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  • Active
  • Severity: Medium
  • Adware
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Jun 2021

How to remove WinSnare virus

A step-by-step removal guide for affected devices. Follow the verified procedure below — most readers complete it in under 10 minutes.

Gabriel E. Hall · Passionate web researcher

WinSnare – virus capable of installing on system without any permission asked

Winsnare virus

WinSnare virus can be very annoying and can keep installing on your Windows 10 or another operating system without your approval. That's because it has been spreading in a bundle with a bunch of components, including winsnare.dll. Each of these components has to be removed at once if you want to get rid of this potentially unwanted program for good. Otherwise, it can reappear right after rebooting the system.

Mostly, Win Snare operates as adware: after installing automatically, it starts causing commercial ads on all web browsers that can be seen during your searches. However, this PUP can also track information on the target computer and send logs to a remote server[1]. Taking into account this feature, the malware can be considered a hacking tool as well. 

You can spot this virus by the .dll command in the Task Manager or C:\Windows\System32\svchost.exe -k process running in the background. If you found any of these, make sure you remove the virus because data-tracking activities should not be tolerated or ignored if you value your data confidentiality. Access to your personal computer can help the offenders to steal your private information[2]. 

The title of this PUP may remind you of Snare (System Intrusion Analysis and Reporting Environment)[3] – the collection of software that focuses on the decentralization of data log files. The latter program was devised by InterSect Alliance International Pty Ltd. However, WinSnare has nothing in common with the mentioned PUP.

In reality, the app is closely related to amuleC virus, another potentially unwanted program which is based on the well-known legitimate program eMule. Besides, there have been claims that it is related to startpageing123 virus and can be installed with its help.

Main facts about this virus

Names WinSnare
The latest version 4.0.8
Category Adware
Operating systems affected Windows XP, 7, 8, 10 
Distribution methods Travels together with free software as optional component, attaches itself to torrent files and other downloads.
Symptoms of infiltration Changes the start page on the browser, causes pop-up ads and fake alerts, slows down the browser.
Removal methods Manual and automatic removal methods

Picture of Winsnare

We do not recommend choosing the manual removal option if you are not an experienced PC user. This task can not only be troublesome for you but can also end up with more troubles on your computer. Besides, this potentially unwanted program (PUP) spreads together with other potentially unwanted programs, so you need to know each name to uninstall it fully.

If your antivirus detects this PUP, most likely, it will detect all potentially unwanted programs, like adware and browser hijackers, that could be related to this virus. To save your time, we suggest choosing the WinSnare removal tool to run a full system scan and remove all components that are essential for this adware to function. We recommend using SpyHunterCombo Cleaner or MalwarebytesMalwarebytes and then employing FortectIntego to fix damaged Windows system files automatically.

How does this virus spread?

Adware is spread just like any other unwanted software – it can hijack[4] your computer when you rush through some program’s installation steps without unchecking conditions that grant this PUP  access to the system. Therefore, we suggest you act more attentively when installing random programs from the Internet[5].

There is a simple misconception about the right installation settings – most computer users believe that Default, Standard, or Recommended settings are the most trustworthy ones. However, this is entirely incorrect, and you should opt only for the Custom or Advanced installation option. Otherwise, you can fall for installing bundled components.

Software bundling allows the developers of potentially unwanted programs (such as Win Snare) to group their products with legitimate software and spread them together. In most cases, it turns out that these apps are ad-supported[6] and that they cause only unpleasant activities on the target system.

Agreements to install them are usually hidden under the Default or Standard installation settings, so the next time you install something from the Internet, make sure you choose the Custom or Advanced installation option. Of course, you should also remove ticks under the suggestions to install unknown third-party software. Also, we must mention that there is a risk of infecting the system with similar programs when installing pirated software.

WinSnare removal techniques

As we have already mentioned, there are two ways that you can use to remove the virus from your computer. Firstly, you can run a full system scan with your anti-virus or anti-spyware and get rid of every entry that is marked as unsafe or malicious. However, sometimes one antivirus programs fail to detect threats like this adware after the scan. In this case, it is advisable to update the software to its full version or use an alternative anti-malware.

