PDFConverterSearchNet browser hijacker removal

PDFConverterSearchNet is a browser hijacker that sets pdfconvertersearchnet.com as your homepage without your permission. Browser hijackers are quite minor infections that mainly focus on exposing you to sponsored content. This hijacker will push you to use the nearbyme.io search engine that alters search results to contain sponsored results. Redirecting users to those sponsored websites is the main goal of these browser hijackers.

 

 

PDFConverterSearchNet is a very generic browser hijacker. It’s completely identical to MovieSearchOnline, SportSearchly, and PDFConverterSearchZone, and many other hijackers. The name is the only thing that’s different. They all change browser settings, try to redirect to sponsored websites, push questionable websites, and track browsing. They also install without permission.

Hijackers are sometimes advertised as useful extensions to trick users into installing them. However, they rarely have any useful features. Though fortunately, they will at least not harm your computer. A hijacker will, however, change your browser’s settings. More specifically, it will set pdfconvertersearchnet.com as the homepage and nearbyme.io as the default search engine. These changes will affect all popular browsers installed on your computer, including Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. You will also be unable to undo these changes as long as the hijacker remains installed because it will just keep making the changes. Until you remove PDFConverterSearchNet, the hijacker’s promoted site will load every time you open your browser.

The site set as your homepage is a very generic website with very minimal features. It has shortcuts to a PDF converter, a cryptocurrency and currency converter, and a calculator. The main thing the site is pushing is the nearbyme.io search engine. Whether you search via the search box on the site or your browser’s address bar, you will get the same altered results. The search engine is rather questionable, mainly because it fills search results with advertisements. This is done to redirect you to sponsored websites, which is the main purpose of a hijacker. Avoid clicking on any of the results because they’ll have little to do with what you were searching for. In some cases, the results could lead you to potentially dangerous websites, such as ones that promote scams or hide malware.

The unwanted changes to the browser’s settings and redirects to random websites are not the only bad browser hijacker qualities. They also collect information related to your browsing. To be more specific, PDFConverterSearchNet will track what sites you visit, what you search for, content you click on, your IP address. It will not collect personal information but considering that the hijacker has no redeemable features, there is no reason to put up with any kind of data collection. The collected data would also be shared with unknown third parties and used for advertisement purposes. The sooner you remove PDFConverterSearchNet from your computer, the better.

To prevent similar scenarios in the future, it should be explained how the hijacker was installed on your computer. Browser hijackers use the so-called software bundling method to install, which essentially means that they install without requiring your explicit permission. If you want to learn how to avoid these kinds of infections in the future, continue to the following section.

Hijackers sneak in using software bundling

Hijackers are often advertised as useful extensions on various free program download websites, so it is possible that you downloaded PDFConverterSearchNet yourself knowingly. If you did install it yourself thinking it would improve your browsing, we highly recommend doing more extensive research before installing programs in the future. It’s enough to simply use a search engine to look into the program. For example, had you used Google to research PDFConverterSearchNet, you would have gotten many results that recommend its removal.

When it comes to browser hijackers, it’s much more likely that users install them without even knowing. Infections like adware, browser hijackers, and potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) use the software bundling method to install, which essentially means that they come attached to free software as extra offers. These offers are permitted to install alongside the freeware automatically without requiring users’ permission. In most cases, users aren’t even aware of the offers because they are hidden. Due to its sneakiness, software bundling is the perfect method for hijackers to install, as users would avoid them otherwise. Despite the fact that they’re set to install automatically, the offers are optional. And preventing their installation is very easy compared to having to get rid of them once they’re already installed.

Since the offers are optional, you can prevent their installation as long as you pay attention when installing free programs. Most importantly, when given the choice during installation, use Advanced or Custom settings. The installation window will recommend using Default but keep in mind that those settings will not reveal any added offers. Using those settings is essentially giving the added offers permission to install. On the other hand, if you opt for Advanced settings, the added offers will be made visible. You will be able to not only review what offers have been added but also deselect the ones you do not want. Considering that software bundling is a rather sneaky installation method, you should not permit a program that uses it to install. Deselect all added offers. Otherwise, your computer will be quickly filled with junk programs that are difficult to get rid of. If you have anti-virus software installed, it should also detect programs using software bundling to sneak it, as it will classify such programs as potential threats.

PDFConverterSearchNet removal

You can delete PDFConverterSearchNet manually because it’s not a serious infection. When the hijacker is no longer installed, you will be free to make browser settings changes as normal. If you have very little experience when it comes to removing persistent programs, it’s recommended to use anti-virus software like WiperSoft. The program would not only remove PDFConverterSearchNet browser hijacker from your computer but also undo all setting changes.