Ventsislav has been covering the latest malware, software and newest tech developments at SensorsTechForum for 3 years now. He started out as a network administrator. Having graduated Marketing as well, Ventsislav also has passion for discovery of new shifts and innovations in cybersecurity that become game changers. After studying Value Chain Management and then Network Administration, he found his passion within cybersecrurity and is a strong believer in basic education of every user towards online safety.
Ventsislav has been covering the latest malware, software and newest tech developments at SensorsTechForum for 3 years now. He started out as a network administrator. Having graduated Marketing as well, Ventsislav also has passion for discovery of new shifts and innovations in cybersecurity that become game changers. After studying Value Chain Management and then Network Administration, he found his passion within cybersecrurity and is a strong believer in basic education of every user towards online safety.
Ventsislav has been covering the latest malware, software and newest tech developments at SensorsTechForum for 3 years now. He started out as a network administrator. Having graduated Marketing as well, Ventsislav also has passion for discovery of new shifts and innovations in cybersecurity that become game changers. After studying Value Chain Management and then Network Administration, he found his passion within cybersecrurity and is a strong believer in basic education of every user towards online safety.
Note! Your computer might be affected by Searchstart(.)ru and other threats.
Threats such as Searchstart(.)ru may be persistent on your system. They tend to re-appear if not fully deleted. A malware removal tool like SpyHunter will help you to remove malicious programs, saving you the time and the struggle of tracking down numerous malicious files. SpyHunter’s scanner is free but the paid version is needed to remove the malware threats. Read SpyHunter’s EULA and Privacy Policy
Ventsislav has been covering the latest malware, software and newest tech developments at SensorsTechForum for 3 years now. He started out as a network administrator. Having graduated Marketing as well, Ventsislav also has passion for discovery of new shifts and innovations in cybersecurity that become game changers. After studying Value Chain Management and then Network Administration, he found his passion within cybersecrurity and is a strong believer in basic education of every user towards online safety.
A browser hijacker believed to originate from Russia has been reported to be associated with the website Searchstart(.)ru. This program is believed to flood the computer its installed on with heavy advertisements of different types. The website itself also uses a lot of cookies and other tracking technologies to obtain user information. Since both the website and the browser hijacker may collaborate with third-parties, it is strongly advisable for users to remove this PUP(Potentially Unwanted Program) from their computer.
Name
Searchstart(.)ru
Type
Browser Hijacker
Short Description
The domain may do various dangerous or unhealthy to the PC activities.
Symptoms
The user may witness fake Java Update downloads, online advertisements as well as redirects to other potentially harmful domains. Slow PC and system freezes.
Distribution Method
Via PUPs, installed by bundled installers or by visiting a suspicious third-party site that is advertising it.
To spread across user PCs, this browser hijacker uses different methods. The main method it may utilize is via bundled installers in which the software may be included as a free extra. The unsuspecting user may not even notice such program since most of the users out there often click on the Express option or fast-click their way through the installer. This is why it is strongly advisable to take your time while installing new software and always choose between the “Advanced” and “Custom” installation options.
Searchstart(.)ru In Detail
After this software has been installed on your computer, it may contain files in the following Windows folders:
Furthermore, the software may modify your web browser’s settings. This may include web browsers such as Google Chrome, Safari, and Mozilla Firefox. The modified browsers may automatically install a browser extension without the user’s consent and obtain certain permissions. One of them is to set the following page as the home page or the new tab page of the web browser:
When the user searches something on the Russian search engine, the results redirect to the Russian Google domain(.ru). Not only this but the software also uses different mechanisms to track the online clicks, searches and browsing history of the user. Here is a screenshot of the cookies that are used by the website as well as third-party sites:
Besides tracking the user, the Searchstart(.)ru browser hijacker is also considered to heavily advertise third-party websites of a different character. This is the main reason why such software is considered to be dangerous for users. Here are the most often met dangers associated with browser hijackers like the Searchstart(.)ru one:
System crashes.
Redirects to scamming websites that may resemble legitimate retailers or errors.
