Remove Trustedsurf(.)com and Snap(.)do

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.

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Trustedsurf(.)com is a page of a browser hijacker. It commonly uses automatic redirects to Snap(.)do, if you don’t use the search service. Everything you type is redirected to that search engine. Both hijackers are connected to Resoft.

To remove the hijacker sites and the redirects, you should read the whole article. The hijacker might change the homepage, new tab and search engine of browsers. You will get redirected. Search results can be misleading and show advertisements.

Trustedsurf(.)com – Distribution Ways

An efficient way of distribution for Trustedsurf(.)com is via third-party installations. The hijacker can get in your machine without you knowing. It hides in freeware installations and bundled packages. Additional components are selected for installation, in these packages, by default. The components are frequently undisclosed, and Trustedsurf(.)com can be installed. Check for a Custom or Advanced setting in the installation to try and prevent that.

This hijacker can also be distributed with the help of redirects, adverts, banners, pop-up message boxes etc. Another way of distribution is via other links and visiting unknown websites. The sites can all be business partners with Resoft. The most affected browsers are: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari.

Trustedsurf(.)com – Information

Trustedsurf(.)com is one of the domains of a browser hijacker. It uses and redirects to the search engine Snap(.)do, which cannot be trusted. Both sites are connected with the company Resoft. It is not the first time Snap(.)do has been associated with another hijacker. An example is the Linkury Smartbar.

Any of the sites infiltrating your computer will modify the settings in your browsers. Those settings include the homepage of your browsers, new tab setting and search engine. Trustedsurf(.)com has social media buttons that work properly, most of the time, trying to trick users that they are on a trusted site.

You can see the result of one redirect in the above image. There is an advertisement that tries to trick you into scanning your PC as if there is something wrong with it. The advertisement may download malware if clicked. Your browsers might also have an extension or an add-on related to the hijacker’s sites. The extension might redirect you more. The browser redirects may be aiming to deliver targeted advertisements.

Everything you type in the Trustedsurf(.)com site, will be redirected and entered in the Snap(.)do search engine. The search engine will be used as a filter and collect all data. Search results displayed by the hijacker can be misleading. There are also advertisements, some of which are links shown across the results page:

You can get redirected from the homepage or the new tab setting, as well as get automatic redirects even if you are idle. The adverts shown on both sites can be pop-ups or pop-unders, banners or in-text links, but other ad types are not excluded from showing. The redirects could make traffic to the sites to make money by pay-per-click.

The Privacy Policy of Snap(.)do should apply to Trustedsurf(.)com as it redirects everything you type to the Snap(.)do search engine. The policy is pretty straightforward, and it is explicitly written that both personally and non-personally identifying information is collected and stored by Resoft – the owner of Snap(.)do.

The non-personally identifying information that is collected is:

• The advertisements you have viewed
• Browser type and language
• Operating System type and language
• Your time zone
• The date and time of access
• Your screen resolution
• VPN and Proxy services
• Your ISP, default search, geo location and more

According to policy, some or all of the data may be shared with third parties and business partners, even if that may be personally identifying information.

See this direct quote from the policy about personally identifying data collection:

The data collected of your usage of the Service may include PII, as part of our privacy measures, we implement certain rules designed to avoid the unintentional collection of PII such as email addresses, social security numbers, credit card numbers, login information, etc. Such rules are based on known field types, parameters, values and algorithms but they are not foolproof and hence the Services may sometimes, unintentionally, collect unwanted information.

The quote given above means that personally identifying and private information about you can be collected by the hijacker. There is no telling what could happen to your information, but in the policy, it states that it can be used for making sales, advertising or strategically.

The hijacker as well as its partners use pixel tags, cookies, and web beacons as well as other technologies to collect data from you.

Other information that is collected, with the main purpose to deliver adverts:

• Pages you browsed and content you viewed
  
• Offers and services that interest you
• Advertisement you were interested in
• Search quires and the time and date of your search
• Your browsing history
• Your IP address
• Your interaction with social networks

When using the Trustedsurf(.)com and Snap(.)do sites and services, you grant your consent for data collection, according to the policy. You should remove the hijacker and its pages from your browsers.

Remove Trustedsurf(.)com Completely

To remove Trustedsurf(.)com manually from your computer, follow the step-by-step removal instructions provided below. If the manual removal does not get rid of the hijacker and redirects completely, you should search for and remove any leftovers with an advanced anti-malware tool. Your computer will be more secure with such a program.

Delete Trustedsurf(.)com, Snap(.)do from Windows and Your Browser

2.Remove Trustedsurf(.)com, Snap(.)do from Your Browser

Remove Trustedsurf(.)com, Snap(.)do from Your Browser.

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 Trustedsurf(.)com, Snap(.)do and click “Remove”

After Trustedsurf(.)com, Snap(.)do 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 Trustedsurf(.)com, Snap(.)do and click on the garbage bin icon on the right of it.

After Trustedsurf(.)com, Snap(.)do 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 Trustedsurf(.)com, Snap(.)do 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 Trustedsurf(.)com, Snap(.)do 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 Trustedsurf(.)com, Snap(.)do
Click ‘Uninstall’

A pop-up window will appear asking for confirmation to uninstall Trustedsurf(.)com, Snap(.)do. Select ‘Uninstall’ again, and the Trustedsurf(.)com, Snap(.)do will be removed.

Remove Trustedsurf(.)com, Snap(.)do automatically by downloading an advanced anti-malware program.

1. Remove Trustedsurf(.)com, Snap(.)do with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool

1. Remove Trustedsurf(.)com, Snap(.)do with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool

1. Install SpyHunter to scan for and remove Trustedsurf(.)com, Snap(.)do.2. Scan with SpyHunter to Detect and Remove Trustedsurf(.)com, Snap(.)do.

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 Trustedsurf(.)com, Snap(.)do 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 Trustedsurf(.)com, Snap(.)do in the future

2. 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 .

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 Trustedsurf(.)com, Snap(.)do.

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 Trustedsurf(.)com, Snap(.)do.

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 Trustedsurf(.)com, Snap(.)do 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 Trustedsurf(.)com, Snap(.)do should be restored.

Optional: Using an Alternative Anti-Malware Tool

Remove Trustedsurf(.)com, Snap(.)do Using an Alternative Tool

STOPZilla Anti Malware

1. Download and Install STOPZilla Anti-malware to Scan for And Remove Trustedsurf(.)com, Snap(.)do.
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 Trustedsurf(.)com, Snap(.)do 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.

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.

More Posts

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.

More Posts

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.

More Posts