Psoufauh Virus

Browser Hijacker
by Lidia Howler
March 14, 2023

Psoufauh

Psoufauh is an unwanted web browser application that disables user settings and makes many changes that are not requested or authorized. Psoufauh installs a new search engine, updates the homepage address and forces the browser to redirect users to ad-supported pages.

Psoufauh

All these alternations are intended to generate advertisement revenue for the developers of Psoufauh based on pay-per-click, where clicks on particular pop-up advertisements, banners, and links generate money, or pay-per-view remuneration models, where revenue is generated based on how many visits a specific page or website receives. From a legal point of view, there is nothing harmful or unlawful in such online advertising models. However, as soon as Psoufauh becomes part of the system and starts to operate, things can become quite unpleasant for the end-users.

The Psoufauh Virus

Hijackers such as the Psoufauh Virus are made compliant with Firefox, Edge, Chrome, Opera and most other browsers so that the number of users exposed to paid ads and supported pages is as large as possible. This also means that it is unlikely that you will save yourself from the ad disturbance of the Psoufauh Virus even if you change your default web browser and use another one.

SUMMARY:

NamePsoufauh
TypeBrowser Hijacker
Detection Tool

Please follow all the steps below in order to remove Psoufauh!

How to remove Psoufauh

  1. First, click the Start Menu on your Windows PC.
  2. Type Programs and Settings in the Start Menu, click the first item, and find Psoufauh in the programs list that would show up.
  3. Select Psoufauh from the list and click on Uninstall.
  4. Follow the steps in the removal wizard.

What we suggest you do first is, check the list of programs that are presently installed on the infected device and uninstall any rogue software that you find there:

  • From the Start Menu, navigate to Control Panel ->>> Programs and Features ->>> Uninstall a Program.
  • Next, carefully search for unfamiliar programs or programs that have been installed recently and could be related to Psoufauh.
  • If you find any of the programs suspicious then uninstall them if they turn out to be linked to Psoufauh.
  • If a notification appears on your screen when you try to uninstall a specific questionable program prompting you to just alter it or repair it, make sure you choose NO and complete the steps from the removal wizard.

Remove Psoufauh from Chrome

  1. Click on the three dots in the right upper corner
  2. Go to more tools
  3. Now select extensions
  4. Remove the Psoufauh extension
  • Once you open Chrome, click on the three-dots icon to open the browser’s menu, go to More Tools/ More Options, and then to Extensions.
  • Again, find the items on that page that could be linked to Psoufauh and/or that might be causing problems in the browser and delete them.
  • Afterwards, go to this folder: Computer > C: > Users > *Your User Account* > App Data > Local > Google > Chrome > User Data. In there, you will find a folder named Default – you should change its name to Backup Default and restart the PC.
  • Note that the App Data folder is normally hidden so you’d have to first make the hidden files and folders on your PC visible before you can access it.

How to get rid of Psoufauh on FF/Edge/etc.

  1. Open the browser and select the menu icon.
  2. From the menu, click on the Add-ons button.
  3. Look for the Psoufauh extension
  4. Get rid of Psoufauh by removing it from extensions

If using Firefox:

  • Open Firefox
  • Select the three parallel lines menu and go to Add-ons.
  • Find the unwanted add-on and delete it from the browser – if there is more than one unwanted extension, remove all of them.
  • Go to the browser menu again, select Options, and then click on Home from the sidebar to the left.
  • Check the current addresses for the browser’s homepage and new-tab page and change them if they are currently set to address(es) you don’t know or trust.

If using MS Edge/IE:

  • Start Edge
  • Select the browser menu and go to Extensions.
  • Find and uninstall any Edge extensions that look undesirable and unwanted.
  • Select Settings from the browser menu and click on Appearance.
  • Check the new-tab page address of the browser and if it has been modified by “Psoufauh” or another unwanted app, change it to an address that you’d want to be the browser’s new-tab page.

