CaptchaVerifier
CaptchaVerifier is a browser add-on labeled as a browser hijacker because of its tendency to alter the settings of Windows browsers without user permission. The goal of hijackers like CaptchaVerifier is typically to promote different sites through aggressive ads and page-redirects.
The CaptchaVerifier virus may be held responsible for certain changes in your default browser
Commonly referred to as a virus, CaptchaVerifier is a program that you may often encounter in your Chrome, Firefox, Explorer or any other browser. This software is classified as a browser hijacker and may be held responsible for certain changes in your default browser (homepage, search engine, new toolbar installations) as well as for the generation of various intrusive ads, pop-up redirects, banners and blinking boxes. More importantly you might be subjected to involuntarily participating in cryptomining activities. However, is this browser hijacker really a virus and can it be as dangerous as a Trojan horse or Ransomware infection? This is what we are going to discuss in the text that follows. If you are looking for more information about the typical features of CaptchaVerifier and the possible methods to remove this program from your system, at the end of the page you will find a detailed Removal Guide on that. There is also a trusted removal tool, which can help you uninstall all the imposed new browser toolbars, search engine and other components without losing time. So, if you want to bring your browser back to normal, stay with us to find out more.
Captcha Verifier
It may sound strange, but the truth is every browser hijacker, including Captcha Verifier, usually gets inside the system with the agreement of the users. However, in most of the cases, users do not pay attention to this installation since it often happens automatically and “by default”.
This is possible thanks to an installation method called software bundling, which allows one installation pack to contain more than one program ready to be installed. Usually, browser hijackers like CaptchaVerifier and Humisnee (as well as other bloatware programs) are distributed as “suggested components” inside some free installers of games, optimization software, free audio or video software and other test or free versions of popular and not so popular programs. The usual web locations where such bundles can be found are different freeware and shareware sites, free download links, torrent platforms, ads, spam emails and automatic software installation managers. Even reputed installation packages may contain some additionally bundled components; that’s why we advise our readers to carefully read the EULA and pay attention to all the installation steps, especially to options like Advanced/ Custom, since they can reveal all the additional components and provide an option for their safe removal.
Can the CaptchaVerifier Pop up cause some issues if not uninstalled?
CaptchaVerifier is not a fatal infection and does not pose a direct risk to your system even if you keep it there. However, we would suggest you remove this browser hijacker, because you may eventually face some negative consequences. Apart from installing a new homepage or search engine in your browser, CaptchaVerifier may redirect you to web locations, the safety of which may not be confirmed. This means that if you happen to click on some ad or link, generated by the browser hijacker, you may eventually land on a nasty virus such as a Trojan horse or Ransomware. This is not a must-have scenario, but still, the risk of interacting with non-trusted content exists, that’s why we believe prevention is better than being sorry later. Additionally, the owners of the hijacker may use it to track your online activity, analyze it and try to expose you to even more spamming ads and offers. This may result is general sluggishness of the affected browser, sudden crashes and increased usage of system resources for advertising activity that does not bring a significant benefit to you as a user.
What kind of program is a browser hijacker?
Many people have probably encountered browser hijackers in one way or another. However, not many of them know what exactly a browser hijacker stands for. Usually, on online forums these pieces of software are classified as irritating viruses, however, this is not quite true. A browser hijacker is a non-malicious program. It does not contain harmful scripts and unlike threats like Trojans, Ransomware, and other real viruses, it is not created to harass web users and their computers. Such software basically operates as an advertising tool, which tries to promote certain sponsored web pages, products, and services and bring traffic and revenue by collecting clicks and views. Oftentimes, the browser hijacker is considered potentially unwanted because its advertising activity may eventually become quite aggressive. For instance, it may modify the users’ web browser by installing some new homepage or search engine or start redirecting their searches to various new tabs, Pay-Per-Click ads, banners and pop-up links. If you have CaptchaVerifier in your system, you probably are already experiencing the above-described disturbance every time you try to open your default browser. Unfortunately, this software may not give you the chance to remove the imposed modifications and the nagging ads easily, unless you fully uninstall it from your system. For this reason, many people consider the hijacker difficult to handle and face issues when trying to get rid of it.
SUMMARY:
| Name | CaptchaVerifier |
| Type | Browser Hijacker |
| Detection Tool | Some threats reinstall themselves if you don't delete their core files. We recommend downloading SpyHunter to remove harmful programs for you. This may save you hours and ensure you don't harm your system by deleting the wrong files. |
Remove CaptchaVerifier Virus
CaptchaVerifier is a browser hijacker that many users may find difficult to remove. In the guide below, however, we have come up with detailed instructions that explain exactly what you need to do to get rid of the intrusive software once and for all. Here are the steps in brief:
- Go to your browser’s settings >> More Tools/Add-ons and remove any browser extensions that seem to be disturbing your web browsing activity.
