*Source of claim SH can remove it.
Rank Captcha
Rank Captcha is a program that belongs to the browser hijacker class, which is a type of software that’s quite widespread on the internet these days. Typically, the Rank Captcha browser hijacker may fill the main browser with various ads, pop-ups, and banners, and may initiate page-redirects to various web pages.
They normally integrate with the main browser, no matter if this is Chrome, Explorer, Firefox or another one, and install a new search engine, or homepage domain without the users’ approval. This article, and the guide after it are all about showing you how to remove these changes, and uninstall Rank Captcha safely and effectively. That’s why we suggest you read the information below, and follow the steps described in the guide.
Rankcaptcha
You may hear the word “virus” or “malware” thrown at programs likeRanklcaptcha in various forums, and web locations, and this may make you question the nature of this software. However, we need to say that a Rankcaptcha is very far from a real malicious threat in terms of how harmful it could be.
Malware is software that can harm, and/or heavily compromise your computer’s security. Good examples of this are malicious programs like Trojans and Ransomware, which can sneak inside the users’ computers, and cause system damage or data loss. On the other hand, browser hijackers like Rank Captcha, Mintnav, Get Captcha top pale in comparison, and can only potentially lead to some ad-generating, and page-redirecting issues. Yet, we still suggest that you remove this software as soon as possible, since you can never be sure where it can redirect you to.
Rankcaptcha.top
Just like most browser hijackers, what Rankcaptcha.top typically does is it operates on a pay-per-click basis. Rankcaptcha.top is designed to generate profit for its creators from every click on the advertisements shown.
Therefore, the browser hijacker floods the browser’s screen with ads in different shapes and sizes, from pop-ups to banners, to page redirect links, and beyond. These often tend to be quite nagging, and even invasive, frequently covering important parts of a particular page, and preventing you from finding the information that you need. It all comes down to a simple objective, which is to make you click on the many advertisements.
Such software is also known for its ability to gather browsing-related data form your browser, and to then customize its advertisements according to the gathered information. The software may target information such as your search queries, your browsing history, your bookmarked pages, location, language, and other traffic data. The collected information can then be analyzed, and used to produce advertising content that is more likely to attract your attention. The problem here is that this data is often sold to third parties, so you have essentially no idea who will have access to your browsing information, and for what purposes they could use it.
Another thing you should know, which can give you a good reason to uninstall programs like Rank Captcha, is that the developers of such software do no typically monitor or control the authenticity and the origin of every ad or pop-up that their software may display. This means that the attractive pop-up or ad you’re looking at right now may not be genuine, but you’ll find that out only once you click on it. If it leads you to another deal, or to a different website, you might well be routed to some malicious web location, loaded with viruses of different types, including Ransomware or Trojans.
SUMMARY:
| Name | Rank Captcha |
| Type | Browser Hijacker |
| Detection Tool |
We tested that SpyHunter successfully removes parasite* and we recommend downloading it. Manual removal may take hours, it can harm your system if you re not careful, and parasite may reinstall itself at the end if you don't delete its core files. |
*Source of claim SH can remove it.
Remove Rank Captcha Virus
Browser Hijackers are intrusive software pieces that are known to be difficult to remove. However, if you pay close attention to the steps below, you will have a better chance to remove Rank Captcha quickly and successfully. Here is a brief explanation of the detailed steps in the guide that follows:
- In your affected computer, open System Configuration and disable any startup entries that you think are linked to Rank Captcha.
- Next, open the Control Panel >>>Programs and Features >>>Uninstall a program and uninstall any bogus programs that you believe have a relation to the browser hijacker.
- Open the Task Manager and stop any processes that seem to be related to Rank Captcha.
- In Internet Connections, revoke any changes that might have been made in the DNS settings.
- Open each of the browsers that are presently installed on your PC, select their Add-ons/Extensions menu and remove any extensions/add-ons that could be responsible for your hijacking disturbance.
