner), choose Options → General.
  4. Here, delete malicious URL and enter preferable website or click Restore to default.
  5. Click OK to save these changes. When in 'General' tab, delete malicious URL from 'Home Page' section or click on 'Restore to Default' button. Click 'OK' to save changes
  6. Reset Mozilla Firefox
    Click on the Firefox menu on the top left and click on the question mark. Here, choose Troubleshooting Information. Click on menu icon and then on '?'. Select 'Troubleshooting Information'
  7. Now you will see Reset Firefox to its default state message with Reset Firefox button. Click this button for several times and complete Searchguide.level3.com removal. Click on 'Reset Firefox' button for a couple of times

Erase Searchguide.level3.com from Google Chrome

Once users get infected with Searchguide.level3.com, they first notice it on their browsers. So, it is only natural that it is one of the first concerns for the virus victims to remove this undesirable website from their homepage. You will learn how to do it in the instructions below:

  1. Delete malicious plugins
    Open Google Chrome, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Tools → Extensions. Click on menu icon. Select 'Tools' and 'Extensions'
  2. Here, select Searchguide.level3.com and other malicious plugins and select trash icon to delete these entries. Look for malicious entries and delete each of them by clicking on the Trash bin icon
  3. Change your homepage and default search engine if it was altered by your virus
    Click on menu icon and choose Settings.
  4. Here, look for the Open a specific page or set of pages under On startup option and click on Set pages. After clicking on menu and 'Settings', select 'Set pages'
  5. Now you should see another window. Here, delete malicious search sites and enter the one that you want to use as your homepage. Click 'X' to remove malicious URLs
  6. Click on menu icon again and choose Settings → Manage Search engines under the Search section. When in 'Settings', select 'Manage search engines...'
  7. When in Search Engines..., remove malicious search sites. You should leave only Google or your preferred domain name. Click 'X' to remove malicious URLs
  8. Reset Google Chrome
    Click on menu icon on the top right of your Google Chrome and select Settings.
  9. Scroll down to the end of the page and click on Reset browser settings. When in 'Settings', scroll down to 'Reset browser settings' button and click on it
  10. Click Reset to confirm this action and complete Searchguide.level3.com removal. Click on 'Reset' button to complete your removal

Eliminate Searchguide.level3.com from Safari

  1. 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. Click on 'Safari' and select 'Preferences'
  2. Here, select Extensions and look for Searchguide.level3.com or other suspicious entries. Click on the Uninstall button to get rid each of them. Go to 'Extensions' and uninstall malicious add-ons
  3. Change your homepage if it was altered by virus:
    Open your Safari web browser and click on Safari in menu section. Here, select Preferences as it was displayed previously and select General.
  4. Here, look at the Homepage field. If it was altered by Searchguide.level3.com, remove unwanted link and enter the one that you want to use for your searches. Remember to include the "http://" before typing in the address of the page. When in 'General', delete malicious URL and enter your desired domain name
  5. Reset Safari
    Open Safari browser and click on Safari in menu section at the top left of the screen. Here, select Reset Safari.... Click on 'Safari' and select 'Reset Safari...'
  6. 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 Searchguide.level3.com removal process. Select all options and click on 'Reset' button

About the author

Jake Doevan
Jake Doevan - Computer technology expert

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This entry was posted on 2018-09-18 at 03:14 and is filed under Stealing programs, Viruses.

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