Reepratic.com Virus

Browser Hijacker
by Brandon Skies
April 11, 2023

Reepratic virus is an ad-displaying browser-hijacker application notorious for targeting Windows systems. Upon infiltrating the browser, Reepratic virus alters the homepage address and inundates users with unwanted ads and page redirects during their online activities.

Reepratic.com

Reepratic

The primary goal of Reepratic is to generate maximum revenue by promoting various websites, products, and services to users. The ads and redirects displayed on users’ screens are linked to a Pay-Per-Click scheme, ensuring that each click or visit generates a small amount of income. To enhance advertising effectiveness, Reepratic modifies the browser’s search engine and homepage address to maximize ad exposure. Regardless of the browser in use—Firefox, Chrome, Edge, Opera, or others—Reepratic can infiltrate and alter settings without administrative authorization.

The Reepratic.com virus   

Detecting an application like the Reepratic.com virus in the browser is typically straightforward. Unlike ransomware, spyware, or Trojans, browser hijackers do not attempt to remain hidden from users; on the contrary, they strive to be as obtrusive as possible to increase the chances of receiving ad clicks. In extreme cases, ads, banners, and redirect links may be displayed in the most inconvenient locations on a webpage. For example, while reading an article, the hijacker could overlay its ad on the content, forcing users to click on the advertisement before being able to read the article. Such clicks result in users being redirected to other sites and bombarded with even more advertisements.

This annoyance may also render computers more vulnerable to attacks from various hazardous malware. Trojans, spyware, and ransomware are some of the most dangerous forms of malware users may encounter when interacting with dubious ads and redirects generated by the Reepratic.com virus. To protect the computer from infection, it is crucial to uninstall the Reepratic.com virus using the removal instructions provided below.

Signs that you have a hijacker in your browser

Hijackers like Reepratic, Wigglewurm or Just Cool Captcha are not installed as separate programs. Instead, they are typically incorporated into file bundles, allowing them to be distributed alongside other software. Another distribution method involves deceptive ads claiming that clicking the download button will provide a useful program. However, instead of receiving a beneficial app, users end up with an unwanted browser hijacker that detracts from their online experience by incessantly displaying ads.

SUMMARY:

NameReepratic.com
Type Browser Hijacker
Danger LevelMedium (nowhere near threats like Ransomware, but still a security risk)
SymptomsBrowser hijackers typically alter the way your browser operates by changing its homepage address and its search engine.
Distribution MethodIn most cases, the hijacker isn’t distributed as a separate app and is instead included inside some other program, typically one that is distributed for free.
Detection Tool

Please follow all the steps below in order to remove Reepratic.com!

How to remove Reepratic virus

  1. First, click the Start Menu on your Windows PC.
  2. Type Programs and Settings in the Start Menu, click the first item, and find Reepratic.com in the programs list that would show up.
  3. Select Reepratic.com from the list and click on Uninstall.
  4. Follow the steps in the removal wizard.

What we suggest you do first is, check the list of programs that are presently installed on the infected device and uninstall any rogue software that you find there:

  • From the Start Menu, navigate to Control Panel ->>> Programs and Features ->>> Uninstall a Program.
  • Next, carefully search for unfamiliar programs or programs that have been installed recently and could be related to Reepratic.com.
  • If you find any of the programs suspicious then uninstall them if they turn out to be linked to Reepratic.com.
  • If a notification appears on your screen when you try to uninstall a specific questionable program prompting you to just alter it or repair it, make sure you choose NO and complete the steps from the removal wizard.

Remove Reepratic.com from Chrome

  1. Click on the three dots in the right upper corner
  2. Go to more tools
  3. Now select extensions
  4. Remove the Reepratic.com extension
  • Once you open Chrome, click on the three-dots icon to open the browser’s menu, go to More Tools/ More Options, and then to Extensions.
  • Again, find the items on that page that could be linked to Reepratic.com and/or that might be causing problems in the browser and delete them.
  • Afterwards, go to this folder: Computer > C: > Users > *Your User Account* > App Data > Local > Google > Chrome > User Data. In there, you will find a folder named Default – you should change its name to Backup Default and restart the PC.
  • Note that the App Data folder is normally hidden so you’d have to first make the hidden files and folders on your PC visible before you can access it.

How to get rid of Reepratic.com on FF/Edge/etc.

  1. Open the browser and select the menu icon.
  2. From the menu, click on the Add-ons button.
  3. Look for the Reepratic.com extension
  4. Get rid of Reepratic.com by removing it from extensions

If using Firefox:

  • Open Firefox
  • Select the three parallel lines menu and go to Add-ons.
  • Find the unwanted add-on and delete it from the browser – if there is more than one unwanted extension, remove all of them.
  • Go to the browser menu again, select Options, and then click on Home from the sidebar to the left.
  • Check the current addresses for the browser’s homepage and new-tab page and change them if they are currently set to address(es) you don’t know or trust.

If using MS Edge/IE:

  • Start Edge
  • Select the browser menu and go to Extensions.
  • Find and uninstall any Edge extensions that look undesirable and unwanted.
  • Select Settings from the browser menu and click on Appearance.
  • Check the new-tab page address of the browser and if it has been modified by “Reepratic.com” or another unwanted app, change it to an address that you’d want to be the browser’s new-tab page.

How to Delete Reepratic.com

  1. Open task manager
  2. Look for the Reepratic.com process
  3. Select it and click on End task
  4. Open the file location to delete Reepratic.com
  • Access the Task Manager by pressing together the Ctrl + Alt + Del keys and then selecting Task Manager.
  • Open Processes and there try to find a process with the name of the unwanted software. If you find it, select it with the right button of the mouse and click on the Open File Location option.
  • If you don’t see a “Reepratic.com” process in the Task Manager, look for another suspicious process with an unusual name. It is likely that the unwanted process would be using lots of RAM and CPU so pay attention to the number of resources each process is using.
  • Tip: If you think you have singled out the unwanted process but are not sure, it’s always a good idea to search for information about it on the Internet – this should give you a general idea if the process is a legitimate one from a regular program or from your OS or if it is indeed likely linked to the adware.
  • If you find another suspicious process, open its File Location too.
  • Once in the File Location folder for the suspicious process, start testing all of the files that are stored there by dragging them to our free online scanner available below.
  • Each file will be scanned with up to 64 antivirus programs to ensure maximum accuracy
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    • If the scanner finds malware in any of the files, return to the Processes tab in the Task Manager, select the suspected process, and then select the End Process option to quit it.
    • Go back to the folder where the files of that process are located and delete all of the files that you are allowed to delete. If all files get deleted normally, exit the folder and delete that folder too. If one or more of the files showed an error message when you tried to delete them, leave them for now and return to try to delete them again once you’ve completed the rest of the guide.

    How to Uninstall Reepratic.com

    1. Click on the home button
    2. Search for Startup Apps
    3. Look for Reepratic.com in there
    4. Uninstall Reepratic.com from Startup Apps by turning it off
    • Now you need to carefully search for and uninstall any Reepratic.com-related entries from the Registry. The easiest way to do this is to open the Registry Editor app (type Regedit in the windows search field and press Enter) and then open a Find dialog (CTRL+F key combination) where you have to type the name of the threat. 
    • Perform a search by clicking on the Find Next button and delete any detected results. Do this as many times as needed until no more results are found. 
    • After that, to ensure that there are no remaining entries lined to Reepratic.com in the Registry, go manually to the following directories and delete them:
    • HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Random Directory. 
    • HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Run/Random
    • HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Internet Explorer/Main/Random

    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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