Slikdealer.com virus pretends to be legit search engine which wants to be your shopping assistant

SlikDealer by Aztec Media Inc. is a potentially unwanted program (PUP)[1] that alters browser’s settings as soon as it gets a chance to enter the system. This browser hijacker spreads as ShopperTab browser extension that is supposed to operate as a virtual shopping assistant. However, after the hijack, it alters browser’s settings and sets Slikdealer.com as default search engine.
The main task of the Slikdealer virus is to change and control user’s browsing habits. For this reason, this potentially unwanted program (PUP) might alter Windows registry and modify browsers settings. It might affect all popular browsers, including Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome and others.
The most important task is to replace browser’s startup page and built-in search box. Soon after the Slikdealer hijack, users find http://www.slikdealer.com/ext/index.html?cfg=cfgD.json set as their homepage URL. As we have already mentioned, these changes are irreversible.
Slikdealer.com might seem like a legitimate and useful search engine, which offers quick access to popular websites, such as Amazon or TripAdvisor. Additionally, it displays shopping offers and has access to various discount coupon websites.
Additionally, slikdealer.com redirects search queries to Google. However, it does not make this search tool credible. When you start typing search keywords, browser’s security identification icon switches to “Not Secure.”
The problem is that Slikdealer.com virus can trigger redirects to third-party promotional websites soon as you click on a search result. Thus, instead of finding information on the site, you might be forced to look at online shop or other promotional sites.
The problem is that Slikdealer might redirect to potentially dangerous websites too. It means, that you might end up on a technical support scam or phishing site. What is worse, you might be rerouted to a website that spreads ransomware, trojan horses, and other malware.
Additionally, after the hijack, you might notice numerous SlikDealer ads popping up on the screen. While some of them might be legitimate and give real discounts, others are misleading and even malicious.[2] Thus, clicking them is not recommended.
Apart from causing browsing-related problems and increasing chances to encounter other cyber threats, Slik Dealer might also track both personally and non-personally identifiable information. Therefore, this browser extension might put your privacy at risk too.
For this reason, you should not install it. However, if you made a mistake, you can fix it by performing SlikDealer removal. Keep in mind that uninstalling browser extension itself is not enough. You have to look up for other hijacker-related entires and wipe out them from the system.
The instructions how to remove SlikDealer.com manually are given below this article. However, you can speed up this process with FortectIntego or another reputable anti-malware or anti-spyware program.

Developers rely on bundling to infiltrate computers secretly
This browser extension is promoted on the official website. However, the download link is inactive. However, users can find it available on Google Play store named ExtensionSlikDealer-D, but direct downloads are not the main distribution strategy, security team from lesvirus.fr[3] say.
Sudden and unexpected SlikDealer hijack might occur when you download freeware or shareware using Quick/ Recommended settings. This PUP might be added to the software bundle, and these settings do not inform about additional apps being installed together with the program you need.
For this reason, you should never rely on these settings and opt for Advanced/Custom installation only. Then you have to opt out pre-selected “optional downloads” to stop PUPs from entering the system.
Remove SlikDealer.com from the startup page
SlikDealer.com removal requires uninstalling all questionable browser extensions, add-ons, and programs that may have been installed on the computer without your knowledge. The guide below will help you to complete this job successfully.
However, if you find the instructions difficult, you can remove SlikDealer automatically. Many tools can help to eliminate this potentially unwanted program. However, we advise choosing one recommended below.
Uninstall from Windows
Uninstall from Windows 10/8:
- Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
- Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.

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

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

Delete from macOS
Remove the unwanted application:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).

Delete leftover files and folders:
- Select Go > Go to Folder.
- Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
- Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.

- Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.
Reset Internet Explorer
Remove dangerous add-ons:
- Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
- Pick Manage Add-ons.
- You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.

Change your homepage if it was altered:
- Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
- Select Internet Options.
- In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
- Click Apply and then select OK.

Delete temporary files:
- Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
- Under Browsing history, click Delete...
- Select relevant fields and press Delete.

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

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 Remove.

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

Restore new tab and homepage settings:
- Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
- Then find On startup section.
- Click Remove next to any suspicious startup page.
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.

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.
- This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.

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 the unwanted extension and click Remove.

Reset the homepage:
- Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
- Choose Settings.
- Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.
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 and Temporary cached files and pages, then click 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 suspicious extensions 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 dangerous extensions:
- Open Safari, click Safari in the menu at the top-left of the screen, and select Preferences.
- Go to the Extensions tab, look for any suspicious entries, and click Uninstall to remove them.

Clear history and website data:
- Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
- Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.

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

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