This article aims to help you with the removal of Discretesearch.com hijacker from affected browser and system. Follow the detailed guide at the end to get rid of this annoying website in full.
Discretesearch.com is a search engine that is reported to act like a typical browser hijacker. Hijackers like this one alter essential browser settings in order to force you to use questionable searching services that spy on your browsing searches, history and other details stored in the browser. Thus, it is considered to be a potentially unwanted program that may cause more harm than good. In case that you see this website in your browser you should find associated installed on the system and remove them all. Only by removing Discretesearch.com you could regain your online security.
Threat Summary
| Name | Discretesearch.com |
| Type | Browser Hijacker, Redirect, PUP |
| Short Description | Discretesearch.com is a questionable website that appears in commonly used web browsers without asking for permission. |
| Symptoms | The main page of this hijacker may replace the homepage and new tab page of an affected browser. Its doubtful search engine may hijack the default one. Many advertisements flood the browser and make it sluggish. |
| Distribution Method | Freeware Installations, Bundled Packages |
| Detection Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by Discretesearch.com Download Malware Removal Tool |
| User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss Discretesearch.com. |
Discretesearch.com – Spread Techniques
Discretesearch.com browser hijacker is installed by an undesired program that usually lands on the system with the help of shady distribution techniques. Software bundling is the primary one known to deliver undesired programs of this kind. With the help of this technique PUPs land unnoticeably on the system along with other freeware that you download from across the net. And all extras are set to install by default the installation process of the primary app triggers the installation of these apps as well. So when you click the Finish button the hijacker gains access to the browser. An efficient way to prevent the installation of PUPs is to choose the Advanced or Custom configuration options each time you decide to install a new app on your PC. By accessing them you could find them and reject their installation.
Frequently used web browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari could be affected by Discretesearch.com hijacker.
Discretesearch.com – More About Its Impact
Discretesearch.com is a hijacker that appears in the browser due to an undesired program installed on the PC. An infection with this hijacker may lead to modifications of the homepage, new tab page and default search engine in your preferred browser. All changes happen without your knowledge.
Another thing that happens without your knowledge is the collection of sensitive data. By forcing you to use its questionable services it aims to obtain certain details from the affected browser and send them to its servers. Once it knows what you like it can inject lots of advertisements based on your interests in the browser. All these ads are likely to slow down your browser which in turn diminishes your browsing experience.
What’s more its custom search results display many sponsored results that resemble a lot the organic ones. This, in turn, may be misleading as after you search any term you may land on websites with misleading or non-relevant information.
How to Remove Discretesearch.com Browser Hijacker
In order to remove Discretesearch.com from your PC make sure to complete all the steps listed in the removal that follows. It presents both manual and automatic removal instructions that combined will help you to remove this nasty program in full. The automatic approach guarantees maximum efficiency as after a scan with an advanced anti-malware tool you can see the exact location of all malicious files and objects created by Discretesearch.com and remove them from the infected PC. In case that you have further questions or need additional help, don’t hesitate to leave a comment or contact us via email.
Gergana Ivanova
Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for four years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections.
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Gergana Ivanova
Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for four years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections.
Follow Me:
Gergana Ivanova
Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for four years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections.
Follow Me:
Preparation before removing Discretesearch.com.
Before starting the actual removal process, we recommend that you do the following preparation steps.
- Make sure you have these instructions always open and in front of your eyes.
- Do a backup of all of your files, even if they could be damaged. You should back up your data with a cloud backup solution and insure your files against any type of loss, even from the most severe threats.
- Be patient as this could take a while.
Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove Discretesearch.com
Step 2: Clean any registries, created by Discretesearch.com on your computer.
The usually targeted registries of Windows machines are the following:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
You can access them by opening the Windows registry editor and deleting any values, created by Discretesearch.com there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:
Tip: To find a virus-created value, you can right-click on it and click “Modify” to see which file it is set to run. If this is the virus file location, remove the value.Step 3: Find files created by Discretesearch.com
For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10.
For Windows XP, Vista, and 7.For Newer Windows Operating Systems
1: On your keyboard press + R and write explorer.exe in the Run text box and then click on the Ok button.
2: Click on your PC from the quick access bar. This is usually an icon with a monitor and its name is either “My Computer”, “My PC” or “This PC” or whatever you have named it.
