Ptilselr Virus

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Ptilselr

Ptilselr is a software element that gets attached to browsers without the user’s knowledge and begins changing their settings. Ptilselr seeks to provide more visits to the sites that sponsor it but, in the process of doing so, it may expose your PC to danger.

Ptilselr

If your machine is suffering from a surge of pop-up windows, banners and other forms of advertisements, it is likely because you have Ptilselr installed on it. What you are going through is recognized as a browser hijacker invasion and such apps have been causing problems for quite some time now. Some people assume that browser hijacker applications are created to solely display adverts and little else and they are actually right. However, since very few people would actually keep such a program on their machine for long, some browser hijacker programs have some sort of usefulness integrated into them. The creators of these apps need you to keep the program for its supposed functionality in spite of the pop-ups.

With all this said it got to be now clear the fact that browser hijacker programs aren’t always totally worthless in all cases and that’s why lot of people might even end up getting convinced to keep them on their computers since they are receiving some form of free functionality from the pesky app. Most of these people learn to ignore the adverts and aren’t seriously annoyed by them. Readers of this article, however, are likely trying to find a way to get rid of the browser hijacker without a second thought and we will attempt to help. A quick removal of this nagging software should be the most sensible course of action and to do so keep on reading.

The tactics employed for installing Ptilselr are quite a few and could even be viewed as some form of a stealth installation. By far, the most common strategies used to spread Ptilselr are fake links in file-sharing sites, torrent files and the obligatory spam e-mails.

Nonetheless, there’s one strategy for installing browser hijackers that stands out among the rest by being the the most successful, namely, the file-bundling technique. When a browser hijacker is packed with another piece of software, it gets on your computer after you install that piece of software. Those file bundles tend to be the only income source for creators of free programs. Simply getting an infected file is not really enough to get your system in trouble in the most of the cases. The actual issue occurs when you agree to the installation of that application and present it with your agreement for it to alter your system. This type of scenario often occurs if you are not watchful enough while installing a new piece of software on your computer. That is why the file bundling method is so widely used – you can actually give your agreement for the installation of all software programs concealed inside while believing that you are only about to install one single program. Should you choose the all-time-favourite “Regular” step, you are likely to end up getting more than you’ve bargained for. To prevent installing Ptilselr or some other unwelcome computer software like Mintnav alongside the piece of software you actually want in your computer, simply choose the custom settings while in the installation wizard – in there, you will be able to see and uncheck any of the additional programs that seem to be questionable. As far as removing the browser hijacker is concerned, you could find out the best way to do that by making use of our guide right below this article. Follow the steps meticulously and get rid of your browser hijacker-induced problems.

SUMMARY:

NamePtilselr
Type Browser Hijacker
Detection Tool

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Remove Ptilselr Virus

Ptilselr is a browser hijacker that may be hard to remove for many people. However, in the following article, we have comprehensive instructions explaining precisely what you need to do to get rid of the invasive program once and for all. Here are the short steps:

  • Stop all processes connected to the hijacker, operating in the Task Manager.
  • Uninstall any potentially unwanted apps that you have recently installed on your computer.
  • Uncheck any Ptilselr-related System Configuration startup items.
  • Check your computer’s Hosts file for hacking indicators.
  • Remove any rogue DNS modifications in the Network settings.
  • Go to the settings for your browsers, select More Tool/Add-ons and remove any browser extensions that seem to interfere with your surfing activities.
  • Search your computer’s registry for hijacker-linked items and delete them.

Please follow the Ptilselr removal guide, which begins here, to get the explanation of each step in detail:


Step1

During some of the instructions below, you may be asked to exit the browser or restart the system. Therefore, we recommend you to Bookmark this page before you do anything else, so you can quickly get back to the Ptilselr removal guide and complete it.

Rebooting the system in Safe Mode is the next thing that you should better do if you want to make the removal of Ptilselr easier and quicker. If you need assistance with that, please follow this link. After the system reboots, proceed to the instructions in step 2.

Step2

WARNING! READ CAREFULLY BEFORE PROCEEDING!

Just repeat the instructions below to save time and make things easier:

Press the keyboard keys CTRL, SHIFT and ESC together.

