*Source of claim SH can remove it.
Captcha4you
Captcha4you is a PUP application that has the ability to alter the default browser’s settings by changing the homepage and the main search engine without asking for approval. Captcha4you may also bombard you with hard-to-remove pop-ups or advertisements, and automatically redirect you to unfamiliar, sponsored websites.
Captcha4you.top
PUPs (potentially unwanted programs) like Captcha4you.top are very commonly encountered and may attach themselves to popular browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera and other browsing apps in a matter of seconds. The moment it gets installed, Captcha4you.top typically starts to redirect your browser’s searches to websites that the software is designed to promote.
Because of their potential to take control of the user’s browser and enforce modifications that the user has not allowed, programs like Captcha4you, Lookaside.fbsbx.com, Looker Extension are referred to as “browser hijackers.” Typical browser hijackers are expected to generate money through Pay-Per-Click and Pay-Per-View advertising and they do that by bombarding the user’s computer screen with various sponsored advertisements in the form of pop-ups, pop-unders, banners, full-screen ads and links. The purpose of this sort of software is to get as many clicks as possible on the advertising materials that are displayed.
As we said above, a browser hijacker, such as Captcha4you, may infect all of the main browsers on your computer (Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Edge). After the potentially undesirable software is installed on the main web browser, the default home page and search engine are likely to be replaced with some sponsored ones. You’ll also start to experience auto-redirects to web pages that the hijacker has been configured to advertise. This kind of behaviour may be linked to several internet hazards, as well as being very unpleasant to the user and difficult to stop. That’s why, removing apps like Captcha4you and uninstalling any changes they may have made to the browser or system is strongly recommended.
In general, no browser hijacker, including Captcha4you isn’t harmful to your computer and data in a direct way. It’s a different story if your computer has been infected with malware such as a Trojan, Spyware or a Ransomware cryptovirus. However, there are a number of ways in which Captcha4you might put you at risk.
For instance, by modifying the browser’s and the operating system’s settings, a hijacker can make them an easy target for real malicious software and viruses. You can’t ignore the fact that if you have Captcha4you on your system, you may, at any moment, be redirected to different websites containing low-quality (or even harmful) web ads and questionable links without any possibility for you to stop that. And if a hijacker-sponsored website turns out to be a phishing scam, set up to steal your credit or debit card information if you enter it on the site’s form, you may easily end up being scammed or infected with a real virus. However, all of this may be avoided if you remove the hijacker as soon as you see it on your computer and uninstall all of its changes. Detailed instructions on how to remove Captcha4you from the most common web browsers are provided below.
SUMMARY:
Name | Captcha4you.top |
Type | Browser Hijacker |
Detection Tool |
*Source of claim SH can remove it.
Remove Captcha4you Virus
If you have a Windows virus, continue with the guide below.
If you have a Mac virus, please use our How to remove Ads on Mac guide.
If you have an Android virus, please use our Android Malware Removal guide.
If you have an iPhone virus, please use our iPhone Virus Removal guide
A lot of people find dealing with browser hijackers a great deal of nuisance. And this can be true because it is possible that removing a browser hijacker such as Captcha4you from your computer could take some time and a bit of nerves before it gets fully eliminated. Some users, however, may be able to save themselves some time and effort if they follow the following guidelines:
- After clicking the main menu of the hijacked browser, select More Tools (or Add-ons) from the list of accessible options.
- This should now allow you to access and navigate to the Extensions tab (typically on the left-hand side of the window). When you find it, select it.
- After that, you should uninstall any extensions that are associated with the hijacking problem, as well as any other potentially unwanted extensions and add-ons that you don’t use and find as potentially unwanted.
- After you have removed the potentially unwanted extensions and add-ons, restart your browser to see if there are any symptoms of browser hijacking.
The quick steps above may be sufficient to resolve the issue with Captcha4you without the need for further action from your side. However, if this is not the case with you, then you will need to follow the thorough steps outlined in the Captcha4you removal guide below. They will help you to get rid of the bothersome pop-ups and auto redirections once and for all.
In order to remove Captcha4you in the appropriate manner, some preparation for the next steps is required. So, first, we recommend you to save this page with removal instructions to your favorites (so you can easily find it again). To do that, simply click on the bookmark icon in the browser’s URL bar.
After that, restart the computer in Safe Mode by following the step-by-step instructions provided on this web page. After the machine has rebooted, navigate back to the page you previously saved and proceed with the remaining steps in the Captcha4you removal guide.
WARNING! READ CAREFULLY BEFORE PROCEEDING!
*Source of claim SH can remove it.
In the instructions that follow, you’ll be required to use a number of key combinations that will save you time while also allowing you to access critical system apps. One of these key combinations is the CTRL + SHIFT + ESC combination. To access the Windows Task Manager, press this key combination. The Task Manager will display information about the processes that are now executing on your computer.
By selecting the Processes Tab (the “Details” Tab on Win 8 and 10), you can try to determine which of the listed processes could be managed by Captcha4you.
Then, by right-clicking on the process that you believe is associated to the browser hijacker, click Open File Location to view its files.
Then, to ensure that the files at that location are safe, run them through the free online virus scanner provided below. When you have finished scanning, you will know which files and processes need to be terminated if they contain malicious code.