You may also want to take a look at the removal instructions given below. They will help you eliminate any present adware scripts and tracking tools manually. Note that there is also WinSnare 4.0.8 version roaming on the web, which hides its files from the user. To uncover them, follow these steps:

  1. Open Control Panel and go to Appearance and Personalization -> Folder Options
  2. Go to View tab and select Show hidden files, folders and drives and uncheck Hide extensions for known file types. Click Apply to save these changes.
  3. Now click Windows Key and R at the same time to launch Run and enter %temp%. After hitting Enter button, you should find yourself in a new directory.
  4. Select each of temporary files that can be seen here and delete them.

You should also check your Program Files and Program Data Folders for suspicious files that could be related to this virus. Make sure that you inspect both of your drives, C: and D:. Finally, if you can still notice ads on your web browser, you should go to “Appdata” folder and delete your profile for this web browser.

Uninstall from Windows

Uninstall from Windows 10/8:

  1. Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
  2. Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.Uninstall from Windows 10/8

Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:

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

Remove the unwanted program:

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

Remove from Microsoft Edge

Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:

  1. Select Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and pick Extensions.
  2. From the list, pick the extension and click on the Gear icon.
  3. Click Remove.Remove extensions from Edge

Clear cookies and other browser data:

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

Restore new tab and homepage settings:

  1. Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
  2. Then find On startup section.
  3. Click Remove next to any suspicious startup page.

Reset MS Edge if the above steps did not work:

  1. Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
  2. Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
  3. Select Details tab.
  4. 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.Reset MS Edge

Instructions for Chromium-based Edge

Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):

  1. Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
  2. Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.Remove extensions from Chromium Edge

Clear cache and site data:

  1. Click on Menu and go to Settings.
  2. Select Privacy, search and services.
  3. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  4. Under Time range, pick All time.
  5. Select Clear now.Clear browser data from Chroum Edge

Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:

  1. Click on Menu and select Settings.
  2. On the left side, pick Reset settings.
  3. Select Restore settings to their default values.
  4. Confirm with Reset.
  5. This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.Reset Chromium Edge

Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)

Remove dangerous extensions:

  1. Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click on the Menu (three horizontal lines at the top-right of the window).
  2. Select Add-ons.
  3. In here, select the unwanted extension and click Remove.Remove extensions from Firefox

Reset the homepage:

  1. Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
  2. Choose Settings.
  3. Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.

Clear cookies and site data:

  1. Click Menu and pick Settings.
  2. Go to Privacy & Security section.
  3. Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
  4. Click on Clear Data...
  5. Select Cookies and Site Data and Temporary cached files and pages, then click Clear.Clear cookies and site data from Firefox

Reset Mozilla Firefox

If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:

  1. Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
  2. Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.Reset Firefox 1
  3. Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox...
  4. Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox.Reset Firefox 2

Remove from Google Chrome

Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

  1. Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
  2. In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all suspicious extensions related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove.Remove extensions from Chrome

Clear cache and web data from Chrome:

  1. Click on Menu and pick Settings.
  2. Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
  3. Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
  4. Click Clear data.Clear cache and web data from Chrome

Change your homepage:

  1. Click menu and choose Settings.
  2. Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
  3. 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:

  1. Click on Menu and select Settings.
  2. In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
  3. Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
  4. Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
  5. Confirm with Reset settings.Reset Chrome 2

Delete from Safari

Remove dangerous extensions:

  1. Open Safari, click Safari in the menu at the top-left of the screen, and select Preferences.
  2. Go to the Extensions tab, look for any suspicious entries, and click Uninstall to remove them.Remove extensions from Safari

Clear history and website data:

  1. Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
  2. Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.Clear history from Safari

Reset Safari:

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

Did this guide help?

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4 comments

  1. suzan

    My antivirus just detected this infection, came here for information. Thanks a lot - hopefully this virus didnt transmit a lot of information:/

  2. larry

    Oh my god... I hope Im not infected!

  3. Jazyds

    Why the hell someone creates programs like winsnare? why? just why?

  4. Lucas02

    Thanks, I have detected and uninstalled it with Reimage. The entire removal process didnt take longer than 15 minutes.

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