Snitou.com virus. How to remove? (Uninstall guide)
Snitou.com search redirects warn about hijacked web browser
Snitou.com domain belongs to a browser hijacker that is being distributed in software bundles. This potentially unwanted program (PUP) might alter browser’s settings and trigger redirect search queries to Yahoo search via this suspicious domain. Apart from that, it might also redirect to other commercial websites or delivers lots of ads.[1]
The hijacker might replace browser’s homepage and default search engine to http://snitou.com. When you enter search queries to the browser’s search box, the PUP redirects it through http://snitou.com/?keyword=[query] until you end up and Yahoo search results page. During this process, you might see one of these statuses on the browser’s tab:
- Waiting for http://snitou.com/,
- Connecting to http://snitou.com/,
- Transferring from http://snitou.com/.
Search.yahoo.com is a reliable search provider. The problem here is the intrusion of the Snitou.com virus. This cyber infection is most likely to participate in Yahoo affiliate’s program and generate revenue by forcing users to use this search engine. However, some of the virus activities are concerning.
The main Snitou.com redirect problem is that you can never be sure if you end up on the safe website or not. Even if you click on the Yahoo search result, the hijacker might redirect you to a third-party site. Developers of the PUP get revenue for boosting traffic to partner’s website, but users might end up on a potentially dangerous site.
Hijacker’s redirects are uncontrollable, so you have to stop them by scanning the system with Reimage or another anti-malware/anti-spyware.[2] This will help to remove Snitou.com redirect virus and get back control over your browser. Thus, you will be able to set your preferred search engine and homepage.
However, if automatic Snitou.com removal does not seem like the right option and you want to get rid of this threat manually, you should keep scrolling to the end of the article. There you will find manual elimination guidelines.
Click 'Start -> Control Panel -> Programs and Features' (if you are 'Windows XP' user, click on 'Add/Remove Programs').
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'.
Right click on each of suspicious entries and select 'Uninstall'
Right click on browsers' icon and select 'Properties'
Select 'Shortcut' tab and delete 'http://isearch.babylon.com...' or other suspicious URL
Cick 'Go' and select 'Applications'
Click on every malicious entry and select 'Move to Trash'
Click on menu icon and select 'Manage add-ons'
Right click on each of malicious entries and select 'Disable'
Delete malicious URL, enter your desired domain name and click 'Apply' to save changes
Go to 'Advanced' tab and click on 'Reset' button. Now select 'Delete personal settings' and click on 'Reset' button again
Go to Settings and select 'Choose what to clear'
Select 'Clear' button
Open the start menu and select 'Task Manager'
Right-click 'Microsoft Edge' and select 'Go to details'
Select 'More details' if 'Go to details' option fails to show up
Find Microsoft Edge entries and select 'End Task'
Go to Microsoft Edge folder on your computer, right-click every entry and click 'Delete'
Find Windows PowerShell, right-click it and select 'Run as administrator'
Copy and paste a required command and press 'Enter'
Click on menu icon and select 'Add-ons'
Select 'Extensions' and look for malicious entries. Click 'Remove' to get rid of each of them
When in 'General' tab, delete malicious URL from 'Home Page' section or click on 'Restore to Default' button. Click 'OK' to save changes
Click on menu icon and then on '?'. Select 'Troubleshooting Information'
Click on 'Reset Firefox' button for a couple of times
Click on menu icon. Select 'Tools' and 'Extensions'
Look for malicious entries and delete each of them by clicking on the Trash bin icon
After clicking on menu and 'Settings', select 'Set pages'
Click 'X' to remove malicious URLs
When in 'Settings', select 'Manage search engines...'
Click 'X' to remove malicious URLs
When in 'Settings', scroll down to 'Reset browser settings' button and click on it
Click on 'Reset' button to complete your removal
Click on 'Safari' and select 'Preferences'
Go to 'Extensions' and uninstall malicious add-ons
When in 'General', delete malicious URL and enter your desired domain name
Click on 'Safari' and select 'Reset Safari...'
Select all options and click on 'Reset' button
Free programs might distribute the hijacker
These discussed search redirects to do not start out of nowhere. They often start after the installation of some free program, such as PDF converter or video player. The Snitou.com hijack might occur on two occasions:
- a user installed freeware using “Quick” or “Recommended” installation settings;
- a user left the ticks near the pre-selected entries during “Advanced” or “Custom” installation.