Click on the Processes tab in the Task Manager window (In Windows 8 and 10 it is called “Details”).

The Ptilselr process may not necessarily be named the same as the browser hijacker. Search for indications like random processes or higher than usual use of the CPU and memory.

Right-click on any process that looks suspicious and choose Open File Location.

malware-start-taskbar

Then scan the files with the powerful Free Virus Scanner available here:

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    You may have to wait a bit for the scan to finish. If the files contain hazardous code, end the process associated with them and remove the file and their folders. Repeat a file scan with another process that seems suspicious, if required, until you’re 100% confident your system is not disturbed by any hijacker-related processes.

    Step3

    Next, press the keyboard keys Windows and R together. On the screen, you’ll see a Run window. Type appwiz.cpl in it and click the OK button.

    appwiz

    A new window with all applications installed on your PC will appear. Filter the applications by the date they were installed, and look at the last ones installed around the time Ptilselr began troubling you. If you believe any of these applications may have introduced the browser hijacker in your system, make sure that you uninstall it.

    Next, launch System Configuration by entering msconfig in the Start menu search box. Click Enter and then open the Startup tab:

    msconfig_opt

    Check off any startup items that may be related to the ad generation and page redirection behavior you are experiencing, and click OK.

    Step4

    In this step, we will show you how to quickly check your Hosts file for hacking indicators. Just copy the following text and paste it in the Start menu search box, then click Enter:

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

    In case you are hacked, you may see a number of strange-looking IP addresses under Localhost in the text file. Should this be the case, copy the IPs in question and leave us a comment below. We will reply to you after we check them.

    hosts_opt (1)

    In the Search box of the Start menu, write Network Connections and click Enter.

    1. Go to the connected network adapter and right-click —> Properties.
    2. A window called Properties will open. Highlight the ICP/IP (Internet Protocol Version 4) and select the Properties button.
    3. The Obtain DNS Server Address option should be automatically chosen in the new window. If not, be sure to select it and then click the Advanced option.
    4. Finally, choose the DNS tab in the Advanced TCP/IP Settings window and delete any rogue DNS from the field displayed in the picture. Do not forget to save your changes by clicking OK.
    DNS

    Step5

    If you have more than one browser on your system, the following steps will explain to you how to delete any extensions and add-ons that may assist the hijacker re-emerge the next time you restart the system.

    NOTE: In the images below, we use Google Chrome as an example, but the identical instructions may be used for any other Ptilselr-hijacked browser.

    Start with a right-click on the shortcut icon of your browser and choose —> Properties.

    browser-hijacker-taskbar-properties

    Next, select the Shortcut tab in the new properties window and go to Target. In there, remove everything that might have been added after .exe and click the OK button at the bottom.

    Browser Hijacker Removal Instructions

    ie9-10_512x512  Remove Ptilselr from Internet Explorer:

    If your hijacked browser is Internet Explorer, open it and click  IE GEAR .

    Then click —–> Manage Add-ons.

    pic 3

    Use the  Disable button to disable any add-ons that you think could be causing you browsing interruptions and disturbance.

    After you are done, go to IE GEAR —–> Internet Options and if you see that the homepage address has been hijacked,  change the URL with an address that you trust, then click on Apply.

    firefox-512 Remove Ptilselr from Firefox:

    Firefox is another popular browser which is sometimes gets hijacked by applications such as Ptilselr. If you are using this browser, open it and click  mozilla menu , then go to > Add-ons > Extensions.

    pic 6

    Use the Remove button to remove any bothersome extensions. If they don’t want to be removed, they may need to be disabled first.

    chrome-logo-transparent-backgroundRemove Ptilselr from Chrome:

    To remove Ptilselr from Google Chrome, you need to quit the browser if it is open and go to this location of your system:

     C:/Users/!!!!USER NAME!!!!/AppData/Local/Google/Chrome/User Data. 

    Then, in User Data, select the “Default” folder and change its name to Backup Default by right-clicking on it and selecting the Rename option.

    Rename the Folder to Backup Default

    Save the new name and then launch the Chrome browser.

