Runesmith.top Virus

Browser Hijacker
by Lidia Howler
May 7, 2023

Runesmith.top

Runesmith.top is an application that is inherently unwanted and belongs to the browser hijacker class of software. If Runesmith.top is present in your system, you will most probably experience automatic page redirects to ad-supported sites and constant exposure to aggressive pop-up banner ads.

Runesmith.top
The Runesmith.top virus will display pop up ads and messages

Each time you try to use your browser, Runesmith.top will ensure that your screen gets filled with specific promotional materials and prompts that invite you to click on different pages. If you’ve recently found your favorite web browser (be that Firefox, Chrome, Edge or some other popular web browsing app) being hijacked by Runesmith.top, it is possible that you wonder how to remove any unnecessary and maybe distracting advertisements that this software has started to show across your entire screen. Or you are eager to learn how to uninstall the weird homepage and the unapproved search engine that Runesmith.top has replaced your default one with. That’s why, in this article, we will provide you with a comprehensive removal guide and a professional self-help tool that can quickly and reliably deal with Runesmith.top in no time.

The Runesmith virus

The Runesmith virus is an aggressive application that produces thousands of pay per click ads while you surf the web through your main web browser. In general, the Runesmith virus is not something that you should be afraid of because it lacks the harmful abilities of classical viruses and malware.

When you open a new tab or begin a new browsing session, Runesmith.top will typically take over your browser and redirect you to some pre-defined websites full of paid ads. This allows for the browser hijacker to effectively generate pay-per-click or pay-per-view revenue for its creators and to support specific websites and deals that need more traffic and visibility. However, web users who have to endure the random redirects can not only get quite frustrated but also can accidentally be led to questionable web locations that contain viruses, Trojans, Ransomware and other malware.

SUMMARY:

NameRunesmith.top
TypeBrowser Hijacker
Detection Tool

Please follow all the steps below in order to remove Runesmith.top!

How to remove Runesmith.top

  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 Runesmith.top in the programs list that would show up.
  3. Select Runesmith.top from the list and click on Uninstall.
  4. Follow the steps in the removal wizard.

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.

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 Runesmith.top.
  • If you find any of the programs suspicious then uninstall them if they turn out to be linked to Runesmith.top.
  • 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 Runesmith.top 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 Runesmith.top 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 Runesmith.top 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 Runesmith.top 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 Runesmith.top extension
  4. Get rid of Runesmith.top 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 “Runesmith.top” or another unwanted app, change it to an address that you’d want to be the browser’s new-tab page.

How to Delete Runesmith.top

  1. Open task manager
  2. Look for the Runesmith.top process
  3. Select it and click on End task
  4. Open the file location to delete Runesmith.top
  • 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 “Runesmith.top” 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
    This scanner is free and will always remain free for our website's users.
    This file is not matched with any known malware in the database. You can either do a full real-time scan of the file or skip it to upload a new file. Doing a full scan with 64 antivirus programs can take up to 3-4 minutes per file.
    Full ScanUpload New File
    Drag and Drop File Here To Scan
    Drag and Drop File Here To Scan
    Loading
    Analyzing 0 s
    Each file will be scanned with up to 64 antivirus programs to ensure maximum accuracy
      This scanner is based on VirusTotal's API. By submitting data to it, you agree to their Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, and to the sharing of your sample submission with the security community. Please do not submit files with personal information if you do not want them to be shared.
    • 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 Runesmith.top

    1. Click on the home button
    2. Search for Startup Apps
    3. Look for Runesmith.top in there
    4. Uninstall Runesmith.top from Startup Apps by turning it off
    • Now you need to carefully search for and uninstall any Runesmith.top-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 Runesmith.top 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

    What is Runeshmit.top?

    Many people believe that a “browser hijacker” must be a term used for some kind of strange browser virus or malware that is extremely hard to remove and prevents them from browsing the web normally. That’s why our “How to remove” team frequently gets asked by web users whether Runesmith.top will harm their computer similarly to a Ransomware infection or Trojan horse virus. Fortunately, browser hijacker programs are normally not a threat to a computer’s security. They are only apps that usually display ads and different promotions during regular web searches. Therefore, it is unlikely for a program like Runesmith.top to corrupt your OS records, hack your accounts or do anything that can damage your system.
    Nonetheless, most browser hijackers may use your system resources to conduct some dubious background activities such as monitoring your web browsing history and matching your recent search queries to certain sponsored ads. In addition, these applications can make the hijacked browser unresponsive or cause it to crash or freeze, which, in turn, can make it impossible for you to surf the web normally. Not to mention that Runesmith.top and other such pieces of software can redirect you to pages of a questionable reputation where real viruses and security hazards may lurk. We, therefore, propose the following removal guide to quickly and efficiently uninstall Runesmith.top before you click on something that will make you regret it.


    About the author

    blank

    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.

    View all posts

    Leave a Comment