What is Search.protectedio.com virus?
Have you noticed Search.protectedio.com set as your homepage on your browser? Although at first glance it looks like a regular search engine, unfortunately it is not. In fact, it’s a sign that your browser was hijacked and your browsing experience will never be the same. The program seeks to advertise sponsored websites and it includes tons of sponsored links in your search results and also displays random ads that cause redirections. This makes it practically impossible to browse normally as Search.protectedio.com only seeks to bring traffic for specific pages. It can obviously redirect users to malicious websites too.
It is highly recommended to remove Search.protectedio.com virus from your system. Use a legitimate anti-malware program, such as Spyhunter or StopZilla and run a full system scan with it or use a removal guide provided at the end of this article and get rid of Search.protectedio.com virus manually.
About Search.protectedio.com virus
Search.protectedio.com virus targets Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Safari browsers. First of all, it changes original settings of your browser and replaces your homepage and default search provider to Search.protectedio.com. It can take over several browsers at the same time and when removing the hijacker, you have to remove it from every affected browser separately.
If you make a search by entering your search query into Search.protectedio.com search field, you will see numerous sponsored links listed instead of regular search results. Some users have also reported about an excessive amount of ads among their search results. It is pretty obvious that Search.protectedio.com virus only wants to advertise sponsored websites as it is paid for that. If you don’t want to be involved into any activities by advertisers, get rid of Search.protectedio.com virus as soon as you detect it.
Distribution Methods of Search.protectedio.com virus
The reason why your browser or browsers were affected by this hijacker is because you have downloaded some freeware that has changed your homepage to Search.protectedio.com. Most likely, you haven’t even noticed when exactly this change was made. However, you can avoid that. Whenever you download any freeware from the Internet, you should be very careful with its installation process. First of all, make sure you opt for a Custom or Advanced installation. Although it takes longer, you will be able to see whether the program is going to make any changes in your browsers or add additional programs. Never allow installing unknown applications or making other changes that could affect your further work.
If your browser was already affected, remove Search.protectedio.com virus as soon as possible. Simply scan your system with an anti-malware program and let it fix the issue automatically or follow the steps provided below and get rid of it manually.
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