3: Navigate to the search box in the top-right of your PC’s screen and type “fileextension:” and after which type the file extension. If you are looking for malicious executables, an example may be “fileextension:exe”. After doing that, leave a space and type the file name you believe the malware has created. Here is how it may appear if your file has been found:
N.B. We recommend to wait for the green loading bar in the navination box to fill up in case the PC is looking for the file and hasn’t found it yet.
For Older Windows Operating Systems
In older Windows OS’s the conventional approach should be the effective one:
1: Click on the Start Menu icon (usually on your bottom-left) and then choose the Search preference.
2: After the search window appears, choose More Advanced Options from the search assistant box. Another way is by clicking on All Files and Folders.
3: After that type the name of the file you are looking for and click on the Search button. This might take some time after which results will appear. If you have found the malicious file, you may copy or open its location by right-clicking on it.
Now you should be able to discover any file on Windows as long as it is on your hard drive and is not concealed via special software.
Before starting “Step 4”, please boot back into Normal mode, in case you are currently in Safe Mode.
This will enable you to install and use SpyHunter 5 successfully.
Step 4: Scan for Discretesearch.com with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
Step 5 (Optional): Try to Restore Files Encrypted by Discretesearch.com.
Ransomware infections and Discretesearch.com aim to encrypt your files using an encryption algorithm which may be very difficult to decrypt. This is why we have suggested a data recovery method that may help you go around direct decryption and try to restore your files. Bear in mind that this method may not be 100% effective but may also help you a little or a lot in different situations.
For more “how-to” file recovery methods and steps, you can visit our instructive article on “How to Restore Files Encrypted by Ransomware (Without Decrypter)“.
Gergana Ivanova
Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for four years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections.
Follow Me:
Preparation before removing Discretesearch.com.
Before starting the actual removal process, we recommend that you do the following preparation steps.
- Make sure you have these instructions always open and in front of your eyes.
- Do a backup of all of your files, even if they could be damaged. You should back up your data with a cloud backup solution and insure your files against any type of loss, even from the most severe threats.
- Be patient as this could take a while.
Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove Discretesearch.com
Step 2: Clean any registries, created by Discretesearch.com on your computer.
The usually targeted registries of Windows machines are the following:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
You can access them by opening the Windows registry editor and deleting any values, created by Discretesearch.com there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:
Tip: To find a virus-created value, you can right-click on it and click “Modify” to see which file it is set to run. If this is the virus file location, remove the value.Step 3: Find files created by Discretesearch.com
For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10. For Windows XP, Vista, and 7.For Newer Windows Operating Systems
1: On your keyboard press + R and write explorer.exe in the Run text box and then click on the Ok button.
2: Click on your PC from the quick access bar. This is usually an icon with a monitor and its name is either “My Computer”, “My PC” or “This PC” or whatever you have named it.
3: Navigate to the search box in the top-right of your PC’s screen and type “fileextension:” and after which type the file extension. If you are looking for malicious executables, an example may be “fileextension:exe”. After doing that, leave a space and type the file name you believe the malware has created. Here is how it may appear if your file has been found:
N.B. We recommend to wait for the green loading bar in the navination box to fill up in case the PC is looking for the file and hasn’t found it yet.
For Older Windows Operating Systems
In older Windows OS’s the conventional approach should be the effective one:
1: Click on the Start Menu icon (usually on your bottom-left) and then choose the Search preference.
2: After the search window appears, choose More Advanced Options from the search assistant box. Another way is by clicking on All Files and Folders.
3: After that type the name of the file you are looking for and click on the Search button. This might take some time after which results will appear. If you have found the malicious file, you may copy or open its location by right-clicking on it.
Now you should be able to discover any file on Windows as long as it is on your hard drive and is not concealed via special software.
Before starting “Step 4”, please boot back into Normal mode, in case you are currently in Safe Mode.
This will enable you to install and use SpyHunter 5 successfully.
Step 4: Scan for Discretesearch.com with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
Gergana Ivanova
Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for four years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections.
Follow Me:
Preparation before removing Discretesearch.com.
Before starting the actual removal process, we recommend that you do the following preparation steps.
- Make sure you have these instructions always open and in front of your eyes.
- Be patient as this could take a while.
