Pesquisa.ninja Browser Hijacker Description and Easy Removal

by Berta Bilbao | August 19, 2015 | 0 Comments ad-supported application, browser hijacker, pop-ups

How Did Pesquisa.ninja Hijack My PC?More About Pesquisa.ninja Hijacker How To Remove Pesquisa.ninja Browser Hijacker

Name	Pesquisa.ninja
Type	Suspicious Site, employed by a browser hijacker on the PC.
Short Description	May display ad-supported search results. May display pop-up advertisements.
Symptoms	Instant redirects. Pop-up advertisements. Slow PC. Changed home page and new-tab bage.
Distribution Method	Browser Redirect by clicked ads or by PUP applications.
Detection tool	Download SpyHunter, to See If Your System Has Been Affected By Pesquisa.ninja

Another annoying browser hijacker has appeared lately, terrorizing the computers of mainly Latin-American users. It is located on the domain https://pesquisa.ninja and uses Yahoo search as a redirect to display search results. Some users have reported seeing advertisements connected with this browser hijacker and their homepage and new tabs changed to its domain. Browser hijackers are believed by experts to be relatively dangerous ad-supported applications, and their removal is often recommended.

How Did Pesquisa.ninja Hijack My PC?

There are several ways by which you may have initiated the installation of pesquisa.ninja related programs on your computer. The most widely employed one is called ‘bundling’ it involves the combination of this app in other program installers. In case you have recently installed a freeware app or added an extension, beware that this may be the cause of having this program hijack your computer. Such free programs may include suspicious third-party apps or search engines like pesquisa.ninja with the purpose of taking advantage of pay-per-click deals and affiliate schemes with third-parties. And third-parties have their agreements and privacy policies, some of which may be in breach with user interests, mainly in the sense of information aggregation. This is why programs, downloaded from third-party sites that are not their official providers should not be entirely trusted.

More About Pesquisa.ninja Hijacker

When visited, the first thing noticed about this suspicious search engine is that it uses Yahoo search as its database, which immediately reduced the trust level in it. More to it than that, the search engine installs tracking cookies which are text files on the computer that collect and store different information, such as online clicks, searches, etc.

Most hoax search engines employ other search results to inject ad-supported search results that lead to third parties. More to it than that, some users have reported that after seeing pesquisa.ninja hijack their PC, it may have caused several redirects to unknown third-party sites. Redirects may vary from completely harmless sites through malvertising sites, all the way to web locations that inject malicious code or download malware onto the user PC. Malware can vary since there are different types of it, but the most dangerous of them are:

Ransomware.
Trojan horses.
Worms.
Viruses.
Dangerous Scripts.
Keyloggers.

This is why tech geeks always advise users and businesses to learn how to browse safely and install all the necessary software they need to:

Block advertisements and pop-ups
Prevent unknown apps from starting on the computer.
Look for modifications on the registries of the computers.
Find a good anti-malware program.

More so, it is a fact that the main reason for $67.2 billion expenses on computer crime is usually the after-effect of poor online behavior. Because, face it, even if you have the best antivirus, the most efficient solution for all types of unwanted code on your machine is you. That is the reason it is essential to keep up with the latest in both malware and risky non-malware applications.

How To Remove Pesquisa.ninja Browser Hijacker

To remove this unwanted software from your computer, you must act fast. To uninstall manually, first you should immediately disconnect the internet connection from your device and then follow the step-by-step removal guide below. After that you should take into consideration the installation of a powerful anti-malware program that will not only remove any traces left after uninstall, but will provide you with an active shield, preventing future threats from entering your computer.

Spy Hunter scanner will only detect the threat. If you want the threat to be automatically removed, you need to purchase the full version of the anti-malware tool.Find Out More About SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool / How to Uninstall SpyHunter

1. Remove/Uninstall Pesquisa.ninja

1. Remove/Uninstall Pesquisa.ninja in Windows

Here is a method in few easy steps to remove that program. No matter if you are using Windows 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 get left behind, and that can lead to unstable work of your PC, mistakes 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:

Hold the Windows Logo Button and “R” on your keyboard. A Pop-up window will appear (fig.1).

In the field type in “appwiz.cpl” and press ENTER (fig.2).

This will open a window with all the programs installed on the PC.
Select the program that you want to remove, and press “Uninstall” (fig.3).

Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall Pesquisa.ninja.

2. Restore the settings in your browser

2. Remove Pesquisa.ninja from your browser

Remove a toolbar from Mozilla Firefox

Remove a toolbar from Google Chrome

Remove a toolbar from Internet Explorer

Remove a toolbar from Safari

Start Mozilla Firefox Open the menu window

Select the “Add-ons” icon from the menu

Select Pesquisa.ninja and click “Remove“

After Pesquisa.ninja is removed, restart Mozilla Firefox by closing it from the red “X” in the top right corner and start it again.

Start Google Chrome and Open the drop menu

Move the cursor over “Tools” and then from the extended menu choose “Extensions“

From the opened “Extensions” menu locate Pesquisa.ninja and click on the garbage bin icon on the right of it.

After Pesquisa.ninja is removed, restart Google Chrome by closing it from the red “X” in the top right corner and start it again.

Start Internet Explorer:

Click “‘Tools’ to open the drop menu and select ‘Manage Add-ons’

In the ‘Manage Add-ons’ window, make sure that in the first window ‘Add-on Types’, the drop menu ‘Show’ is on ‘All add-ons’

Select Pesquisa.ninja to remove, and then click ‘Disable’. A pop-up window will appear to inform you that you are about to disable the selected toolbar, and some additional toolbars might be disabled as well. Leave all the boxes checked, and click ‘Disable’.

After Pesquisa.ninja has been removed, restart Internet Explorer by closing it from the red ‘X’ in the top right corner and start it again.

Start Safari

Open the drop menu by clicking on the sprocket icon in the top right corner.

From the drop menu select ‘Preferences’
In the new window select ‘Extensions’
Click once on Pesquisa.ninja
Click ‘Uninstall’

A pop-up window will appear asking for confirmation to uninstall Pesquisa.ninja. Select ‘Uninstall’ again, and the Pesquisa.ninja will be removed.

3. Remove Pesquisa.ninja automatically with Spy Hunter Malware - Removal Tool.

3. Remove Pesquisa.ninja automatically with Spy Hunter Malware – Removal Tool.

To clean your computer with the award-winning software Spy Hunter –
It is highly recommended to run a scan before purchasing the full version of the software to make sure that the current version of the malware can be detected by SpyHunter.

Berta Bilbao

Berta is a dedicated malware researcher, dreaming for a more secure cyber space. Her fascination with IT security began a few years ago when a malware locked her out of her own computer.

Guide 1: How to Remove Pesquisa.ninja from Windows.
Guide 2: Get rid of Pesquisa.ninja on Mac OS X.
Guide 3: Remove Pesquisa.ninja in Google Chrome.

Guide 4: Erase Pesquisa.ninja from Mozilla Firefox.
Guide 5: Uninstall Pesquisa.ninja from Microsoft Edge.
Guide 6: Remove Pesquisa.ninja from Safari.
Guide 7: Eliminate Pesquisa.ninja from Internet Explorer.
Guide 8: Disable Pesquisa.ninja Push Notifications in Your Browsers.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

How to Remove Pesquisa.ninja from Windows.

Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove Pesquisa.ninja

OFFER

Manual Removal Usually Takes Time and You Risk Damaging Your Files If Not Careful!

We Recommend To Scan Your PC with SpyHunter

Keep in mind, that SpyHunter’s scanner is only for malware detection. If SpyHunter detects malware on your PC, you will need to purchase SpyHunter's malware removal tool to remove the malware threats. Read our SpyHunter 5 review. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter's EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria

1. Hold Windows key() + R

2. The "Run" Window will appear. In it, type "msconfig" and click OK.

3. Go to the "Boot" tab. There select "Safe Boot" and then click "Apply" and "OK".

Tip: Make sure to reverse those changes by unticking Safe Boot after that, because your system will always boot in Safe Boot from now on.

4. When prompted, click on "Restart" to go into Safe Mode.

5. You can recognise Safe Mode by the words written on the corners of your screen.

Step 2: Uninstall Pesquisa.ninja 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:

1. Hold the Windows Logo Button and "R" on your keyboard. A Pop-up window will appear.

2. In the field type in "appwiz.cpl" and press ENTER.

3. This will open a window with all the programs installed on the PC. Select the program that you want to remove, and press "Uninstall"

Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall most programs.

Step 3: Clean any registries, created by Pesquisa.ninja 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 Pesquisa.ninja there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:

1. Open the Run Window again, type "regedit" and click OK.

2. When you open it, you can freely navigate to the Run and RunOnce keys, whose locations are shown above.

3. You can remove the value of the virus by right-clicking on it and removing it.

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.

IMPORTANT!
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 Pesquisa.ninja with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool

1. Click on the "Download" button to proceed to SpyHunter's download page.

Download

Malware Removal Tool

It is recommended to run a scan before purchasing the full version of the software to make sure that the current version of the malware can be detected by SpyHunter. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter's EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria.

2. After you have installed SpyHunter, wait for it to update automatically.

3. After the update process has finished, click on the 'Malware/PC Scan' tab. A new window will appear. Click on 'Start Scan'.

4. After SpyHunter has finished scanning your PC for any files of the associated threat and found them, you can try to get them removed automatically and permanently by clicking on the 'Next' button.

If any threats have been removed, it is highly recommended to restart your PC.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Get rid of Pesquisa.ninja from Mac OS X.

Step 1: Uninstall Pesquisa.ninja and remove related files and objects

OFFER

Manual Removal Usually Takes Time and You Risk Damaging Your Files If Not Careful!

We Recommend To Scan Your Mac with SpyHunter for Mac

Keep in mind, that SpyHunter for Mac needs to purchased to remove the malware threats. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA and Privacy Policy

1. Hit the ⇧+⌘+U keys to open Utilities. Another way is to click on “Go” and then click “Utilities”, like the image below shows:

2. Find Activity Monitor and double-click it:

3. In the Activity Monitor look for any suspicious processes, belonging or related to Pesquisa.ninja:

Tip: To quit a process completely, choose the “Force Quit” option.

4. Click on the "Go" button again, but this time select Applications. Another way is with the ⇧+⌘+A buttons.

5. In the Applications menu, look for any suspicious app or an app with a name, similar or identical to Pesquisa.ninja. If you find it, right-click on the app and select “Move to Trash”.

6: Select Accounts, after which click on the Login Items preference. Your Mac will then show you a list of items that start automatically when you log in. Look for any suspicious apps identical or similar to Pesquisa.ninja. Check the app you want to stop from running automatically and then select on the Minus (“-“) icon to hide it.

7: Remove any left-over files that might be related to this threat manually by following the sub-steps below:

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 Pesquisa.ninja 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:

Disclaimer! If you are about to tamper with Library files on Mac, be sure to know the name of the virus file, because if you delete the wrong file, it may cause irreversible damage to your MacOS. Continue on your own responsibility!

1: Click on "Go" and Then "Go to Folder" as shown underneath:

2: Type in "/Library/LauchAgents/" and click Ok:

3: Delete all of the virus files that have similar or the same name as Pesquisa.ninja. If you believe there is no such file, do not delete anything.

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: Scan for and remove Pesquisa.ninja files from your Mac

When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as Pesquisa.ninja, the recommended way of eliminating the threat is by using an anti-malware program. SpyHunter for Mac offers advanced security features along with other modules that will improve your Mac’s security and protect it in the future.

Click the button below below to download SpyHunter for Mac and scan for Pesquisa.ninja:

Download

SpyHunter for Mac

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Remove Pesquisa.ninja from Google Chrome.

Step 1: Start Google Chrome and open the drop menu

Step 2: Move the cursor over "Tools" and then from the extended menu choose "Extensions"

Step 3: From the opened "Extensions" menu locate the unwanted extension and click on its "Remove" button.

Step 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.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Erase Pesquisa.ninja from Mozilla Firefox.

Step 1: Start Mozilla Firefox. Open the menu window

Step 2: Select the "Add-ons" icon from the menu.

Step 3: Select the unwanted extension and click "Remove"

Step 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.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Uninstall Pesquisa.ninja from Microsoft Edge.

Step 1: Start Edge browser.

Step 2: Open the drop menu by clicking on the icon at the top right corner.

Step 3: From the drop menu select "Extensions".

Step 4: Choose the suspected malicious extension you want to remove and then click on the gear icon.

Step 5: Remove the malicious extension by scrolling down and then clicking on Uninstall.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Remove Pesquisa.ninja from Safari.

Step 1: Start the Safari app.

Step 2: After hovering your mouse cursor to the top of the screen, click on the Safari text to open its drop down menu.

Step 3: From the menu, click on "Preferences".

Step 4: After that, select the 'Extensions' Tab.

Step 5: Click once on the extension you want to remove.

Step 6: Click 'Uninstall'.

A pop-up window will appear asking for confirmation to uninstall the extension. Select 'Uninstall' again, and the Pesquisa.ninja will be removed.

How to Reset Safari
IMPORTANT: Before resetting Safari make sure you back up all your saved passwords within the browser in case you forget them.

Start Safari and then click on the gear leaver icon.

Click the Reset Safari button and you will reset the browser.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Eliminate Pesquisa.ninja from Internet Explorer.

Step 1: Start Internet Explorer.

Step 2: Click on the gear icon labeled 'Tools' to open the drop menu and select 'Manage Add-ons'

Step 3: In the 'Manage Add-ons' window.

Step 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'.

Step 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.