Remove Rambler.ru virus

What is Rambler.ru virus

Rambler.ru virus refers to browser hijackers that misuse the legitimate Rambler.ru search engine. If you suddenly find Rambler.ru set as your default search engine and the site loads as your homepage, your computer has a browser hijacker installed. Browser hijackers are pretty minor infections that make changes to browser’s settings and try to redirect users to sponsored websites by inserting sponsored content into search engine results. This makes them very annoying to deal with. Fortunately, they’re not particularly dangerous.

 

It’s not a harmful infection so it will not cause damage to the computer directly but will make unwanted changes to browsers and prevent you from undoing them. Furthermore, because it can cause redirects to certain websites, hijackers aren’t entirely harmless. You could end up being redirected to all kinds of websites, some of which may be promoting scams or concealing malware. Even if the browser hijacker isn’t malicious, it’s strongly recommended to delete Rambler.ru virus.

It’s not uncommon for users to be confused about how infections like browser hijackers or adware enter in the first place. Adware, browser hijackers and potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) usually enter via software bundling, meaning they come attached to free software as additional offers. In short, whatever is attached to a free program can install alongside automatically, unless users manually deselect it. But since the offers are hidden, most users end up accidentally allowing their installation. We will explain how to install freeware correctly and avoid installing unwanted programs in the following section.

Rambler.ru itself is not a virus but users may refer to it as such when they notice that it’s loading as their homepage or it’s set as the default search engine, especially when they notice that they are unable to make changes to these settings. Rambler.ru is not harmful but it’s misused by browser hijackers, which is why users may mistakenly think that Rambler.ru is at fault.

Browser hijackers install via software bundling

In most cases, users end up installing infections like browser hijackers and adware via software bundling. It’s a rather deceptive method of installation, thus is popular among unwanted program developers. However, programs that use it are usually classified as potentially unwanted programs by anti-virus vendors.

Software bundling is essentially adding additional offers to programs. The offers are usually unwanted programs so nothing useful. Whatever is attached to a program you are installing will install alongside, unless you manually prevent this from happening. But the offers are usually hidden to prevent them from being deselected.

The majority of free programs you download from those free download sites will have something attached to them. When installing them, it’s important to always opt for Advanced (Custom) settings instead of Default. Default settings will conceal whatever has been added, and it will install alongside. Advanced, however, will display the offers and you will be able to deselect all of them. All you need to do is uncheck the boxes. This is much easier to do than it is to delete already installed pesky infections, however minor they may be.

It’s very important that you always pay attention to how you install programs and where you get the from. If possible, download from official websites instead of third-party pages, as that is safer. Doing at least minimal research before installing something is also a good idea. If you don’t take care when installing programs, your computer will be quickly filled with junk that only takes up space.

Is Rambler.ru virus dangerous?

Rambler.ru is a legitimate Russian search engine website, quite popular one at that. It’s absolutely safe to use, and if you set it as your homepage yourself, you don’t need to do anything. However, if it’s suddenly loading as the homepage without you changing anything, you’re dealing with a browser hijackers that’s misusing Rambler.ru to generate revenue.

The hijacker could affect all popular browsers you have installed, including Internet Explorer, Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. Once it’s in, it will change the homepage and default search engine to Rambler.ru. These changes will be irreversible while the hijacker remains installed, as it will just keep reversing all the changes you make. So until you remove Rambler.ru virus from your computer, you’re stuck with the site loading as your homepage.

It’s not a good idea to use search engines set by browser hijackers as they could insert sponsored content among legitimate search results. Browser hijackers aim to redirect to certain websites in order to generate revenue, and they do that by inserting links into search results. Those results will have little do with the search query in any case. You should keep in mind that not all sites you could be redirected to will be safe. Some of the sites could dangerous and conceal malware or promote some kind of scam, so be very cautious.

Lastly, we should mention that browser hijackers track users and their activities. If a hijacker is indeed installed on your device, it will track what you search for, what sites you visit, what content you interact with, your IP address, etc. It’s not personal information but collection of any kind of data is rather intrusive and should not be tolerated.

Rambler.ru virus removal

While the hijacker is not a serious infection, we strongly recommend using anti-virus software to remove Rambler.ru virus from the computer. Hijackers can be pretty persistent and difficult to remove so using a specialized program is much easier. You can also delete Rambler.ru virus manually, and instructions will be provided below, but it may be more troublesome and take more time.

Once the hijacker is no longer present, you will be able to change your browser’s settings as you want. All other hijacker symptoms will stop as well, and you will be able to go back to normal browsing.