- Check the Hosts file of the hijacked computer for signs of hacking, and remove any Rank Captcha-related traces from the registry.
For detailed description of the steps, please follow the Rank Captcha removal guide below.
A system restart in Safe Mode is required in order to complete this guide safely and successfully. Therefore, the first thing that you need to do is to reboot your PC in Safe Mode.
Before you do that, however, we recommend you to Bookmark this page in your browser. In this way, you can easily get back to it after the system restarts and continue from where you left.
WARNING! READ CAREFULLY BEFORE PROCEEDING!
*Source of claim SH can remove it.
With the computer restarted in Safe Mode, click on the Start button in the bottom left corner of the screen and type msconfig in the search field. Press the Enter key from the keyboard to open System Configuration and click on the Startup tab as shown on the image below:
You should see a list of startup items that are set to start when your computer starts. In case you detect a startup item that you can relate to Rank Captcha, or you spot an item that has “Unknown” Manufacturer or a random name, make sure you remove its checkmark to disable it. Then, click OK to save your changes.
Next, back to the Start button, open the Start menu and navigate to Control Panel>>>Programs and Features>>>Uninstall a program.
Carefully search the list of installed programs for Rank Captcha or any other apps that look suspicious, and you think could have introduced the browser hijacker to your system. Pay special attention to the programs that you have installed recently, and uninstall them if you believe that they are part of your browsing disturbance.
Use the CTRL, SHIFT and ESC key combination from the keyboard to open the Task Manager.
In it, click on Processes and search for processes that look suspicious or could be linked to the activity of the browser hijacker that you want to remove. If a process with a strange name or an unusual activity grabs your attention, what you need to do is right-click on it and open its File Location folder.
To decide if the process is dangerous and needs to be stopped, simply drag and drop its files to the online virus scanner below and run a scan:
If dangerous code is found in any of the scanned files, end the process by right-clicking on it and delete the files from their File Location folder.
Note: Feel free to scan as many processes as needed until you are sure that there is nothing suspicious running in your Task Manager.
*Source of claim SH can remove it.
Next, from the Start menu open Network Connections and follow the instructions below:
- Select the Network Adapter that is currently in use and right-click on it —> Properties.
- Next, in the new window, highlight Internet Protocol Version 4 (ICP/IP), and click on the Properties button at the bottom.
- Select the Obtain DNS server address automatically option and then click the Advanced button.
- In the new window, tap on the DNS tab and check if anything has been added. In case you detect rogue DNS in the field, remove it and click —> OK.
Next, make sure that you repeat the instructions that follow in all browsers that you have on your computer. If you skip that, Rank Captcha may reappear the next that you restart the system.
NOTE: For demonstration, we are using Google Chrome in the images below, but you can do the same instructions in Firefox and IE (or Edge).
Select the shortcut icon of the browser and Right-click on it —> Properties.
In the Properties window, go straight to the Shortcut tab.
Then, in Target, check if anything new has been added after .exe and remove it.
When you are done, click OK and close the window.
Remove Rank Captcha from Internet Explorer:
With IE started, click –> Manage Add-ons.
In the add-ons list, search for Rank Captcha or other add-ons that seem to be hijacking your browser and select > Disable.
After that, click once again and select >> Internet Options. In the new window, check if the homepage has been changed and replace the sponsored URL with a trusted one. Then click on -> Apply.
Remove Rank Captcha from Firefox:
The Firefox browser need to be started.
In it, click ——-> Add-ons —-> Extensions.
Search for extensions that are linked to Rank Captcha, and remove them from the browser. Do the same for any other extensions that you don’t use or find disturbing. Then, check how the browser operates.
Remove Rank Captcha from Chrome:
If Chrome is open, make sure that you close it and go to the following location:
C:/Users/!!!!USER NAME!!!!/AppData/Local/Google/Chrome/User Data.
Select the “Default” folder and change its name to Backup Default.
