I think my computer has been infected by a redirect virus. Whenever I do
a search and click on any link of the search results, I will be redirected to a
website unrelated to my search query. For example, when I click a link to Amazon
page, it will take me to a site called WSE_Astromenda . This is
really annoying. I tried to run security scan but it detected nothing. How can I
remove it effectively?
Friendly Reminder:Please try a professional redirect virus removal tool
to remove this redirect virus once you can't remove it through the manual
removal guide below.
What Is WSE_Astromenda and Is It Harmful?
WSE_Astromenda is a malicious website implanted with browser hijacker or
adware that is able to hijacker browser and compromise system. It can modify the
browser settings and change the default homepage by adding BHO or other
third-party plug-ins or malware to the browsers. Once your browsers are
infected, it will means that some information about your online activities may
be furtively collected by this redirect virus, for examples, how frequent you
visit a website, how long you stay on a webpage, what you search, and even what
you type in a banking-related website. Then your important data will be sent
back to the cookie’s host site. It is really dangerous that this redirect virus
stays on the infected computer for a long time.
Since many users are redirected to the website, cyber criminals can make
use of the web traffic to improve sales. The third parties are able to increase
traffic and get users’ search items and deliver the related advertisements or
products to the target PCs. Some search results offered by the search engine may
have nothing to do with your search terms, and they will link to some websites
which show you a lot of needless ads and other misleading messages. In addition,
it brings a toolbar that cannot be removed through normal uninstall processes.
The hijacker has no uninstall feature and hides, which makes the removal
difficult. In a word, the redirect virus does no good to your computer and
should be removed as soon as possible.
To manually remove the redirect virus, you should acquire sufficient
computer knowledge and skills. If you’re not sure and are afraid to make any
critical mistakes during the process, please use a redirect removal tool.
Infected Symptoms:
1 You are always redirected to unwanted websites and cannot get the
expected information when using the web browser.
2 Your computer speed becomes slower and the system often halts.
3 It may drop other types of threats like virus, Trojan and spyware
onto your computer to do more harmful actions.
4 Many advertisements related to your search items are frequently
displayed on your PC.
5 Your default DNS configuration is changed and you sometimes cannot go
to your favorite sites.
6 Credit card numbers, passwords, pictures and other sensitive
information are transmitted to unscrupulous people.
Does An Antivirus Program Help to Remove the Redirect Virus?
Lots of victims will try to use an antivirus program or other security
tools to remove WSE_Astromenda redirect hijacker, but in fact after several
hours of searching, the tools can’t find anything related to this virus.
According to this scenario, some users will resort to manual removal method,
which they can find online. It should be removed because it will take advantage
of system loopholes to install additional malware onto computer for further more
damage. However, the problem is that the virus you have will have changed the
files / settings that your computer uses to handle the Internet settings of your
PC – and will then have disappeared without a trace. Moreover, this redirect
virus is so canny that it will disable the security tools installed on the
computer, so that it can evade detection and removal by the security tools.
Therefore, if you want to remove WSE_Astromenda redirect completely, you need to
delete all the infected files, processes, as well as registry entries which are
related to this nasty virus so that to ensure the security of your computer.
Guides to Manually Remove WSE_Astromenda Redirect Virus Step by Step
WSE_Astromenda browser redirect can attack browsers and modify the
settings to cause a lot of problems. The most annoying thing is that it
redirects you to unwanted websites and changes your default homepage against
your will. With this redirect virus inside, your computer will probably be
attacked by other types of threats like adware, Trojan and spyware. In a word,
this redirect virus slows down PC speed, disables important programs, blocks
access to specific websites, and messes up browsers settings, and should be
removed from the infected computer promptly.
Step1: Open Windows Task Manager and stop all the processes related to WSE_Astromenda infection.
Step2: Open the Registry Editor and remove all the related entries.
Some of them are:HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\urlsearchhook.toolbarurlsearchhook
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\software\classes\urlsearchhook.toolbarurlsearchhook
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Toolbar
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Mozilla\Firefox\extension
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\microsoft\internet explorer\toolbar\webbrowser
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run “.exe”
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings “WarnonBadCertRecving” = ’0
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\ActiveDesktop “NoChangingWallPaper” = ’1
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Attachments “SaveZoneInformation” = ’1
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System “DisableTaskMgr” = ’1
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Download “CheckExeSignatures” = ‘no’
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main “Use FormSuggest” = ‘yes’
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced “ShowSuperHidden” = 0
Step3: Delete all the infected files such as:
%Profile%\Local Settings\Temp\%ProgramFiles%
%UserProfile%\
Step4: Open the Windows Protection Suite files in your PC and remove it one by one.
Note: If the above methods don’t work out for the situation in your PC,
please check again if you have strictly followed the guidance or download and
use a professional malware removal tool to remove all the potential threats.