How to Delete Psoufauh

  1. Open task manager
  2. Look for the Psoufauh process
  3. Select it and click on End task
  4. Open the file location to delete Psoufauh
  • Access the Task Manager by pressing together the Ctrl + Alt + Del keys and then selecting Task Manager.
  • Open Processes and there try to find a process with the name of the unwanted software. If you find it, select it with the right button of the mouse and click on the Open File Location option.
  • If you don’t see a “Psoufauh” process in the Task Manager, look for another suspicious process with an unusual name. It is likely that the unwanted process would be using lots of RAM and CPU so pay attention to the number of resources each process is using.
  • Tip: If you think you have singled out the unwanted process but are not sure, it’s always a good idea to search for information about it on the Internet – this should give you a general idea if the process is a legitimate one from a regular program or from your OS or if it is indeed likely linked to the adware.
  • If you find another suspicious process, open its File Location too.
  • Once in the File Location folder for the suspicious process, start testing all of the files that are stored there by dragging them to our free online scanner available below.
  • Each file will be scanned with up to 64 antivirus programs to ensure maximum accuracy
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    • If the scanner finds malware in any of the files, return to the Processes tab in the Task Manager, select the suspected process, and then select the End Process option to quit it.
    • Go back to the folder where the files of that process are located and delete all of the files that you are allowed to delete. If all files get deleted normally, exit the folder and delete that folder too. If one or more of the files showed an error message when you tried to delete them, leave them for now and return to try to delete them again once you’ve completed the rest of the guide.

    How to Uninstall Psoufauh

    1. Click on the home button
    2. Search for Startup Apps
    3. Look for Psoufauh in there
    4. Uninstall Psoufauh from Startup Apps by turning it off
    • Now you need to carefully search for and uninstall any Psoufauh-related entries from the Registry. The easiest way to do this is to open the Registry Editor app (type Regedit in the windows search field and press Enter) and then open a Find dialog (CTRL+F key combination) where you have to type the name of the threat. 
    • Perform a search by clicking on the Find Next button and delete any detected results. Do this as many times as needed until no more results are found. 
    • After that, to ensure that there are no remaining entries lined to Psoufauh in the Registry, go manually to the following directories and delete them:
    • HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Random Directory. 
    • HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Run/Random
    • HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Internet Explorer/Main/Random

    What is Psoufauh?


    As long as the browser hijacker is inside your computer it can integrate with any new browser that you install and hijack its settings. That’s why the best way to deal with the web browsing disturbance is to fully uninstall the application from the system and remove its changes from the current browser. This is a good move not only because it will save you from aggressive ads exposure when you browse the web but also because it will help you make your device safer and avoid accidental exposure to questionable web locations or web ads containing viruses, Ransomware, Trojans and other malware. For comprehensive uninstallation instructions, please refer to the removal guide on this page if you have already tried to remove Psoufauh and Turaddoptle and have not succeeded.


    Is Psoufauh a virus?

    Most browser hackers have no harmful abilities and this can be very relieving news. They are apps that normally generate paid advertisements and redirect users to promoted sites that earn income for their creators. Nevertheless, a hijacker often (although not directly) could become a potential security threat. One popular example is when the advertisements that are shown on the browser’s screen or the pages that the browser hijacker can redirect to are not secure.
    There are a lot of online ads that link to low-quality websites and questionable pages that can be loaded with pirated content, infected links and malware such as spyware, Trojans, worms, ransomware and all sorts of computer viruses. Also, advertisements and auto-redirects may often land users on phishing websites that look harmless initially but can trick them into uploading some confidential personal information that can later be exploited for criminal purposes.
    In short, it is not advisable to allow a browser hijacker like Psoufauh to remain on your computer and our recommendation is to remove such software with the help of professional software or manual removal instructions like the ones that you can find below.


    About the author

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    Lidia Howler

    Lidia is a web content creator with years of experience in the cyber-security sector. She helps readers with articles on malware removal and online security. Her strive for simplicity and well-researched information provides users with easy-to-follow It-related tips and step-by-step tutorials.

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