Once you do that, restart Chrome and check how it behaves.
The Hosts file of the computer is a common place where unauthorized changes can be made. Therefore, before you close this guide, it is a good idea to check if Rank Captcha has messed up with it.
To do that, copy and paste the line below in the search bar of the Start menu, and then click OK:
notepad %windir%/system32/Drivers/etc/hosts
Once the Hosts file opens on the screen, scroll down and find Localhost in the text.
If you see a bunch of suspicious-looking IPs there, (look at the image below) copy them and write to us in the comments.
If there is nothing disturbing, simply close the file.
Finally, start the Registry Editor (type Regedit in the search bar of the Start menu and press Enter).
Then, use the CTRL and F key combination to open a Find window inside the Editor.
Next, writhe the exact name of the browser hijacker that you want to remove inside the Find window and click on the Find Next button. If any entries appear in the results, they need to be removed.
In case nothing shows up, use the left panel of the Registry Editor to manually navigate to these directories:
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER-Software-Random Directory
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER-Software-Microsoft-Windows-CurrentVersion-Run-Random
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER-Software-Microsoft-Internet Explorer-Main-Random
Search for entries that have been added recently or have strange names and if you strongly believe that they are related to Rank Captcha, remove them.
If you can’t decide what exactly needs to be removed, please do not make changes in the registry. Any wrong deletions and alternations may seriously corrupt your OS. To avoid this, please download the anti-virus program we recommended or use our free online virus scanner to check any files that look suspicious. We would also be happy to help you if you leave us a message in the comments below this post.
Rank Captcha is an aggressive advertising app that latches onto popular browsers like Chrome and Firefox and injects them with obstructive advertising materials. Rank Captcha mainly gets installed in the system through app-bundles, though there are also other ways it could get distributed. Spam e-mail messages, misleading download links, and disguised notifications permission requests shown by fake/rogue sites are all possible ways one could get such unpleasant software attached to their browser. Once it gets added to the main browser in the system, Rank Captcha begins changing the browsing program. It could add to it new and unwanted extensions, change the starting page, or replace the search engine that the browser uses by default with a fake one that only generates promoted results. Due to the ability to make unauthorized changes in the browser, applications like Rank Captcha are referred to as browser hijackers, and they are one of the most common forms of malware.
Rank Captcha can be dangerous because it may put unsafe ads, links, and banners on your screen, and redirect you to potentially harmful sites. Another thing that makes Rank Captcha dangerous is its ability to secretly gather data from your browser and transfer it to third parties. It’s strongly advised to stay away from any pop-ups, ads, or sites you may get rerouted when Rank Captcha is in your browser and system. It’s well known that browser hijackers would often advertise even websites, software, and online services that aren’t particularly reputable or safe. Furthermore, it’s not unheard of for a hijacker to even redirect users to malware-infested sites or to fake and misleading pages that are used for phishing or cyber reconnaissance purposes. If you want to protect your computer and virtual privacy, you need to remove Rank Captcha immediately, as it could also gather personal data from your browser. It does this for the purposes of targeted advertising, but it may also sell the information to third parties, who could be hackers, scammers, etc.
To remove Rank Captcha from your computer and all your browsers, you must first clean the system from the rogue app that got you infected in the first place. After you do that, you must remove any leftover Rank Captcha files and settings and clean your browsers. The correct order of the removal steps is as follows: 1. Access Control Panel > Uninstall a Program and delete from that list the program you think infected you with Rank Captcha. 2. Start the Task Manager and use the list in its Processes tab to single out any still-running rogue processes. If you find such processes, quit them and delete their folders. 3. Visit the four system settings sections and reverse any changes made to them by Rank Captcha: The list of Startup items The Hosts file Your preferred network’s DNS settings The Registry of the computer. 4. Once all is done, visit the main browser, delete from it any extensions that seem unwanted and/or that are unknown to you and then delete the history and browsing data of the browser. Repeat this with your other browsers.
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