Chatgigi2
Chatgigi2 is a browser add-on that is labeled as potentially unwanted because it generates aggressive ads and redirects the user’s searches. Apps like Chatgigi2 are known as browser hijackers and their main goal is to make money through Pay-Per-Click adverts and sponsored page redirects.
If you are struggling to get rid of this unpleasant app and need help with its removal, stay on this page and read the information available on it. You will learn more about the nature of Chatgigi2, the potential dangers it may represent, and the best way to have it uninstalled without danger for your computer.
The Chatgigi2 Malware
The problem with the Chatgigi2 malware is that it developers are usually not particularly concerned with the safety of the users’ computers. This means that the pop-ups, the banners, and the sites the Chatgigi2 malware may display and redirect you to could be hosted by anyone, including cybercriminals and hackers, who seek to spread Trojans, Spyware, Phishing viruses, Ransomware, and other similar hazards.
SUMMARY:
| Name | Chatgigi2 |
| Type | Browser Hijacker |
| Danger Level | Medium (nowhere near threats like Ransomware, but still a security risk) |
| Symptoms | Noticing unauthorized and unwanted changes in your browser is a sure sign there is a hijacker present on the computer. |
| Distribution Method | Most of the methods used to spread such apps involve the use of some form of file-bundling. |
| 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. |
Please follow all the steps below in order to remove Chatgigi2!
How to remove Chatgigi2
- First, click the Start Menu on your Windows PC.
- Type Programs and Settings in the Start Menu, click the first item, and find Chatgigi2 in the programs list that would show up.
- Select Chatgigi2 from the list and click on Uninstall.
- Follow the steps in the removal wizard.
Read more…
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 Chatgigi2.
- If you find any of the programs suspicious then uninstall them if they turn out to be linked to Chatgigi2.
- 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 Chatgigi2 from Chrome
- Click on the three dots in the right upper corner
- Go to more tools
- Now select extensions
- Remove the Chatgigi2 extension
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- 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 Chatgigi2 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 Chatgigi2 on FF/Edge/etc.
- Open the browser and select the menu icon.
- From the menu, click on the Add-ons button.
- Look for the Chatgigi2 extension
- Get rid of Chatgigi2 by removing it from extensions
Read more…
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 “Chatgigi2” or another unwanted app, change it to an address that you’d want to be the browser’s new-tab page.
How to Delete Chatgigi2
- Open task manager
- Look for the Chatgigi2 process
- Select it and click on End task
- Open the file location to delete Chatgigi2
Read more…
- 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 “Chatgigi2” 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 accuracyThis scanner is free and will always remain free for our website's users.This file is not matched with any known malware in the database. You can either do a full real-time scan of the file or skip it to upload a new file. Doing a full scan with 64 antivirus programs can take up to 3-4 minutes per file.
Drag and Drop File Here To Scan
Analyzing 0 sEach file will be scanned with up to 64 antivirus programs to ensure maximum accuracyThis scanner is based on VirusTotal's API. By submitting data to it, you agree to their Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, and to the sharing of your sample submission with the security community. Please do not submit files with personal information if you do not want them to be shared. - 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 Chatgigi2
- Click on the home button
- Search for Startup Apps
- Look for Chatgigi2 in there
- Uninstall Chatgigi2 from Startup Apps by turning it off
Read more…
- Now you need to carefully search for and uninstall any Chatgigi2-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 Chatgigi2 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 Chatgigi2?
As stated above, Chatgigi2 is a browser hijacker and this means that it will most probably alter some parts of your browser like the search engine or the address of its new-tab page/homepage. This could occur in any browser, including highly secure ones like Chrome and Firefox. Even though Chatgigi2 might look like a scary virus that can harm your computer, it’s actually a relatively harmless app that isn’t intended to be damaging. This is also the main reason why your antivirus or the built-in security features of your browser have probably not flagged it as something dangerous and have allowed it to get installed.
Is Chatgigi2 dangerous?
Despite its overall harmlessness, however, having Chatgigi2 or Total ReCaptcha installed in your browser might indirectly lead to security weaknesses in your system and increase the chances of getting the computer infected with Trojans, Ransomware, or other variations of malware. That is why you shouldn’t try to tolerate the presence of this browser hijacker and instead quickly take the necessary actions to remove it. As we said, we will tell you how this unwanted app can be uninstalled but before we give you the guide with the removal steps, we must first tell you a bit more about the hijacker category as a whole.
Generally, clicking on stuff displayed by Chatgigi2 really isn’t a very good idea because it could land you on web locations that could be unsafe for your computer. Even if you don’t get redirected to a malware-infested page, you could still end up on a site that promotes sham software or that tries to trick you into buying low-quality products. And to top it all off, there’s little to no actual use you could get from this hijacker. Most such apps aren’t exactly made to be useful so keeping one in your browser is unlikely to benefit you in any way.
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