Controller Extension
Controller Extension is a junkware extension for Chrome, Firefox, and other browsers the sole purpose of which is to redirect users to promoted websites. If Controller Extension is present in your browser, you will likely notice unwanted changes in the homepage, the toolbar, or the search engine.
The modifications that apps like Controller Extension and Editor Extension introduce to the browsers they get installed in serve the purpose of allowing the undesirable browser add-on to flood the browser with different types of advertisements, including aggressive pop-ups, obstructive banners, sudden page redirects to promoted sites, and misleading box messages. It’s all done as a means of generating ad revenue. The more clicks and views the ads and sites promoted by this hijacker get, the greater the profit earned by the creators of Controller Extension.
Obviously, this is quite a profitable form of online advertising and the developers of most browser hijacker apps do everything in their power to ensure that their applications remain on users’ computers for as long as possible. If you have already tried to remove Controller Extension but the app doesn’t seem to go away or simply gets reinstalled on the computer as soon as you seemingly uninstall it, this is the reason. Most browser hijackers are designed in such a way that they’d be as difficult to get rid of as possible, since this ensures that the profit that could potentially be gained from their ads is maximized. Still, there is a way to uninstall Controller Extension and ensure that it doesn’t return to your browser to bother you again, but you will have to complete several steps that will be explained to you in a detailed removal guide which you can find at the bottom of this write-up.
The Controller Extension Virus
According to the information that we have about this app and its abilities, it seems that, even though the Controller Extension virus may seem to possess certain characteristics that are oftentimes seen in various forms of dangerous viruses, this hijacker isn’t able or supposed to harm the computers it gets installed on.
This, however, doesn’t mean it is safe to keep this application installed and active on your machine. Despite its overall harmlessness, it’s possible that the content it promotes may be unreliable or outright dangerous.
One thing you must understand about Controller Extension that can be regarded as browser hijacker is that the creators of such software don’t really care about how safe the sites and products that they advertise are as long as it brings them profit. Sadly, this means that it’s not impossible to suddenly get redirected to a Trojan horse- or Ransomware-infested site because a hijacker app has been tasked with promoting said site.
Needless to say, the best way of avoiding potential encounters with Ransomware, Trojans, Spyware, and other similar viruses you may get exposed to due to the presence of a hijacker on your computer is to remove the unwanted page-redirecting tool. As we already mentioned, there is an uninstallation guide down below waiting to be used by anyone who may need assistance with the removal of the Controller Extension browser hijacker.
SUMMARY:
| Name | Controller Extension |
| Type | Browser Hijacker |
| Detection Tool |
Remove Controller Extension Virus
The removal of Controller Extension’s intrusive browser extension can be a time-consuming process, but we’ve created a guide with step-by-step instructions that can help you speed things up. Make sure you carefully follow the steps described below or ask us any questions that you may have in the comments section at the end of this post.
To begin, we recommend that you create a bookmark for this page and then restart your computer in Safe Mode using the instructions that can be found by clicking on this link.
Next, open the Control Panel by going to the Windows search bar and typing “control panel”. From there, go to the Programs and Features menu and choose “Uninstall a Program” Check the list of programs that are installed on your computer and right-clicking on any program that seems to be related to Controller Extension or might have been responsible for installing the hijacker on your computer. To remove it, choose Uninstall, and then follow the instructions that appear on the screen.
WARNING! READ CAREFULLY BEFORE PROCEEDING!
The next step requires you to investigate the Processes tab of the Task Manager. You may open the Task Manager by going to the Windows search bar, typing “task manager” and hitting Enter.
In the Processes tab, search for apps that have questionable names and higher than normal memory and CPU usage. If you have worries and want to check whether a certain process is linked to the hijacker, take the time to read more about it online. If you find enough disturbing information about a process that you believe is associated with the hijacker that you want to remove, you should end the process and remove any files associated with it.
You will be able to get access to the files of the process that seem to be connected with Controller Extension by right-clicking on Controller Extension and selecting “Open File Location”.
Scan all the files in that folder using the free scanner that is provided below. In the event that harmful content is found in the files, you should first return to the Processes tab, then right-click on the process to end it, and then go to the folder containing the files in question in order to delete them.
In the third step, you will need to go to the Windows search bar, type msconfig, and then click enter on your keyboard. The System Configuration window will appear on the screen. In it, go to the Startup tab and have a look at the startup items that are outlined there. Remove the tick from the box next to the item that you believe is connected to Controller Extension and needs to be deactivated.
The combination of the WinKey and the R key pressed together will allow you to open a Run command window, where you need to copy and paste the following command very carefully, and then click the OK button:
notepad %windir%/system32/Drivers/etc/hosts
The following file should appear on the screen:
Search the content of the file for the word “Localhost,” and if you come across any IP addresses that look questionable, copy them down in the comments section below this page. A member of our team will take a look at them, and then we will let you know whether they are malicious or not.
Next, after you close the Hosts file, type “Network Connections” in the Windows search field and then follow the following instructions:
1. Select Properties from the context menu that appears when you right-click on the network adapter that you are now using.
2. In the new window, go to the Internet Protocol Version 4 (ICP/IP) option, select it and click on the Properties button.
3. The DNS line needs to be set to Obtain DNS server automatically. Select it and then click the Advanced button.
4. Check the DNS tab for anything disturbing and remove any rogue DNS in the field. Then click OK on each open window to save the changes you’ve made there.
Here, we will explain to you how to check each browser that you have installed on your computer for components that are associated with the browser hijacker. To do this, right-click on the browser’s shortcut icon to access the quick menu, and then select Properties from that menu.
In the Properties window that appears, choose Shortcut from the tabs that are located at the very top. In the Target text box, delete anything that comes after “.exe”, and then click the OK button.
The next step is to launch the web browser, then click the button located in the upper-right corner of the window labeled “More Tools” or “Add-ons” (usually found in the upper right corner). Choose Extensions from the Menu that appears, and then check the list of Extensions/Add-ons for anything strange or connected to Controller Extension.
Once you are done with that, select Privacy/Privacy and Security from the drop-down menu in the Settings section of the main window of the browser.
The next thing you need to do is choose the option to Clear browsing data or Clear data. If the Advanced tab is visible in the window that has just appeared, you may access the settings by clicking on it. To complete the cleaning procedure, first deselect the checkbox labeled “Passwords,” then select everything else, and then click the Clear/Clear data button.
In the last step, you will have to deal with the Registry Editor. To open it, you need to go to the Windows search field, enter “Regedit“, and then press the Enter key.
After that, you need to start a search by pressing Ctrl + F, entering Controller Extension in the Find box, and then pressing Find Next. Be sure to carefully get rid of anything that shows up in the search results before continuing. After that, search once again until there are no more results for Controller Extension shown in the registry.
We also recommend that you manually go to the following locations using 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
Browser hijackers may add their files in different locations on the system, therefore, removing them manually may need some level of technical knowledge and expertise. Because of this, in many instances, it may be difficult for users without the proper knowledge and experience to manually remove the hijacker. In this case, having a powerful scanner, such as the free online virus scanner that is listed here, or a professional anti-malware program, such as the one that is provided in the guide, may be able to assist you in easily removing Controller Extension and any other forms of potentially unwanted software that might be hiding on your system.
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