Lookmovie.ag Virus

Lookmovie.ag

A browser hijacker such as Lookmovie.ag is a type of ad-generating and page-redirecting software. Lookmovie.ag is normally harmless but can be extremely irritating because it could cause some issues with your main browser and the way it operates.

lookmovie.ag
The Lookmovie.ag virus will display pop up ads and messages

Simply put, this software may replace your homepage or the default search engine and then install some new buttons, toolbars and shortcuts which may constantly redirect you to sponsored websites full of ads, banners, pop-ups and other commercial content. As a result of that, you may not be able to use your browser normally and may be forced to deal with some potentially unwanted changes inside your Chrome, Firefox, Edge or whatever your browser of choice currently is.

This is all usually done with the idea of turning the hijacked browser into an advertising platform where different sponsored banners, ads, pop-ups, pop-unders, new-tabs, page-redirect links and other intrusive commercial messages can get promoted. Of course, these ads and redirects are aimed at landing you on specific pages that can generate money for the creators of the browser hijacker, typically on the basis of Pay Per Click and Pay Per View remuneration models.

Fortunately, none of these ad-generating (S.viixie.com) or page-redirecting (Poshukach.com) activities will mess with your system in a harmful way. Applications such as Lookmovie.ag aren’t some nasty viruses or representatives of malware categories like ransomware, Trojans or spyware and, therefore, your files, your online accounts and your OS are unlikely to be damaged in any way.

It’s still important to be on your guard around hijackers

Despite lacking any actual harmful abilities, however, keeping a hijacker like this one on your computer can still be very annoying. The main reason is the web disturbance and the constant ad interruptions coming from such software can be quite intolerable for some people and may actually contribute to the exposure to insecure web locations.

For instance, if an ad or a link generated by an application like Lookmovie.ag turns out to be misleading, you may land on sites that may hide security hazards such as viruses, Trojans or ransomware. And even if you don’t get infected, you may still get tricked into purchasing some low-quality products or into downloading some potentially unwanted components in your system which may further slow it down, create system issues, cause unresponsiveness and general instability.

For this reason, most users who get a hijacker inside their browsers prefer to uninstall the invasive app and remove all of its additional components and any changes that it has enforced. 

How to deal with Lookmovie.ag safely and effectively

Representatives of the browser hijacker category are typically “hidden” inside different free installers, application bundles, torrents and automatic updates. That’s’ why, in many instances, web users may not know about their presence inside a given application setup and may install them in the system by default when they go through the main installer and agree to the Automatic installation settings.

However, if you select the Custom/ Advanced setup menu instead of the Automatic one, you will be able to remove any potentially unwanted component that might have been bundled before it gets installed in your system. If you skip these options, you will need to uninstall the potentially unwanted browser hijacker with the help of the instructions in the removal guide below or with the help of a reliable security app, such as the one that we have added to the guide.

SUMMARY:

NameLookmovie.ag
TypeBrowser Hijacker
Danger LevelMedium (nowhere near threats like Ransomware, but still a security risk)
Detection Tool

Remove Lookmovie.ag 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


Step1

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).

Step2

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. 

malware-start-taskbar

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. 

    Step3

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

    appwiz

    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:

    msconfig_opt

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

    Step4

    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:

    hosts_opt (1)

    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.
    DNS

    Step5

    • 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).

    browser-hijacker-taskbar-properties

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

    Browser Hijacker Removal Instructions

    ie9-10_512x512  Remove Lookmovie.ag  from Internet Explorer:

    Open IE, click  IE GEAR —–> Manage Add-ons.

    pic 3

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

    firefox-512 Remove Lookmovie.ag  from Firefox:

    Open Firefoxclick  mozilla menu  ——-> Add-ons —-> Extensions.

    pic 6


    chrome-logo-transparent-backgroundRemove Lookmovie.ag  from Chrome:

    Close Chrome. Navigate to:

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

    Rename the Folder to Backup Default

    Rename it to Backup Default. Restart Chrome.

    Step6

    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!


    About the author

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    Violet George

    Violet is an active writer with a passion for all things cyber security. She enjoys helping victims of computer virus infections remove them and successfully deal with the aftermath of the attacks. But most importantly, Violet makes it her priority to spend time educating people on privacy issues and maintaining the safety of their computers. It is her firm belief that by spreading this information, she can empower web users to effectively protect their personal data and their devices from hackers and cybercriminals.

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