Paper Extension Virus

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Paper Extension

Paper Extension is one of the latest examples of a browser hijacking app. Paper Extension may typically take over your default web browser and force it to display various sponsored ads and redirect prompts during your web surfing sessions.

Paper

Every active online user knows that they should protect their computers from online hazards such as viruses, Trojans, spyware, ransomware and other sketchy or malicious programs. However, not everyone distinguishes malware and potentially unwanted software. The latter is not identical to computer viruses and is not intended to destroy the computer it is installed on.

Browser hijackers such as Paper Extension are a clear example of such software which normally do not damage your device but which are generally unwelcome. For the most part, such programs start flooding the system’s default web browser with nagging advertising materials such as intrusive pop-ups, auto-redirects to sale sites, obstructing banners, and on-screen notifications during each browsing session. Popular browsing apps such as Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Opera become a common target of browser hijacking.

The Paper Extension Virus

Browser hijackers such as the Paper Extension virus are a clear example of such software which normally do not damage your device but which are generally unwelcome.The Paper Extension virus will start flooding the system’s default web browser with nagging advertising materials such as intrusive pop-ups, auto-redirects to sale sites, obstructing banners, and on-screen notifications during each browsing session.

The typical symptoms that usually indicate that an app like Paper Extension, Agafurretor or Plant extension has attached itself to your main web browser include changes in the homepage address, the new tab page, the browser’s main search engine and some other key browser elements that are responsible for your online experience. These elements are often changed by the hijacker without the user’s permission. And while none of them will explicitly impact your browser’s privacy or your computer’s safety, it is still advisable to uninstall the changes and remove the program that is causing them as soon as you can. In most cases, this is the best way to stop the abuse of the aggressive advertisements on your screen and restore your previous web browsing settings.

Unfortunately, uninstalling a browser hijacker is not an easy process. Despite not being malware or a virus, this type of software may often install some helper components deep inside your system in order to facilitate its ad-generating and page-redirecting activities. That’s why, unless you detect and remove all of these components, it may be impossible to permanently remove the invasive software.

The good news is that there is a way to do that without contacting a security professional and, in the removal guide below, we will show you all the needed steps. We will also provide you with a professional removal tool for self-help that will significantly speed up the removal process and save you tons of time.

For many people, the unauthorized changes in the browser’s homepage and the default search engine, accompanied by the unstoppable steam of pop-up ads and banners is a good enough reason to remove Paper Extension without thinking twice. However, this isn’t the only reason why this is a good idea.

The questionable quality of the ads that can be shown on the screen is also an issue with this type of software. Not all web advertisements are to be trusted, and many of them may not really redirect you to what they seem to promote, meaning that you might click on a particular pop-up thinking that it is a real deal only to land on some questionable website that may inject you with ransomware, a Trojan or some other virus. So it is very important to remain vigilant around Paper Extension and to ensure that the intrusive software is deleted as soon as possible.

 

SUMMARY:

NamePaper Extension
Type Adware/Browser Hijacker
Detection Tool

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Remove Paper Extension Virus

You can try the following to see if you can get rid of Paper Extension quickly:

  1. Navigate to the More Tools section of your browser’s settings (it could also be called Add-ons, depending on your browser).
  2. Next, select the Extensions tab from the menu bar.
  3. Look for the Paper Extension extension (as well as any other unfamiliar ones).
  4. Delete Paper Extension by selecting it and then clicking on the Trash Bin button next to its name.
  5. Confirm the removal of Paper Extension and any other questionable extensions or add-ons that you don’t want to use.

If this does not work as described, please see our more extensive Paper Extension removal guide, which can be found further down.


Step1

The steps below may need you to exit the browser or restart the computer at various points. As a result, we recommend that you bookmark this page before proceeding with any other tasks so that you can return to the Paper Extension removal guide and complete it as fast as possible.

Rebooting the system in Safe Mode is the next step that you should take if you want to make the removal of Paper Extension as simple and as quick as possible. If you require assistance with this, please see the following link. After the machine has rebooted, follow the instructions in step 2 to complete the Paper Extension removal process.

Step2

WARNING! READ CAREFULLY BEFORE PROCEEDING!

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Simply follow the steps outlined below to save time and make things more convenient:

  • Hold down the CTRL, SHIFT, and ESC keys at the same time.
  • In the Task Manager window, select the Processes tab from the tabs at the top (In Windows 8 and 10 it is called “Details”).
  • The Paper Extension process may or may not be the same as the browser hijacker in terms of name and description. Seek out signs of unusual activity, such as random processes or higher than usual CPU and memory utilization.
  • Right-click on any process that appears suspicious and select Open File Location from the context menu.
malware-start-taskbar

Then, using the powerful Free Virus Scanner offered here, scan the files for dangerous or potentially unwanted code:

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    Wait for the scan to be completed and if the files contain potentially harmful code, end the process that is associated with them, then delete the files and their associated directories. You may need to repeat a file scan with another process that appears suspicious if necessary until you are 100 percent sure that your system is not being disrupted by any hijacker-associated activities.

    Step3

    In this step, press the Windows and R keys on your keyboard at the same time. You’ll see a Run window appear on your screen. In the text box, type appwiz.cpl and press the OK button.

    appwiz

    A new window will open, displaying a list of all the applications currently installed on your computer. Filter the apps by the date they were installed, and pay particular attention to the most recent ones that were installed around the time Paper Extension began to cause you problems. If you suspect that any of these applications may have been responsible for the introduction of the browser hijacker into your system, make sure to uninstall them immediately.