    Step6

    One method for the browser hijacker to gain persistence is to add entries to the system’s registry. Therefore, if you truly want to fully remove Ptilselr, you have to do this:

    • Type Regedit in the Start menu search box and then click Enter.
    • Open a Find box in the Registry Editor by pressing CTRL and F simultaneously.
    • Write the name of the browser hijacker in the Find box.
    • Click Find Next and wait for the results of your search.
    • Right-click on the entries with that name to delete them.

    Attention! Don’t remove registry items about which you’re not sure! Registry changes and removals conceal the danger of severe system corruption. Please use a professional removal tool to prevent unintended harm.

    If no results are discovered, go manually from the left panel of the Registry Editor to these folders:

    • HKEY_CURRENT_USER—-Software—–Random Directory.
    • HKEY_CURRENT_USER—-Software—Microsoft—-Windows—CurrentVersion—Run– Random
    • HKEY_CURRENT_USER—-Software—Microsoft—Internet Explorer—-Main—- Random

    If you find anything in any of these folders linked to Ptilselr, remove it. Again, be extremely cautious and use a professional removal program if you don’t know what to delete.

    Some browser hijackers are more persistent than others. Therefore, if you cannot deal with Ptilselr manually, it is advisable to check your computer with the anti-virus application we recommend. Apart from hijackers, this software may also address other potentially unwanted and hidden dangers that might disrupt your system’s regular functioning.

    What is Ptilselr?

    Ptilselr is a browser-hijacking tool that infects browsers like Chrome, Edge, and Firefox, and turns them into ad-displaying platforms. The mission of Ptilselr is to market certain sites and products and thus generate money on the basis of Pay-Per-View and Pay-Per-Click.
    The majority of users who have Ptilselr attached to their browsers don’t know how it got there, which can be attributed to the stealthy and underhanded tactics used to spread hijackers like it. Usually, the preferred methods of distribution for most browser hijackers are file-bundling, misleading online pop-ups, and disguised download buttons. These methods allow the creators of such software to get the software installed onto a big number of systems without needing the informed permission of the owners of the affected computers.
    To protect your browser and PC from hijackers in the future, it’s strongly advised to never download anything that originates from questionable sources and developers, that could be pirated, and/or be of low-quality. It’s also important to keep away from sketchy-looking web ads and other online content that seems unreliable.

    How dangerous is Ptilselr?

    Ptilselr is fairly dangerous – although it doesn’t have the ability to directly harm your computer or files, it could lead to their exposure to other threats, including Trojans and Ransomware. Another thing that makes hijackers like Ptilselr dangerous is their data-gathering abilities.
    A hijacker such as this one would typically extract information from the browser it is installed on and later use that information to present you with more relevant ads. On the surface, this may even seem useful. However, oftentimes the ads shown to you only seem to promote content that you may be interested in and when you click on them, they redirect you to something entirely different (and possibly unsafe). In addition, it’s not uncommon for data gathered by a browser hijacker to get sold to third-parties for extra profit. Who or what those third-parties are, however, remains unknown to the user. It’s not beyond the realm of possibility that your data could eventually fall into the possession of hackers or scammers, who could, in turn, use that data to scam you and/or attack you with malware.

    How to remove Ptilselr?

    To remove Ptilselr, you should make sure that there’s no rogue data, software, or processes in the system before you attempt to clean your browsers. Also, to remove Ptilselr, you must clean every browser in your system and not only the main one.
    Here’s what the removal process of Ptilselr should generally look like:
    1. First, you need to start with the programs that are installed on your PC – if there are any recent ones that you don’t seem to recall installing and/or that seem untrustworthy, you should probably uninstall them.
    2. Next, you have to make sure that no rogue processes are active in the system – use the Task Manager to single out the ones you think are rogue, look them up, and if your suspicions are confirmed, quit them.
    3. Later, you must also restore the default state of the Hosts file, the network DNS settings, the list of Startup items, and also you must clean the Registry.
    4. Last but not least, you should go to each browser, uninstall any suspicious/unwanted extensions, and delete the browser’s cookies and cache.

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    About the author

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    Brandon Skies

    Brandon is a researcher and content creator in the fields of cyber-security and virtual privacy. Years of experience enable him to provide readers with important information and adequate solutions for the latest software and malware problems.

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