Step 1: Uninstall Discretesearch.com and related software from Windows
Here is a method in few easy steps that should be able to uninstall most programs. No matter if you are using Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista or XP, those steps will get the job done. Dragging the program or its folder to the recycle bin can be a very bad decision. If you do that, bits and pieces of the program are left behind, and that can lead to unstable work of your PC, errors with the file type associations and other unpleasant activities. The proper way to get a program off your computer is to Uninstall it. To do that:
Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall most programs.Step 2: Clean your Browsers from Discretesearch.com.
Remove an extension from Mozilla Firefox
Remove an extension from Google Chrome
Remove an extension from Internet Explorer
Remove an extension from Microsoft Edge
2. Select the “Add-ons” icon from the menu.
3. Select the unwanted extension and click “Remove“
4. After the extension is removed, restart Mozilla Firefox by closing it from the red “X” button at the top right corner and start it again.
2. Move the cursor over “Tools” and then from the extended menu choose “Extensions“
3. From the opened “Extensions” menu locate the unwanted extension and click on its “Remove” button.
4. After the extension is removed, restart Google Chrome by closing it from the red “X” button at the top right corner and start it again.
2. Click on the gear icon labeled ‘Tools’ to open the drop menu and select ‘Manage Add-ons’
3. In the ‘Manage Add-ons’ window.
4. Select the extension you want to remove and then click ‘Disable’. A pop-up window will appear to inform you that you are about to disable the selected extension, and some more add-ons might be disabled as well. Leave all the boxes checked, and click ‘Disable’.
5. After the unwanted extension has been removed, restart Internet Explorer by closing it from the red ‘X’ button located at the top right corner and start it again.
2. Open the drop menu by clicking on the icon at the top right corner.
3. From the drop menu select “Extensions”.
4. Choose the suspected malicious extension you want to remove and then click on the gear icon.
5. Remove the malicious extension by scrolling down and then clicking on Uninstall.
Step 3: Clean any registries, created by Discretesearch.com on your computer.
The usually targeted registries of Windows machines are the following:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
You can access them by opening the Windows registry editor and deleting any values, created by Discretesearch.com there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:
Tip: To find a virus-created value, you can right-click on it and click “Modify” to see which file it is set to run. If this is the virus file location, remove the value.Before starting “Step 4”, please boot back into Normal mode, in case you are currently in Safe Mode.
This will enable you to install and use SpyHunter 5 successfully.
Step 4: Scan for Discretesearch.com with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
Gergana Ivanova
Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for four years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections.
Follow Me:
Preparation Phase:
Before starting to follow the steps below, be advised that you should first do the following preparations:
- Backup your files in case the worst happens.
- Make sure to have a device with these instructions on standy.
- Arm yourself with patience.
Step 1: Uninstall Discretesearch.com and remove related files and objects
1. Hit the ⇧+⌘+U keys to open Utilities. Another way is to click on “Go” and then click “Utilities”, like the image below shows:
- Go to Finder.
- In the search bar type the name of the app that you want to remove.
- Above the search bar change the two drop down menus to “System Files” and “Are Included” so that you can see all of the files associated with the application you want to remove. Bear in mind that some of the files may not be related to the app so be very careful which files you delete.
- If all of the files are related, hold the ⌘+A buttons to select them and then drive them to “Trash”.
In case you cannot remove Discretesearch.com via Step 1 above:
In case you cannot find the virus files and objects in your Applications or other places we have shown above, you can manually look for them in the Libraries of your Mac. But before doing this, please read the disclaimer below:
You can repeat the same procedure with the following other Library directories:
→ ~/Library/LaunchAgents
/Library/LaunchDaemons
Tip: ~ is there on purpose, because it leads to more LaunchAgents.
Step 2: Remove Discretesearch.com – related extensions from Safari / Chrome / Firefox
Remove an extension from Safari and reset it.Remove a toolbar from Google Chrome Remove a toolbar from Mozilla Firefox
Step 3: Scan for and remove Discretesearch.com files from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as Discretesearch.com, the recommended way of eliminating the threat is by using an anti-malware program. Combo Cleaner offers advanced security features along with other modules that will improve your Mac’s security and protect it in the future.
Gergana Ivanova
Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for four years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections.
Follow Me:
