Seeing PDFSearchio redirect in your browsers? PDFSearchio is a suspicious domain as it can redirect and even trigger malicious actions in your browsers. PDFSearchio can push advertisements and redirects, but can also land you on a page with a malicious script hidden inside.
PDFSearchio Redirect Virus
PDFSearchio is a domain connected with redirecting URLs of websites. The landing pages may contain spam, advertisements and some sort of malicious scripts. You could end up on scam pages stating that you have malware or an outdated program requiring an update. Also, one more click could end up redirecting you, while your browser goes through loops, where a pay-per-click scheme is active. The PDFSearchio redirect might acquire personal information and even modify settings on your browser or PC.
PDFSearchio Browser Redirect
Redirects such as PDFSearchio take over primary browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Edge and others.
PDFSearchio Summary
| Name | PDFSearchio |
| Type | Redirect, Adware, Malicious Domain |
| Short Description | Each browser application on your computer could get affected. The redirect can land you on dozens of unknown web pages and you might see a lot of advertisements. |
| Symptoms | You will see a lot of redirects, scams, advertisements and even malicious content such as scareware trying to force you to buy a product you don’t actually need. |
| Distribution Method | Freeware Installations, Bundled Packages |
| Detection Tool |
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| User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss PDFSearchio. |
PDFSearchio Redirect – Why is it in My Browser Programs?
The PDFSearchio redirect is a recently discovered Internet infection which is available in both a redirect and a browser hijacker form. The criminals have created this threat with the intent of manipulating the victims into thinking that they are accessing legitimate companies and services, as well as related data files. The most widely used distribution method is to spread dangerous browser plugins which are made compatible with the most popular web browsers. They can be uploaded to the same repositories and download portals which are used to list all of the popular ones which we all know.
The relevant virus code can also be inserted in file carriers — a common variant is the creation of macro-infected documents which can be placed in all popular file formats: presentations, databases, spreadsheets and text files. When they are opened by the victims a prompt will be shown to the victims and ask them to enable the built-in code. This will trigger the virus installation. The other alternative is to insert this installation code in software setup bundles. They are of commonly installed applications and are made by inserting the code into the original installers.
All virus related files can then be uploaded to places which are commonly used to download data from: file-sharing networks like BitTorrent which are used to spread both legitimate and pirate data. Using fake or stolen identities the hackers can also spread them via links and attachments in emails and on online communities like forums, chat rooms and social media.
Upon visiting the site for the first time the site redirect page will likely lead to the installation of tracking cookies which will monitor the users behavior and report it back to the hackers. When the browser hijackers are the cause of the infections the plugins will change important settings of the applications in order to show the hacker-controlled page as much as possible. Values that are modified include the home page, search engine and new tabs page.
There are several dangerous consequences of interacting with such redirect pages, the most common ones are the following:
- Phishing Scams Display — Many of the redirect portals are designed to lead the visitors to hacker-controlled landing pages and forms that will ask them for sensitive login details and personal information. Any data that is entered will be automatically sent to the hackers who can abuse it for crimes such as identity theft and financial abuse.
- Intrusive Advertising — In order to gain income the criminals can serve intrusive ads across all popular forms: banners, text links, pop-ups and multimedia. Whenever a user interacts with them the hackers will receive a small income commission.
- Malware Delivery — In most cases the redirect portals are specially designed to deploy common web-based threats. In this case the criminals can focus on cryptocurrency miners which are scripts designed to download and run performance-intensive tasks on the local computers. For every completed one the hackers will receive a reward. When these infections are active on a given system the users will encounter severe performance issues making it very hard to use the machines in a normal way. Malware which can be delivered in other cases also include file encrypting ransomware — they are designed to locate and encrypt users files with a strong cipher and then extort the victims for a blackmail payment fee.
Any local components which can be related by viruses deployed by the PDFSearchio Redirect can also be programmed to steal users data or alternatively generate an unique ID which will be used to differentiate between the contaminated hosts.
The behavior can change at any time, for this reason we recommend that any detected strains are removed as soon as possible.
Remove PDFSearchio Redirect
Read on how to remove PDFSearchio manually from your computer, follow the step-by-step removal instructions provided below. In case the manual removal does not get rid of the hijacker redirect and its files completely, you should search for and remove any leftovers with an advanced anti-malware tool. Such a program can keep your computer safe in the future.
Martin Beltov
Martin graduated with a degree in Publishing from Sofia University. As a cyber security enthusiast he enjoys writing about the latest threats and mechanisms of intrusion.
Follow Me:
- Guide 1: How to Remove PDFSearchio from Windows.
- Guide 2: Get rid of PDFSearchio from Mac OS X.
- Guide 3: Remove PDFSearchio from Google Chrome.
- Guide 4: Erase PDFSearchio from Mozilla Firefox.
- Guide 5: Uninstall PDFSearchio from Microsoft Edge.
- Guide 6: Remove PDFSearchio from Safari.
- Guide 7: Eliminate PDFSearchio from Internet Explorer.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
How to Remove PDFSearchio from Windows.
Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove PDFSearchio
Step 2: Uninstall PDFSearchio 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 3: Clean any registries, created by PDFSearchio 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 PDFSearchio 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.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Get rid of PDFSearchio from Mac OS X.
Step 1: Uninstall PDFSearchio 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 PDFSearchio 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: Scan for and remove PDFSearchio files from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as PDFSearchio, 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.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Remove PDFSearchio 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
Erase PDFSearchio 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
Uninstall PDFSearchio 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
Remove PDFSearchio 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 PDFSearchio will be removed.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Eliminate PDFSearchio 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.
