Alphago Virus

This page aims to help you remove Alphago “Virus”. Our removal instructions work for Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer, as well as every version of Windows.

Browser Hijackers are certainly not the most pleasant or helpful type of software that you can have on your PC. Most programs of this kind tend to cause a variety of unwanted changes to the user’s Chrome, Firefox, Edge or IE browser like for example replacing the previous search engine with some new and one that has questionable quality or change of the regular browser homepage. Also, Hijackers are known to trigger irritating page redirects to random websites without the user’s permission. In fact, most of what this type of software does is issued without the agreement of the user, which is yet another reason why normally Hijackers are regarded as potentially unwanted programs. Here, we will be talking about Alphago “Virus” – a newly released program that has been reported to display traits similar to those of a typical Hijacker. Since a lot of you have likely come here in search for a way to get rid of Alphago “Virus” because it has already gotten installed onto their computer, we have prepared a guide with instructions on how to uninstall and remove the pesky software for good. Make sure to check out the guide once you’ve finished reading the rest of the main section of the article.

Why are there so many Browser Hijackers?

The fact is that there are thousands of programs out there that can be categorized as Browser Hijackers. Currently, this is one of the most widely spread type of potentially unwanted software and there is a reason for that. Browser Hijackers can be extremely profitable for their developers as long as they get installed onto a sufficient number of computers. Programs like Alphago “Virus” earn money through online marketing by employing various aggressive advertising techniques (hence, the unwanted browser changes, page redirects and other potentially intrusive content caused by the Hijacker). In order to get their products to reach as many users as possible and thus further increase the overall profit from them, the people who create Browser Hijackers might try to promote their programs as being helpful and beneficial to the user. This actually seems to work since a lot of customers would in fact willingly install a Hijacker on their PC, thinking that it will improve their PC performance, make their online experience safer or add new useful features to their browser. The sad truth is that in the majority of cases the Hijacker would only seem to do that while instead it would actually worsen each of those aspects.

Potential security risks coming from Alphago “Virus”

When compared to real software viruses like Ransomware, Trojans or Spyware, Browser Hijackers aren’t actually all that harmful. Most of the time having such a program on your PC would be nothing but a mere annoyance that you’d need to remove. However, we ought to inform our readers that even though Alphago “Virus” is nowhere as malicious or as damaging as a Trojan horse virus or as Ransomware, it can still prove to be potentially hazardous for your computer system. The unauthorized changes that Hijackers tend to make to your browser and your internet settings can sometimes lead to weak spots in your PC’s security making its system more vulnerable to attacks. In addition to that, the page redirects might open untrustworthy websites which can further expose your machine to various online hazards. This means that even though Alphago “Virus” might not be capable of causing any direct damage to your computer, it might still prove to be a potential security risk which is why you ought to be careful around it and see to its removal as soon as possible.

Methods used to spread Browser Hijackers

Since not many users would actually willingly install a Hijacker on their PC, the developers of those programs have found other ways to get their software inside people’s computers. One common example is when the unpleasant program is send via some form of spam message. It could be a spam e-mail or a message send to the user’s Skype or Facebook (or any other social network account). The Hijacker would normally be added to the message as a file attachment or as a download link. Once the user interacts with the link or the attached file, the undesirable software would get inside the PC. Another common technique is the use of misleading browser ads, banners or offers that are normally displayed within unreliable data-sharing websites or sites with adult content. In addition to the previously mentioned distribution methods, a lot of applications like Alphago “Virus” are also commonly bundled with other programs, which enables them to get installed together with the other program. There, however, is a simple way to avoid this. Just make sure that the next time you want to install a new piece of software on your PC, you carefully check the setup menu for any optional installs that can be unchecked and thus left out before the installation is launched. If there is something bundled to the main program and it appears to be suspicious and possibly unwanted, simply remove the tick next to it and it won’t get installed. In some instances, you would need to access the Advanced installation settings in order to gain access to the options regarding the bundled applications so keep that in mind.

SUMMARY:

Name Alphago
Type Browser Hijacker
Detection Tool

Alphago “Virus” Removal

Search Marquis is a high-profile hijacker – you might want to see if you’re not infected with it as well.

You can find the removal guide here.


About the author

Brandon Skies

Brandon is a researcher and content creator in the fields of cyber-security and virtual privacy. Years of experience enable him to provide readers with important information and adequate solutions for the latest software and malware problems.

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