Delete PDFConverterSearchZone browser hijacker

PDFConverterSearchZone is a generic browser hijacker that makes unwanted changes to your browser’s settings and tries to redirect you to sponsored websites. The most noticeable sign that this hijacker is on your computer is pdfconvertersearchzone.com set as your homepage and nearbyme.io set as the default search engine. Other than changing your browser’s settings, the hijacker will not directly harm your computer. However, it can redirect to potentially dangerous websites.

 

 

 

If you’ve ever encountered a browser hijacker before, PDFConverterSearchZone will seem very generic. That’s because it is. It’s completely identical to MovieSearchHome, GetMovieSearch, and SearchStreamz to the very last detail. The only thing that’s different between them is the name. They all make unwanted changes, promote questionable search engines like searchlee.com and nearbyme.io, and try to redirect to sponsored websites.

You may encounter the hijacker being advertised as a useful extension. However, it doesn’t actually do anything useful. Some hijackers at least have a few useful features to convince users to keep it installed but PDFConverterSearchZone has nothing. At least it does not directly harm the computer. What it will do is change your browser’s settings. In particular, it will set pdfconvertersearchzone.com as the homepage and nearbyme.io as the default search engine. These changes usually affect all popular browsers, including Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. They will also be irreversible while the hijacker remains installed. Until you remove PDFConverterSearchZone, you will be stuck with the hijacker’s promoted site loading every time you open your browser.

Your new homepage is a very generic website with only a few features. It has shortcuts to a PDF converter, a cryptocurrency and currency converter, and a calculator. There is also a search box, which if used would show results by nearbyme.io, a highly questionable search engine. You will get the same results if you search via your browser’s address bar. Since nearbyme.io is not a reliable search engine, we don’t recommend using it or clicking on any of the results. While some links may be legitimate, many of them will lead to sponsored websites because hijackers exist to generate traffic and revenue. In any case, they will have little to do with what you were searching for. Some of the sites you could end up on may also be dangerous. For example, they may be promoting scams or hiding malware.

In addition to the unwanted changes and potential redirects, browser hijackers also collect information about your browsing. In particular, PDFConverterSearchZone will track what you search for, what sites you visit, what content you interact with, your IP address, etc. While no personal information is collected, the hijacker is still rather intrusive. Furthermore, the information is also shared with unknown third parties who will use it for advertising purposes. There is no need to put up with the hijacker and all the issues that come with it, particularly because you get nothing in return.

Finally, it should be mentioned how the hijacker was installed on your computer. Browser hijackers use software bundling to install, which essentially means that they install without requiring your explicit permission. We recommend you continue reading to learn how software bundling works and how you can avoid unwanted installations in the future. As long as you install freeware correctly, you will be able to avoid these unwanted programs.

How do browser hijackers install

Less serious infections like adware, browser hijackers, potentially unwanted programs install via the software bundling method, which essentially means that they come attached to free software as extra offers. Whatever comes added to a program, it’s permitted to install alongside without you needing to permit it. This makes software bundling the perfect distribution method for programs like hijackers as they would not be installed otherwise. The majority of free programs will have these offers attached, and once they’re installed, they can be difficult to get rid of. Preventing their installation from the very beginning is much easier and less time-consuming. And to prevent their installations, you simply need to install free software correctly.

Whatever comes attached to a free program is optional, which means you can prevent its installation. You simply need to pay attention to what you’re doing when installing free programs. Above all else, you need to use Advanced (Custom) settings when installing programs. The installation window will claim that you need to use Default but if you do, whatever comes attached to a free program will be permitted to install without you even knowing as the offers will be hidden. However, if you choose Advanced, all added offers will be made visible, and you will be able to deselect what you do not want. As a general rule, offers that come attached to free programs should not be permitted to install. Not only will they be of little use to you, but they may also be difficult to get rid of. Software bundling is a sneaky installation method and programs that use it are essentially trying to sneak in without permission. There is no reason why you should allow that to happen.

It’s possible that the hijacker is advertised as a useful extension on some site and you thought it would be useful to you, thus chose to install it. If that is the case and you installed it willingly, you need to be more careful with the programs you install. A search with Google or some other search engine would have shown many results indicating that you should not keep it installed. We recommend that you always research programs before installing them in the future.

PDFConverterSearchZone removal

Since this isn’t a serious infection, you should be able to delete PDFConverterSearchZone manually. However, if you have little experience when it comes to the removal of persistent programs like browser hijackers, it would be better to use anti-virus software like WiperSoft. The program would not only remove PDFConverterSearchZone but also undo all setting changes. And once the hijacker is gone, you will be able to change your browser’s settings however you want.