Desktopnotificationshub Virus

Desktopnotificationshub

Desktopnotificationshub is a browser hijacker and it is a potentially unwanted piece of software. You can usually recognize the presence of apps like Desktopnotificationshub by the changes they make to your favorite web browser. 

In order to keep your computer system well protected against Trojans, viruses or nasty infections with ransomware or spyware, it is not enough to have a good antivirus program and to keep away from sketchy sites. Another very important aspect of ensuring that your system remains safe is having a clean browser that doesn’t have any sketchy or unreliable components added to it.

It doesn’t matter if you use Chrome or Firefox or if you have a Mac machine and use Safari on it. All browsers may be susceptible to unwanted elements that may get installed in them without you even realizing it. One such software element is the Desktopnotificationshub app.

Aside from setting a new search engine, redirecting your searches and replacing the homepage, this invasive application may also flood your whole screen with obnoxious, aggressive and irritating advertisements. This is, of course, all done as a means of making money for the people behind Desktopnotificationshub. However, since the ads you are likely to see on your screen may be coming from all corners of the Internet, it is not wise to trust them and to interact with them no matter how good some of the offers may seem to be.

The same needs to be said about the newly-imposed search engine service and homepage or new-tab page addresses. It’s better if you do not use them as they are likely to redirect you to sites and pages that Desktopnotificationshub is programmed to promote. And, since you do not know how safe these online addresses may be, it’s better to stay safe and not allow the invasive app to redirect you to any of them by avoiding the elements that it has added to your browser. Otherwise you may get targeted by viruses, Trojans or scary ransomware infections in case some unreliable advert or link gets you redirected to an illegal and malware-infested site.

Distribution of Desktopnotificationshub and other browser hijackers

Some hijacker apps actually have their official sites and can be downloaded from there. However, needless to say, not many people would go out of their way to download an actual browser hijacker that would swarm their screen with invasive ads and alter their browser beyond recognition. Of course, in many cases, the hijacker would be promoted as some useful add-on for the browser but even then, it’s unlikely that many people would install it.

This is why a much more effective and widespread way of distributing apps like Desktopnotificationshub, Poshukach, Pushnott is the use of the software bundling method. With this method, the potentially unwanted app is placed in an installer that has other programs in it. Normally, the hijacker is only a bonus feature and there is some other main program in the installer which is the one that the users would normally be interested in. Usually, the default setup setting would include all bonus elements and would automatically install them alongside the main program.

However, if you go for the Advanced setup menu instead, you’d be able to see what bonus components might be in there and opt-out of the ones that may not be wanted in the system.

SUMMARY:

Remove Desktopnotificationshub 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

Some of the steps will likely require you to exit the page. Bookmark it for later reference.

Reboot in Safe Mode (use this guide if you don’t know how to do it).

WARNING! READ CAREFULLY BEFORE PROCEEDING!

Press CTRL + SHIFT + ESC at the same time and go to the Processes Tab (the “Details” Tab on Win 8 and 10). Try to determine which processes are dangerous. 

Right click on each of them and select Open File Location. Then scan the files with our free online virus scanner:

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After you open their folder, end the processes that are infected, then delete their folders. 

Note: If you are sure something is part of the infection – delete it, even if the scanner doesn’t flag it. No anti-virus program can detect all infections. 

Hold together the Start Key and R. Type appwiz.cpl –> OK.

You are now in the Control Panel. Look for suspicious entries. Uninstall it/them.

Type msconfig in the search field and hit enter. A window will pop-up:

Startup —> Uncheck entries that have “Unknown” as Manufacturer or otherwise look suspicious.

Hold the Start Key and R –  copy + paste the following and click OK:

notepad %windir%/system32/Drivers/etc/hosts

A new file will open. If you are hacked, there will be a bunch of other IPs connected to you at the bottom. Look at the image below:

If there are suspicious IPs below “Localhost” – write to us in the comments.

Open the start menu and search for Network Connections (On Windows 10 you just write it after clicking the Windows button), press enter.

1. Right-click on the Network Adapter you are using —> Properties —> Internet Protocol Version 4 (ICP/IP), click  Properties.
2. The DNS line should be set to Obtain DNS server automatically. If it is not, set it yourself.
3. Click on Advanced —> the DNS tab. Remove everything here (if there is something) —> OK.

• After you complete this step, the threat will be gone from your browsers. Finish the next step as well or it may reappear on a system reboot.

Right click on the browser’s shortcut —> Properties.

NOTE: We are showing Google Chrome, but you can do this for Firefox and IE (or Edge).

Properties —–> Shortcut. In Target, remove everything after .exe.

  Remove Desktopnotificationshub from Internet Explorer:

Open IE, click   —–> Manage Add-ons.

Find the threat —> Disable. Go to  —–> Internet Options —> change the URL to whatever you use (if hijacked) —> Apply.

 Remove Desktopnotificationshub from Firefox:

Open Firefox, click    ——-> Add-ons —-> Extensions.

Remove Desktopnotificationshub from Chrome:

Close Chrome. Navigate to:

 C:/Users/!!!!USER NAME!!!!/AppData/Local/Google/Chrome/User Data. There is a Folder called “Default” inside:

Rename it to Backup Default. Restart Chrome.

Type Regedit in the windows search field and press Enter.

Inside, press CTRL and F together and type the threat’s Name. Right click and delete any entries you find with a similar name. If they don’t show up this way, go manually to these directories and delete/uninstall them:

• HKEY_CURRENT_USER—-Software—–Random Directory. It could be any one of them – ask us if you can’t discern which ones are malicious.
  HKEY_CURRENT_USER—-Software—Microsoft—-Windows—CurrentVersion—Run– Random
  HKEY_CURRENT_USER—-Software—Microsoft—Internet Explorer—-Main—- Random

If the guide doesn’t help, download the anti-virus program we recommended or try our free online virus scanner. Also, you can always ask us in the comments for help!