If a threat is discovered, first end the associated process (Right-click>>>End Process) and after that delete the files from the File Location directory.
After that, start a Run command window by pressing the Start Key and R together in a key combination. In the text box, type appwiz.cpl and press Enter.
If you look at the Control Panel window that appears, you’ll see a list of all the programs that are currently installed on your computer.
You should search for and uninstall any programs that were recently installed by filtering them by date of installation. Pay attention to the apps that were installed close to the time that Captcha4you appeared on the system, as well as any apps that you suspect may have been responsible for the hijacker’s introduction into the system. For additional information about their origin and developer, don’t hesitate to conduct an online search on respected cybersecurity websites before acting on the information you discover.
Following that, you may use the Windows search field to search for a variety of system applications and open them without wasting any time. One of them is System Configuration, which you can start on the screen by simply typing the word msconfig in the search bar and selecting the first option that appears at the top of the search results.
Once you see it, click on Startup. After that, take a look at the startup items listed there and make sure that any startup items that are related to Captcha4you are unchecked. This will keep those items disabled and will prevent them from starting up when your computer is first turned on. Don’t forget to save your changes by confirming them with a click on the OK button.
*Source of claim SH can remove it.
The Start Key and the R key will need to be used in combination once more to complete this task. This time, copy and paste the following line into the Run box and hit the OK button:
notepad %windir%/system32/Drivers/etc/hosts
The Hosts file will appear on your computer’s screen immediately after clicking the OK. Look through the text until you locate Localhost and search for IP addresses that appear strange. An illustration of what you should be on the lookout for is shown in the image below:
If you notice anything odd in your file that looks similar to what is shown in the example image, please leave a comment below this post with a copy of the IP addresses that you believe are involved. If they appear to be a threat, we will notify you as soon as we have determined their status.
Next, use the Windows search field to find Network Connections and follow the steps outlined below to undo any DNS changes that Captcha4you might have made to your settings.
- Select Properties from the right-click menu on your main network adapter.
- Navigate to Internet Protocol Version 4 (ICP/IP) and highlight it with the cursor. Then click Properties from the buttons at the bottom of the page.
- After you’ve selected the option to Obtain DNS server automatically, select Advanced from the drop-down menu.
- When you are in the Advanced window, select the DNS tab to remove any rogue DNS that may be there.
- Click OK before closing all the windows to ensure that the changes are saved.
All browsers should be thoroughly checked in order to avoid browser hijackers such as Captcha4you from reappearing in them. For this reason, we’ve included step-by-step instructions to assist you in removing Captcha4you from the most popular browsers. It’s okay if you’re using a different browser than the one described here as the steps should be nearly the same, if not exactly the same, regardless of which one you’re using.
Begin by right-clicking on the browser’s shortcut icon and selecting Properties from the list of options that is presented.
Select the Shortcut tab from the top of the Properties window, and then go to Target.
If you see anything added after .exe, you must remove it before proceeding to the next step.
Remove Captcha4you from Internet Explorer:
Open Internet Explorer and select the gear icon in the upper right corner of the browser window.
Next, select Manage Add-ons from the drop-down menu that appears when the window is down.
Disable any Captcha4you-related extensions or add-ons that you may come across while searching.
Internet Options can be found under the gear icon’s drop-down menu. Select it and if you notice that Captcha4you has taken over your browser’s homepage address, you have the option of changing your homepage URL. Then click on the Apply button.
Remove Captcha4you from Firefox:
While Firefox is open, navigate to the upper right corner and click on the icon with three parallel lines.
After that, select Add-ons from the menu, and navigate to the Extensions tab on the left side of the screen. As you did in Internet Explorer, you should remove any extensions that appear to be problematic or potentially unwanted from the list.
Remove Captcha4you from Chrome:
You must ensure that Google Chrome is completely closed down before proceeding with the following instructions. Once it has been closed, navigate to the following place on your computer:
C:/Users/!!!!USER NAME!!!!/AppData/Local/Google/Chrome/User Data.
There should be a folder labeled “Default” at this location. Select it and change its name to Backup Default. When done, restart Chrome to see if the browser hijacking issue has been resolved.
In the sixth step of this guide, we will show you how to search for Captcha4you-related entries in the Registry Editor.
Entering regedit in the Windows search field and hitting Enter will start the Registry Editor window.
Once you’ve launched the Editor, press the CTRL and F keys on your keyboard at the same time. In the Find window that you will see, type the name of the browser hijacker and then click Find Next to continue.
Remove any results that have that or a similar name by selecting them and right-clicking on them. Continue your search into your computer’s Registry until you no longer find any more results matching the hijacker’s name.
You should also carefully search each of the directories listed below for suspicious or hijacker-related entries, and you should remove or uninstall anything that you strongly believe is part of the hijacking problem:
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER—-Software—–Random Directory.
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER—-Software—Microsoft—-Windows—CurrentVersion—Run– Random
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER—-Software—Microsoft—Internet Explorer—-Main—- Random
This page’s professional removal tool and the free online virus scanner will both save you a significant amount of time and effort, while also decreasing the risk of accidentally deleting something important that could have a negative impact on your system’s stability and performance. This is especially true if you can’t figure out what needs to be deleted or you simply want to resolve the Captcha4you issue as quickly as possible.
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