Redirects to malicious URLs that may infect your computer with Trojans, Rootkits, Ransomware and other malware.
The risk of your entered online information and credentials being stolen and traded on the black market.
Remove Searchstart(.)ru Browser Hijacker
In order to delete all of the files and also the registry entries of Searchstart(.)ru browser hijacker and remove it from your Chrome, Firefox or Internet Explorer, there are few steps you need to take. To simplify them and save you time, we have provided removal instructions after this article which you may choose to follow. We strongly recommend that you choose a reputable anti-malware program which to scan your PC. This way you may identify other threats that may be associated with Searchstart(.)ru and protect your computer in the future as well.
Delete Searchstart(.)ru from Windows and Your Browser
1.Remove Searchstart(.)ru in Windows
Remove Searchstart(.)ru files
Since the conventional uninstall may not work for this software, you need to take a more tech savvy approach:
Step 1: Navigate to its folder in %Program Files% or %Program Files(x86)%:
Step 2: Mark it with your mouse and press Shift + Delete after which confirm with Yes To All.
Step 3: If some files cannot be deleted, the following pop-up will appear. In it opt in the “Do this for all items” option after which continue.
At this point you have removed all the files that are not protected by the elevated permission of Searchstart(.)ru. To remove the remaining files, you need to download file-deletion software. We advise using Delete Doctor because it is free.
Step 1: Download and Install Delete Doctor:
Step 2: Browse for and choose the remaining files that cannot be deleted by clicking on the Browse button:
Step 3: Choose between the different file deletion methods, the program offers. We advise choosing from the methods highlighted in yellow below. First attempt via DOS short name and if it does not work, choose to delete the file on System Restart. Do the same with the other files and you shall delete it:
After the successfull file deletion it is time to clean the registry editor that may have modified values and keys that prevented this program from Uninstalling in the first place. To do this, visit the instructive article on Fixing up Your Windows Registry Errors Caused by Malware.
2.Remove Searchstart(.)ru from Your Browser
Remove Searchstart(.)ru from Your Browser.
After removing this program from your computer, it is time to clean your browser by resetting your web browser and deleting browser extensions and plugins from it.
Remove a toolbar from Mozilla FirefoxRemove 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 Searchstart(.)ru and click “Remove”
After Searchstart(.)ru 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 Searchstart(.)ru and click on the garbage bin icon on the right of it.
After Searchstart(.)ru 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 Searchstart(.)ru 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 Searchstart(.)ru 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 Searchstart(.)ru Click ‘Uninstall’
A pop-up window will appear asking for confirmation to uninstall Searchstart(.)ru. Select ‘Uninstall’ again, and the Searchstart(.)ru will be removed.
Remove Searchstart(.)ru automatically by downloading an advanced anti-malware program.
1. Remove Searchstart(.)ru with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
Remove Searchstart(.)ru with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
Since some files may be left-over after manual removal it is advisable to user anti-malware software:
1. Install SpyHunter to scan for and remove Searchstart(.)ru.2. Scan with SpyHunter to Detect and Remove Searchstart(.)ru.
Step 1:Click here to go to SpyHunter’s download instruction page. Step 2: Guide yourself by the download instructions provided for each browser. Step 3: After you have installed SpyHunter, wait for it to automatically update.
Step1: After the update process has finished, click on the ‘Scan Computer Now’ button. Step2: After SpyHunter has finished scanning your PC for any Searchstart(.)ru files, click on the ‘Fix Threats’ button to remove them automatically and permanently. Step3: Once the intrusions on your PC have been removed, it is highly recommended to restart it.
2. Back up your data to secure it against attacks related to Searchstart(.)ru in the future
Back up your data to secure it against attacks in the future
IMPORTANT! Before reading the Windows backup instructions, we highly recommend to back up your data automatically with cloud backup and insure it against any type of data loss on your device, even the most severe. We recommend reading more about and downloading SOS Online Backup.