    After that, go to the Start menu and type msconfig into the search field to launch System Configuration. After pressing Enter, select the Startup tab from the top tabs menu:

    msconfig_opt

    Select any startup items that you believe may be connected to the ad-generation and page-redirection behavior you are experiencing, remove their checkmarks, and then click OK to save your changes.

    Step4

    *Source of claim SH can remove it.

    In this step, we’ll show you how to swiftly scan your Hosts file for signs of hacking and fix the problem. Simply type Run in the Start menu search field, open the result, copy and paste the following phrase into the Run dialog box, and then press Enter to execute the command:

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

    In the event that you have been hacked, you may notice a lot of strange-looking IP addresses under Localhost in the text file. If this is the case, please copy the IP addresses that are in question and write a comment below. We will respond to you once we have reviewed them.

    hosts_opt (1)

    Network Connections is another location that you should not miss out if you want to deal with Paper Extension permanently. You can open it by typing Network Connections in the Start menu’s Search field and pressing Enter.

    1. Right-click on the network adapter that is currently active and select Properties from the pop-up menu of options.

    2. A window titled Properties will appear on the screen. Select the Internet Protocol Version 4 (ICP/IP) and then click the Properties button at the bottom.

    3. The Obtain DNS Server Address Automatically option should be selected in the new window when it appears. If it is not, make sure that you select it before proceeding to the Advanced option.

    4. Finally, in the Advanced TCP/IP Settings window, select the DNS tab and delete any rogue DNS entries from the field, as shown in the image below. Don’t forget to click OK to apply your changes after you’ve made them.

    DNS

    Step5

    For those of you who have more than one browser installed on your system, the methods below will show you how to remove any extensions and add-ons that may assist the hijacker in re-appearing the next time your computer is restarted.

    NOTE: Although we use Google Chrome as an example in the graphics below, the same steps can be used to any other Paper Extension-hijacked browser.

    To begin, right-click on the shortcut icon for your browser and select —> Properties.

    browser-hijacker-taskbar-properties

    Then, in the new properties window, select the Shortcut tab and navigate to the Target field. Remove anything that might have been added after the .exe extension and then click the OK button at the bottom of the window.

    Browser Hijacker Removal Instructions

    ie9-10_512x512  Remove Paper Extension from Internet Explorer:

    If your hijacked browser is Internet Explorer, launch it and click on the gear icon top right. After that, from the slide-down menu select Manage add-ons and open it.

    pic 3

    Use the Disable option to disable any add-ons that you believe are interfering with your browsing experience or causing you to experience ad-interruptions.

    After you have finished, click the gear icon once again and navigate to —–> Internet Options. If you notice that your homepage has been hijacked, replace the URL with one that you trust in, then click on Apply.

    firefox-512 Remove Paper Extension from Firefox:

    Firefox is another popular browser that has been known to be hijacked by apps such as Paper Extension. If you are using this browser, open it and click on the main menu icon, then go to Add-ons > Extensions.

    pic 6

    Remove any unwanted extensions by selecting them and pressing the Remove button. If they do not want to be removed, they may need to be disabled first, which could be done by clicking on the Disable button.

    chrome-logo-transparent-backgroundRemove Paper Extension from Chrome:

    To uninstall Paper Extension from Google Chrome, you must close the browser if it is currently open and navigate to the following address on your computer:

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

    Rename the Folder to Backup Default

    Then, in User Data, choose the “Default” folder and rename it to Backup Default by right-clicking on it and selecting the Rename option from the context menu that appears. After you’ve saved the new name, you can launch the Chrome web browser.

    Step6

    The addition of entries to the system’s registry is one approach by which the browser hijacker might establish persistence. As a result, if you actually want to fully remove Paper Extension, you must follow these steps:

    • In the Start menu search bar, type regedit and press Enter to launch the Registry Editor.
    • In the Registry Editor, open a Find box by pressing the CTRL and F keys simultaneously.
    • In the Find box, type the name of the browser hijacker you want to remove.
    • Select Find Next and wait for the results of your search to be displayed on the screen.
    • To delete the items with that name, right-click on them and select “Delete.”

    Attention! Don’t remove registry entries if you aren’t sure that they belong to the browser hijacker! Changes to the registry and removals from the registry can cause severe system corruption. Please make use of a professional removal instrument to avoid causing unwanted damage.

    If there are no results found through the search, navigate manually from the left panel of the Registry Editor to the following folders:

    • HKEY_CURRENT_USER—-Software—–Random Directory. Search for unusually-looking directories.
    • HKEY_CURRENT_USER—-Software—Microsoft—-Windows—CurrentVersion—Run– Random
    • HKEY_CURRENT_USER—-Software—Microsoft—Internet Explorer—-Main—- Random

    If you discover anything in any of these directories that is associated with Paper Extension, delete it. Again, take great caution and use a professional removal program if you aren’t sure what you should delete or don’t know where to start.

    Some browser hijackers are more persistent than others, and some are more difficult to remove. When dealing with Paper Extension manually, it is recommended that you scan your computer with the anti-virus software we recommend or check specific files with the free online virus scanner, to ensure that you are not infected with anything else. Aside from hijackers, such software may also address other potentially unwanted and hidden hazards that may interfere with the normal operation of your system, such as viruses., to ensure that you are not infected with anything else. Aside from hijackers, such software may also address other potentially unwanted and hidden hazards that may interfere with the normal operation of your system, such as viruses.

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    About the author

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    Lidia Howler

    Lidia is a web content creator with years of experience in the cyber-security sector. She helps readers with articles on malware removal and online security. Her strive for simplicity and well-researched information provides users with easy-to-follow It-related tips and step-by-step tutorials.

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