An annoying browser hijacker associated with the web page Stream-it.online has been spotted out into the open. The browser hijacker changes the home page and new tab page of the web browsers Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Internet Explorer if installed on the affected computer. The hijacker has also been reported to heavily display advertisements, collect personal information via cookies and display third-party web links. Since some third-party URLs advertised by Stream-it.online may be dangerous for users, experts suggest deleting this Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP) from your computer.
Threat Summary
| Name | Stream-it.online Hijacker |
| Type | Browser Hijacker, PUP |
| Short Description | Changes the home page and the new tab page of the user’s browser and may display heavy advertisements. |
| Symptoms | Changed default home page. Displaying of ads and browser redirects to third-party websites.. PC slow-downs and freezes possible. |
| Distribution Method | Freeware Installations, Bundle Packages |
| Detection Tool |
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| User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss Stream-it.online Browser Hijacker. |
Stream-it.online Browser Hijacker – Distribution Strategy
To be installed on as many computers as possible, the Stream-it.online hijacker may use a strategy known as bundling. It allows this software to replicate unknowingly and masks it so that it seems legitimate. Most bundled applications can be found during the installation of free programs downloaded online. Such programs are available on websites that publish free software for download. This may often be downloaded programs like media players, antivirus software and other applications. The installation prompt of Stream-it.online browser hijacker may or may not be included in the installers of the other programs as a tick box or an installation step, saying the application is a free extra and will help improve the browsing process by adding the ability to search for songs featured in radios.
Stream-it.online Browser Hijacker – In Depth View
Once installed on your computer, the browser hijacker may use different cookies in combination with the Stream-it.online “search engine”:
These tracking technologies may be used by Stream-it.online Hijacker to collect different information from users, like:
- IP Address.
- Location.
- Name.
- Nationality.
- System information.
- Browsing history.
- Online search history.
- Online clicks.
Based on this information, the Browser Hijacker may display different types of advertisements:
- Pop-ups.
- Ad-supported search results.
- Banners.
- Highlighted text.
- Other types of advertisements.
In addition to this, the hijacker may heavily modify values, located in the following registry keys:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Mozilla\Mozilla Firefox\
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Opera\
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Internet Explorer\
Their modification may set the main web page Stream-it.online as a default of your web browsers:
Stream-it.online Web Page – More Information
The web page of the ransomware is very specifically oriented into displaying music from different radio stations, like a search engine for songs of radio stations and this service works:
However, it does not have a private HTTPs encryption and displays ad-supported search results from Yahoo search, which have different advertisements from the official yahoo web page and their ad-supported search results take up the whole first web page when you search something:
Not only this but, the privacy policy claims of the company behind Stream-it.online is rather suspicious. For instance, down you can see (at the time of writing this) that the company collects personal information for different purposes:
However, if you keep reading, it becomes visible that they are not at all responsible for any damage or information collected by third-parties that are associated with the web page. Furthermore, they exclude damages done by anyone who advertises via it, which is a very suspicious claim, since there may be any third-party taking advantage of this page, even to infect users with malware.
Not only this, but it is also visible that the company may actually provide you information about different events, one of which is sales. This is also a suspicious claim since companies can sell their assets partially, and some of those assets may, in fact, be the personal user information.
Either way, any software associated with the search engine Stream-it.online should not be trusted primarily because it may be indirectly dangerous in the sense that it can redirect to websites that:
- May scam the user.
- May infect the user PC with malware.
This is why the removal of the software is highly advisable.
Removing Stream-it.online Browser Hijacker And Restoring Your Settings
To effectively remove a threat like the Stream-it.online browser hijacker, we strongly recommend using the instructions provided below. They are the toolset you need to look manually for and delete all files and registry entries associated with the Stream-it.online browser hijacker.
In case you are experiencing difficulties in removing this browser hijacker from your computer, we urge you to download an advanced anti-malware scanning software. Such security toolset is often recommended by security experts since it will automatically and swiftly find cookies, registry entries, and files associated with the Stream-it.online browser hijacker on your computer and other threats that may exist in it as well. Furthermore, it is a good choice because it provides protection from PUPs and malware as well.
Ventsislav Krastev
Ventsislav is a cybersecurity expert at SensorsTechForum since 2015. He has been researching, covering, helping victims with the latest malware infections plus testing and reviewing software and the newest tech developments. Having graduated Marketing as well, Ventsislav also has passion for learning new shifts and innovations in cybersecurity that become game changers. After studying Value Chain Management, Network Administration and Computer Administration of System Applications, he found his true calling within the cybersecrurity industry and is a strong believer in the education of every user towards online safety and security.
Follow Me:
- Guide 1: How to Remove Stream-it.online Hijacker from Windows.
- Guide 2: Get rid of Stream-it.online Hijacker from Mac OS X.
- Guide 3: Remove Stream-it.online Hijacker from Google Chrome.
- Guide 4: Erase Stream-it.online Hijacker from Mozilla Firefox.
- Guide 5: Uninstall Stream-it.online Hijacker from Microsoft Edge.
- Guide 6: Remove Stream-it.online Hijacker from Safari.
- Guide 7: Eliminate Stream-it.online Hijacker from Internet Explorer.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
How to Remove Stream-it.online Hijacker from Windows.
Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove Stream-it.online Hijacker
Step 2: Uninstall Stream-it.online Hijacker 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 Stream-it.online Hijacker 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 Stream-it.online Hijacker 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 Stream-it.online Hijacker from Mac OS X.
Step 1: Uninstall Stream-it.online Hijacker 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 Stream-it.online Hijacker 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 Stream-it.online Hijacker files from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as Stream-it.online Hijacker, 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 Stream-it.online Hijacker 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 Stream-it.online Hijacker 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 Stream-it.online Hijacker 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 Stream-it.online Hijacker 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 Stream-it.online Hijacker will be removed.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Eliminate Stream-it.online Hijacker 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.
