How to Remove Unwanted Chromium Browsers from the system?
About:Undesired and modified Chromium browser installations may pose serious security threat to the system and may act as a source of adware supported software infiltration in the system. Let us read more to know how to get rid of this dubious Chrom... Read Moreium Browser. Less
| Browser Hijacker | How to Remove Unwanted Chromium Browsers from the system?
Guide to Remove Deceptive Chromium Browsers?
Chromium is an open source web browser project started by Google that forms the basis for Chrome Web Browser. The two browsers share majority of codes and features except that Google added a number of proprietary features to Chrome Browser that Chromium lacks. There is also a difference in the logos of the two browsers and are issued with different licenses.
Official Chromium Builds are available online that provide safe and convenient browsing environment. However, if Chromium browser gets installed on the system without user knowledge, then you most likely have an adware or unwanted version of Chromium installed on the computer.
This undesired and modified Chromium browser should not be under estimated. The browser may pose serious security threat to the system and may act as a source of adware supported software infiltration in the system.
You can identify the Chromium browser on your Windows desktop. The project name has been derived from the element Chromium. The icon looks like the image below.
Threats posed by the deceptive Chromium Browser:
Unwanted Chromium installations are typically designed to display unnecessary home pages, intrusive advertisements, suspicious pop- ups and dubious extensions. For instance, the counterfeit web browser may display Yahoo search engine to be browser’s home page in few cases.
The sole motive behind this malicious act is monetary. The ads displayed in the search engine are sponsored to promote a particular brand or software or e- commerce website. Click on these ads may also redirect users to malicious sites that may result in high risk adware and malware infiltration.
In addition the deceptive Chromium browser may be designed to track user browsing activities to collect confidential data like banking details to extort users or sell it to cooperating third parties. Thus having an information tracking app installed can lead to serious privacy issues or even identity thefts.
How did illegitimate Chromium browser install in the system?
Dubious Chromium Browsers are distributed using deceptive marketing techniques that include:
Software Bundling: The technique involves stealth installation of software program with regular software/apps. The infectious software is bundled with main software payload to sneak into the computer system. The code is hidden from the user until they opt for custom/Advanced settings. This reveals all the additional software program information and users can opt out their installation.
Malicious Websites or Malevolent Advertisements: Deliberate or accidental click on malignant ads or visit to pernicious website may result in unknowing download of dubious Chromium Browser in the system.
Chromium is an entirely legitimate program. However unauthorized distribution of unwanted version may lead to installation of illegitimate Chromium based browsers that sneak into the system and compromise it. Hence it is necessary to get rid of this dubious system program ASAP. Follow the removal guidelines below remove unwanted version of Chromium from the system.
Threat Summary
Name: Chromium
Targeted Operating System: Windows
Category: PUP
Symptoms: Appearance of annoying ads, download links, pop-ups that may redirect users to another malicious web page and interrupt their browsing activity
Steps to remove Dubious Chromium browser manually from your system
Note: Before we begin, try to remember how the extension got downloaded on your computer system. Generally, these programs come bundled with free applications that we download off the internet. It is a good practice to locate and uninstall such programs while removing the Browser Hijacker
Click on the “Start” button on the bottom left corner of your screen. A Start menu will be displayed as shown below. From this menu select the option that reads “Control Panel”.
In the window that will be displayed, click the option “Switch to classic view”.
This will display all the options/icons available to you. From the displayed icons, click on the icon that reads “Add or Remove Programs”.
Select the “Uninstall a program” option from the “Programs” category. A list will populate on the screen displaying all the programs.
Select the programs related to Deceptive Chromium Browser and click on the Uninstall button.
Windows 7/Vista
Right click on the “Start” button located at the lower left corner of the screen. From the Start menu, click on “Control Panel”.
The “Control Panel” Window will be displayed on the screen. Click on “Uninstall a Program” option from the “Programs” category.
The “Programs and Features” window will be displayed on the screen. A list will populate on the screen displaying all the programs.
Scroll though the list of programs and select the programs related to Deceptive Chromium Browser and then click on the “Uninstall” button.
Windows 8/10
Right click on the “Windows logo” on the lower left side of the computer screen. From the drop down menu, select and click on “Control Panel”.
The “Control Panel” window will be displayed. From this window select “Uninstall a program” option form the “Programs” category.
A list will populate on the screen displaying all the programs.