1. For Windows 7 and earlier 1. For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10 1. Enabling the Windows Defense Feature (Previous Versions)
1-Click on Windows Start Menu 2-Type Backup And Restore 3-Open it and click on Set Up Backup 4-A window will appear asking you where to set up backup. You should have a flash drive or an external hard drive. Mark it by clicking on it with your mouse then click on Next. 5-On the next window, the system will ask you what do you want to backup. Choose the ‘Let Me Choose’ option and then click on Next. 6-Click on ‘Save settings and run backup’ on the next window in order to protect your files from possible attacks by Searchstart(.)ru.
1-Press Windows button + R 2-In the window type ‘filehistory’ and press Enter 3-A File History window will appear. Click on ‘Configure file history settings’ 4-The configuration menu for File History will appear. Click on ‘Turn On’. After its on, click on Select Drive in order to select the backup drive. It is recommended to choose an external HDD, SSD or a USB stick whose memory capacity is corresponding to the size of the files you want to backup. 5-Select the drive then click on ‘Ok’ in order to set up file backup and protect yourself from Searchstart(.)ru.
1- Press Windows button + R keys. 2- A run windows should appear. In it type ‘sysdm.cpl’ and then click on Run. 3- A System Properties windows should appear. In it choose System Protection. 5- Click on Turn on system protection and select the size on the hard disk you want to utilize for system protection. 6- Click on Ok and you should see an indication in Protection settings that the protection from Searchstart(.)ru is on. Restoring a file via Windows Defense feature: 1-Right-click on the encrypted file, then choose Properties. 2-Click on the Previous Versions tab and then mark the last version of the file. 3-Click on Apply and Ok and the file encrypted by Searchstart(.)ru should be restored.
Optional: Using Alternative Anti-Malware Tools
Remove Searchstart(.)ru Using Other Alternative Tools
STOPZilla Anti Malware
1. Download and Install STOPZilla Anti-malware to Scan for And Remove Searchstart(.)ru. Step 1: Download STOPZilla by clicking here. Step 2: A pop-up window will appear. Click on the ‘Save File’ button. If it does not, click on the Download button and save it afterwards. Step 3: After you have downloaded the setup, simply open it. Step 4: The installer should appear. Click on the ‘Next’ button. Step 5: Check the ‘I accept the agreement’ check circle if not checked if you accept it and click the ‘Next’ button once again. Step 6: Review and click on the ‘Install’ button. Step 7: After the installation process has completed click on the ‘Finish’ button.
2. Scan your PC with STOPZilla Anti Malware to remove all Searchstart(.)ru associated files completely. Step 1:Launch STOPZilla if you haven’t launched it after install. Step 2: Wait for the software to automatically scan and then click on the ‘Repair Now’ button. If it does not scan automatically, click on the ‘Scan Now’ button. Step 3: After the removal of all threats and associated objects, you should Restart your PC.
NOTE! Substantial notification about the Searchstart(.)ru threat: Manual removal of Searchstart(.)ru requires interference with system files and registries. Thus, it can cause damage to your PC. Even if your computer skills are not at a professional level, don’t worry. You can do the removal yourself just in 5 minutes, using a malware removal tool.
Ventsislav has been covering the latest malware, software and newest tech developments at SensorsTechForum for 3 years now. He started out as a network administrator. Having graduated Marketing as well, Ventsislav also has passion for discovery of new shifts and innovations in cybersecurity that become game changers. After studying Value Chain Management and then Network Administration, he found his passion within cybersecrurity and is a strong believer in basic education of every user towards online safety.
A browser hijacker believed to originate from Russia has been reported to be associated with the website Searchstart(.)ru. This program is believed to flood the computer its installed on with heavy advertisements of different types. The website itself also uses a lot of cookies and other tracking technologies to obtain user information. Since both the website and the browser hijacker may collaborate with third-parties, it is strongly advisable for users to remove this PUP(Potentially Unwanted Program) from their computer.
Remove a toolbar from Mozilla Firefox
Remove a toolbar from Google Chrome
Remove a toolbar from Internet Explorer
Remove a toolbar from Safari
1. Install SpyHunter to scan for and remove Searchstart(.)ru.
1. For Windows 7 and earlier
STOPZilla Anti Malware
