Superfish adware forces people to see annoying third-party ads

Superfish (also known as WindowShopper) is a widely known adware[1], which hijacks computers and starts displaying pop-up ads and banners without user's approval. Also, this potentially unwanted program can collect information related to people's search sessions, cause browser redirects and initiate other activities behind their back.
After collecting a required amount of data (it includes search terms, information about mostly visited websites, email addresses, login names, etc.), Superfish virus sends it to its developers. Beware that this information may be sold to unknown parties that may try to use it for illegal aims!
That's why we do NOT recommend you to deal with this program. In fact, we would like to recommend you avoiding all shopping helpers and assistants because such programs can hardly help you to save the money during your shopping sessions.
Their aim is to cause “Similar Products Powered by Superfish” ads and similar content that could redirect people to predetermined websites and generate pay-per-click income.
Fortunately, to remove Superfish malware is just as easy as to prevent its filtration to your computer. For that, make sure that you avoid its official website and also monitor installation of the freeware, which is usually involved in the distribution of such “helpers”.
Programs that you should install with an extreme carefulness are various download managers, PDF creators, video streaming software and similar apps. To know more about recommended steps that are required during the installation of the freeware, you should check the next paragraph. Do not forget to remove Superfish from your computer! For that you can use FortectIntego or other reliable anti-spyware.
Superfish Inc VisualDiscovery was pre-installed on some Lenovo computers
Superfish is also a term associated with malware detected on some Lenovo computers[2]. This software was actively distributed in 2010, and then Lenovo decided to bundle this adware program with some of its computers in 2014.
A little later, in 2015, the US Department of Homeland Security recommended removing Superfish Inc VisualDiscovery from computers, stating that it creates security vulnerabilities in computers that could be exploited during cyber attacks. At the time, the suspicious software had over 80 million users worldwide.
Lenovo Superfish virus is known for an ability to inject ads into search results despite the type of web search engine used. On top of that, the software was analyzed, and it turned out that it intercepts encrypted SSL/TLS connections. Lenovo has released official instructions on how to uninstall Super Fish adware.
Please use the instructions provided below the article to identify and delete this adware if you suspect that you have it on your computer system.

Adware typically sneaks into computer systems alongside other freeware
Just like a hijack of WindowShopper and Yontoo, Superfish hijack issue interrupts you unexpectedly. LesVirus.fr says that there are many users in France who were affected by this particular adware[3]. In most of the cases, it appears right after installing free software. Unfortunately, people are still failing to monitor installation of programs that they need. That's how they get tricked into agreeing to install optional components that are capable of altering system settings and causing unwanted activities on each of web browsers.
To avoid such unexpected downloads, you should start checking what programs you download to your computer. For that, you should read the Privacy Policy, End User's License Agreement and similar information that is given about freeware.
Also, you should start choosing only Custom or Advanced installation option when downloading programs from the Internet. This will help you to see all 'additional' components that are typically offered for free in a bundle with free software. If you have already noticed annoying ads during your search sessions, you should follow the guide we added to this post and fix your computer.
Superfish removal guidelines
All the tools that you can use for Superfish removal are listed below. By using them, you can remove this adware and EACH of its components automatically. To get the best result, make sure that you update your anti-spyware to its latest version and run a full system scan. As soon as it finishes its scan, remove detected files from your computer.
The other method that you can rely on when trying to remove Superfish virus is called manual removal method. In this case, you should try to find every component that is related to this adware manually. When using this option, check your Task manager to disable any active adware processes and then inspect each of web browsers.
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.

Did this guide help?
4 comments
LCarter
I have run the uninstall program from Lenovo and Ive also (first) tried to remove it manually. I show NONE of the certificates or programs on my computer, and really I have only seen the pop-up ads a few times, but my computer makes a call to superfish.com about every 20-40 minutes at least that my filter sees. I also ran a wireshark for about 10 minutes and I see lots of hits to 3 different IPs that are in the same domain as what superfish resolves to. Not sure what to do.
JeremyLopez
I HATE this virus!
TomTomTom
SpyHunter is the only tool that worked for me.. Scanned the system with Malwarebytes but they failed to detect this virus. I will keep spyhunter for protecting my computer in the future. Thank you.
LucyLu
I have been trusting Superfish ads for months! thank you for giving me a right guide to remove it from the system