Select the programs related to Deceptive Chromium Browser and click on the “Uninstall” button.
In the confirmation box, click on the box that reads “OK” to save changes.
Type “Regedit” in search box / Run Box, select it and press Enter.
An authorization dialog box will appear, then you just have to click “Yes”. (The dialog box appearance may vary depending on OS used. For Windows 10 the the dialog box looks like the first screenshot and for windows 7 it appears like the second screenshot)
In the registry editor, take the backup of the current registry settings before making any changes in case you want to revert to old settings later. For this, Click on File option in the menu and select Export. Save the entry at a known location.
From the Menu, Click Edit and Select Find.
Enter Chromium Browser and click OK in the search box.
To restart the system to Safe Mode with Networking, if already switched ON then follow the below steps:
Windows 7/ Vista/ XP
Click on Windows icon present in the lower left corner of the computer screen.
Select and click Restart.
When the screen goes blank, Keep tapping F8 Key until you see the Advanced Boot Options window.
With the help of arrow keys on keyboard, Select Safe Mode with Networking option from the list and press the Enter Key. The system will then restart to Safe Mode with Networking.
5 Click on the username and enter the password (if any).
Windows 10 / Windows 8
Press and hold the Shift Key and simultaneously click on the windows icon present in the lower left corner of your computer screen.
While the Shift key is still pressed click on the Power button and then click on Restart.
Now select Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings.
When the Startup Settings screen appears which is the first screen to appear after restart, select and click on Enable Safe Mode with Networking. The system will then restart to Safe Mode with Networking.
Click on the ‘Start’ button on the taskbar. This will open the Start menu.
Click on the ‘Control Panel’ button in the Start menu. This will open the control panel window.
In the Control Panel window, click on the ‘View by:’ button on the top right. Select the Large Icon option
In the control Panel window click on the ‘Recovery Icon’. This will open a window that will ask ‘Restore the computer to an earlier point in time’.
Click on the ‘Open system restore’ button. This will open the ‘system restore ’window where you need to click on the Next Button.
Select the restore point that is prior the infiltration of Chromium Browser After doing that, click Next.
This will open the ‘Confirm your restore point’ dialog box. Click on Finish button. This will restore your system to a previous restore point before your system was infected by Chromium Browser
Method 2 using Command Prompt
Type cmd in the search box and click on the command prompt to open the Command Prompt window. box and clicking on it.
Once the Command Prompt window shows up, enter cd restore and click Enter.(Ensure that you in the system32 directory of Windows folder in C Drive)
Now type rstrui and press Enter again.
When a new window shows up, click Next and select your restore point that is prior the infiltration of Chromium Browser. After doing that, click Next.
This will open the ‘Confirm your restore point’ dialog box. Click on Finish button. This will restore your system to a previous restore point before your system was infected by Chromium Browser.
Method 3 : Directly type 'rstrui' in the search box
Type ‘Rstrui’ in the search box present on the task bar. This will open the System restore dialog box.
Continue to follow steps 4 & 5 of Method 2 to restore the System Files and settings.
Tips to prevent your computer system from getting infected –
Keeping the Operating System Updated- In order to remain protected and avoid such infections, it is recommended to keep your Operating System updated by enabling the automatic update on your system. The systems with outdated or older versions of Operating System become an easy target for the attackers.
Resist clicking on spam emails – One of the major techniques used for malware distribution is forwarding spam emails to the user. The system gets infected as soon as the user clicks on the attachment. These mails appear to be genuine, so be aware and resist falling for these tricks.
Keep an eye on third party installations- It is quite important that you take due care while installing any third party applications for they are major source of such infections. Such malware programs come bundled with the free applications thereby requiring the user to remain cautious.
Regular periodical backup- In order to keep your data and files safe, it is recommended to take regular back up of all your data and files either on an external drive or cloud.
Use Anti-Virus Protection- We strongly recommend the use of antivirus protection/internet security in your PC like Hitman Pro and Sophos so that it remains safe.
Enable the Ad Blocker/Popup Blocker in your browser- Enabling the popup blocker/ ad blocker in your chosen browser will help you to stay protected from annoying adware.
The researchers at Virus Removal Guidelines are dedicated to track down the latest vulnerabilities which may infringe your system security. Our team of expert performs a detailed research about every malware infection before educating our users about the same.
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