- Stop any hijacker-related processes that are running the Task Manager.
- Uninstall any bogus applications from your computer.
- Disable any CaptchaVerifier-related startup items from your System Configurations.
- Remove any unauthorized DNS changes from your Network settings.
- Remove CaptchaVerifier by clicking on the Trash Bin icon next to its name.
- Search the registry of your computer for entries linked to the hijacker and remove them.
- Check the Hosts file of your computer for signs of hacking.
For detailed explanation on each of the steps, please follow the CaptchaVerifier removal guide that starts here:
First, while you are still in your browser and looking at this page, tap on the Bookmark icon to save it. This will make it easier to get back to the guide after the system and browser restarts that will be required below. Alternatively, you can open the guide on another device, such as your smartphone or tablet, and follow its steps from there.
Next, we will recommend you to enter the computer in Safe Mode by using the instructions from the provided link. Once you are done with that, come back to this page and proceed to the next step in the guide.
WARNING! READ CAREFULLY BEFORE PROCEEDING!
*Read more details in the first ad on this page, EULA, Privacy Policy, and full terms for Free Remover.
In this second step, we will explain to you how to remove CaptchaVerifier from your browsers. If you have more than one browser on your system, it is highly recommended that you complete the instructions below for all of them in order to remove any extensions and add-ons that may help the hijacker to re-appear the next time you restart the system.
NOTE: In the instructions that you will see below, we are using Google Chrome for demonstration, but the same instructions can be applied to any other browser that has been hijacked by CaptchaVerifier.
Start with a Right click on the browser’s shortcut icon and select —> Properties.
Next, in Properties select Shortcut.
Go to Target, and if anything has been added after .exe in the text field, make sure that you remove it.
Then click OK and close the window.
If Internet Explorer is your hijacked browser, open it and click
In the add-ons list, search for add-ons that you can’t remember installing and select > Disable. Do the same for any other add-ons/extensions that you are not using or you believe are hijacking your results.
Next, open your browser’s Internet Options by going to
Once inside, take a look at the URL that is written in the homepage field and change it if it has been hijacked. Then click on > Apply.
Firefox is another popular browser that frequently gets hijacked by apps like CaptchaVerifier. If you are using it, open the browser and click
After that select > Add-ons —-> Extensions and remove the extensions that you find disturbing. If they don’t want to get removed, you may need to Disable them first and then click on the Remove button once again.
If your Chrome browser is open, quit it and manually go to this location.
C:/Users/!!!!USER NAME!!!!/AppData/Local/Google/Chrome/User Data.
Make sure you are selecting your USER NAME.
If you do it correctly, you should see a Folder called “Default” inside User Data:
Change the name of that folder to Backup Default and save it that way.
After that, restart Chrome to see if that has resolved the problem.
If, after you have repeated all the steps from above inside your browsers, you are still having trouble using your computer, or your screen keeps getting bombarded with random ads and redirects, then you need to proceed to the next steps and stop/delete any processes and files that you believe are related to CaptchaVerifier.
To save time and make things easier, simply repeat the instructions:
Press CTRL, SHIFT and ESC keyboard keys together.
Inside the Task Manager window, click on the Processes Tab (In Windows 8 and 10 it is called “Details“).
The CaptchaVerifier process may not always have the same name as the browser hijacker. Therefore, look for symptoms such as processes with random names or higher than normal CPU and Memory usage.
Right-click on a process that you think is dangerous and select Open File Location.
After that, scan the files in that location with the powerful free virus scanner below:
You may need to wait for a while for the scan to complete. If dangerous code is found in the files, end the process that is related to them and delete their folders. If needed, repeat the file-scan with another process that looks suspicious until you are 100% sure that nothing disturbing is running on your computer.
*Read more details in the first ad on this page, EULA, Privacy Policy, and full terms for Free Remover.
Press Windows and R keyboard keys together. You will see a Run window on the screen.
Type appwiz.cpl in it and click –> OK.
A new window with all programs that have been installed on your PC will appear on the screen. Filter the programs by the date that they have been installed on and look at the most recent ones and the ones that have been installed around the time that CaptchaVerifier started disturbing you. If you think that any of these programs might have introduced the browser hijacker on your system, uninstall it.
Next, open System Configuration by typing msconfig in the search field of the Start menu. Press Enter and click on the Startup tab:
Uncheck any startup items that could be linked to the ad-generating and page-redirecting activity that you are experiencing and click OK.