To avoid similar problems in the future, you should remember to be careful when installing new programs. You should not only choose reliable download source but be attentive during Advanced installation settings. Do not rush to hit “Next” button because you have to remove ticks from pre-selected “optional downloads.”
Experts from Croatia[3] remind that Quick installation settings barely inform about an installation of additional programs. Thus, using this setup, you give indirect permission these entries to get inside the PC.
Stop redirects to Snitou.com immediately
To stop annoying and suspicious redirects, you have to remove Snitou.com hijacker together with its related components. These entries might be installed on the computer or each of the browsers installed on your computer. Thus, you should follow the instructions below to locate and get rid of these entries entirely.
However, if the problem continues, you should opt for the automatic Snitou.com removal option that requires scanning the system with a security program. You can choose this method at first to get the best results.
You can remove virus damage automatically with a help of one of these programs: Reimage, SpyHunterCombo Cleaner, Malwarebytes 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 Snitou.com virus, follow these steps:
Uninstall Snitou.com from Windows systems
Some of the hijacker-related entries may have been installed on Window OS. Find and remove them:
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Click Start → Control Panel → Programs and Features (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
-
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.
- Uninstall Snitou.com and related programs
Here, look for Snitou.com or any other recently installed suspicious programs. -
Uninstall them and click OK to save these changes.
- Remove Snitou.com from Windows shortcuts
Right click on the shortcut of Mozilla Firefox and select Properties. -
Go to Shortcut tab and look at the Target field. Delete malicious URL that is related to your virus.
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.
WindowsMac OS XInternet ExplorerMicrosoft EdgeFirefoxGoogle ChromeSafariGet rid of Snitou.com 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 Snitou.com or any other suspicious programs on it. Now right click on every of such entries and select Move to Trash.
Eliminate Snitou.com from Internet Explorer (IE)
Follow the instructions to eliminate the hijacker from Internet Explorer:
-
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 Snitou.com and other suspicious plugins. Disable these entries by clicking Disable:
-
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.
-
Reset Internet Explorer
Click on the gear icon (menu) again and select Internet options. Go to Advanced tab. - Here, select Reset.
-
When in the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset again to complete Snitou.com removal.
Erase Snitou.com virus from Microsoft Edge
These steps will help to wipe out cyber infection 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.
-
Once Settings window shows up, click Choose what to clear button under Clear browsing data option.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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. -
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.
-
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, Snitou.com should be removed from your Microsoft Edge browser.
WindowsMac OS XInternet ExplorerMicrosoft EdgeFirefoxGoogle ChromeSafariDelete Snitou.com from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
Uninstall hijacker-related from the Mozilla Firefox to stop redirects to Snitou.com sites.
-
Remove dangerous extensions
Open Mozilla Firefox, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Add-ons → Extensions. -
Here, select Snitou.com and other questionable plugins. Click Remove to delete these entries.
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Change your homepage if it was altered by virus:
Click on the menu (top right corner), choose Options → General. - Here, delete malicious URL and enter preferable website or click Restore to default.
-
Click OK to save these changes.
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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 Snitou.com removal.
Remove Snitou.com from Google Chrome
The Snitou.com virus may have modified Google Chrome's settings. Follow these steps to revert these changes:
-
Delete malicious plugins
Open Google Chrome, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Tools → Extensions. -
Here, select Snitou.com and other malicious plugins and select trash icon to delete these entries.
-
Change your homepage and default search engine if it was altered by your virus
Click on menu icon and choose Settings. -
Here, look for the Open a specific page or set of pages under On startup option and click on Set pages.
- Now you should see another window. Here, delete malicious search sites and enter the one that you want to use as your homepage.
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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.
-
Click Reset to confirm this action and complete Snitou.com removal.
Uninstall Snitou.com from Safari
- 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 Snitou.com or other suspicious entries. Click on the Uninstall button to get rid each of them.
-
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. -
Here, look at the Homepage field. If it was altered by Snitou.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.
-
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 Snitou.com removal process.
About the author
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References
- ^ Malvertising, are you at risk?. Stay Smart Online. Tips on online security.
- ^ Vangie Beal. The Difference Between AntiVirus and AntiSpyware Software. Webopedia. Online tech dictionary.
- ^ Virusi. Virusi. Croatian cyber security news.
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