Write Network Connections in the Start menu search field and press Enter.
- Go to the Network Adapter that you are connected to and right-click on it —> Properties
- A Properties window will open. Highlight Internet Protocol Version 4 (ICP/IP) with your mouse and click the Properties button.
- In the new window, the Obtain DNS server address automatically option should be selected. In case it is not, make sure that you select it and then click on the Advanced button.
- Finally, in the Advanced TCP/IP Settings window, select the DNS tab and remove any rogue DNS in the field as shown on the image. Don’t forget to click OK to save your changes.
One way for the browser hijacker to gain persistence is to add entries in the registry. That’s why, if you really want to remove CaptchaVerifier completely, you need to do the following:
Type Regedit in the search field of the Start menu and then press Enter.
Inside the Registry Editor, open a Find box by pressing CTRL and F together.
Writhe the browser hijacker’s name in the Find box.
Click on Find Next and wait for search results.
Delete any entries with that name by right-clicking on them.
Attention! Do not delete registry entries that you are not sure about! Changes and deletions in the registry hide risk for serious system corruption. To avoid involuntary damage, please use a professional removal tool.
If no results are found in this way, go manually to these directories by navigating to them from the left panel of the Registry Editor:
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Random Directory
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Run/Random
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Internet Explorer/Main/Random
If you spot anything related to CaptchaVerifier inside any of these directories, delete it. Once again, be very careful and use a professional removal tool if you don’t know what needs to be removed.
Last, but not least, do a quick check of your Hosts file for signs of hacking. For that, copy the line below and paste it in the search bar of the Start menu, then press Enter:
notepad %windir%/system32/Drivers/etc/hosts
Scroll the text of the file that opens and find Localhost. If you see questionable-looking IP addresses, like the ones in the image below, please leave us a comment below this post with a copy of the IPs.
Some browser hijackers are more persistent than others. Therefore, if you can’t deal with CaptchaVerifier manually, it is best to download the anti-virus program we recommended and let it scan your computer. Aside from hijackers, this program may also deal with other potentially unwanted and hidden threats that can disturb the normal operation of your system.
CaptchaVerifier is a potentially threatening software that attaches itself to Windows browsers, causing them to behave in an unusual way, generating ads aggressive ads and automatically page-redirecting the user. Though CaptchaVerifier isn’t designed with the purpose to harm your system, it can still be dangerous. Users who have this software attached to their browsers are discouraged from interacting with any promotional materials that may appear on their screens during browsing time, as they are likely from CaptchaVerifier. The ads, banners, redirects, and other advertising elements that this software may put in your browser aren’t intended to damage your computer or data – their main goal is to generate pay-per-click/pay-per/view income. However, the content that those ads promote could be anything, including rogue software, fake online services, or harmful sites. This is typical behavior for browser hijackers – a collective term used to refer to software like CaptchaVerifier. While a browser hijacker is technically not a virus program, it’s still recommended to not keep it on the computer.
CaptchaVerifier is not highly dangerous when compared to Trojans, Ransomware, or other advanced malicious programs. However, CaptchaVerifier can still be dangerous in an indirect way, through the ads it displays and the changes it introduces to the users’ browsers. Common techniques for making the advertising campaigns of such browser hijackers more effective is to program them to change (replace) the starting page and/or the search engine of the targeted browser. By doing this, the hijacker app is enabled to show you even more advertising materials and to redirect you to even more sites that it’s supposed to popularize. Such browser changes, however, could create serious weaknesses and vulnerabilities in the browser, which could, in turn, be exploited by hackers who seek to infect you with different types of malware (Trojans, Spyware, Rootkits, Ransomware, and more). Unfortunately, most hijackers don’t allow you to restore the regular state of the browser during their stay on your system, which is another important reason why you need to uninstall CaptchaVerifier.
To remove CaptchaVerifier, you must perform a thorough clean-up of the whole system, deleting unwanted programs and files as well as restoring any unwanted system changes introduced by the hijacker. After that, you must attempt to remove CaptchaVerifier from your browsers. Here’s a brief summary of the specific steps that you must perform: Step 1: In the Uninstall a Program section found in the Control Panel, you must try to find any program that may have infected your browser with CaptchaVerifier and uninstall it. Step 2: You must go to the Task Manager and with its help find and stop any processes that may be from CaptchaVerifier. Step 3: You must go to the following system settings and clean them from anything added/changed in them by the hijacker app. The Hosts file The Startup Items list The DNS settings of your main network The System Registry Step 4: Lastly, you must delete from each browser in the system any rogue/unknown extensions and clear all browser data.