Video3w Virus

Browser Hijacker
by Violet George
January 2, 2023

Video3w

Video3w is a rogue added component to popular web browsers that is designed to generate paid ads during browsing sessions. Programs like Video3w are known to meddle with the browser settings, and are therefore known as browser hijackers.

Video3w

Not all additions to Chrome, Safari, Firefox and other browsers are as useful and as helpful as their creators may advertise them to be. A prime example of this are the so-called browser hijackers. These are small pieces of software that integrate with the user’s main browser and change some of its settings, typically, in order to promote something from within the browser. One recently reported hijacker app is known as Video3w and it forces the replacement of the previous browser homepage with the Video3w one. Also, some users report changes in their search engine after this hijacker has entered the browser. Sudden page redirects to obscure sites and advertising-oriented pages can also be expected if a hijacker like this one has managed to get installed in your system

The Video3w com Virus

One thing to note here, however, is that although it may seem like theVideo3w com virus has gotten installed in your computer without your permission, more often than not, this isn’t exactly the case. It is highly likely that you have provided the Video3w com Virus with all the permissions it needs without even realizing it.

The way this normally happens is through the file bundling method. This is when some additional software components are included inside a given program installer.

SUMMARY:

NameVideo3w
TypeBrowser Hijacker
Danger LevelMedium (nowhere near threats like Ransomware, but still a security risk)
SymptomsBrowser hijackers are likely to make changes in the user’s browser without being given a direct permission to do so.
Distribution MethodThe method of software distribution most commonly associated with browser hijacker distribution is file bundling.
Detection Tool

Please follow all the steps below in order to remove Video3w!

How to remove Video3w

  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 Video3w in the programs list that would show up.
  3. Select Video3w 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 Video3w.
  • If you find any of the programs suspicious then uninstall them if they turn out to be linked to Video3w.
  • 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 Video3w 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 Video3w 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 Video3w 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 Video3w 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 Video3w extension
  4. Get rid of Video3w 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 “Video3w” or another unwanted app, change it to an address that you’d want to be the browser’s new-tab page.

How to Delete Video3w

  1. Open task manager
  2. Look for the Video3w process
  3. Select it and click on End task
  4. Open the file location to delete Video3w
  • 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 “Video3w” 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.
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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 Video3w

    1. Click on the home button
    2. Search for Startup Apps
    3. Look for Video3w in there
    4. Uninstall Video3w from Startup Apps by turning it off
    • Now you need to carefully search for and uninstall any Video3w-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 Video3w 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 Video3w?

    Most program installers have a default setup configuration and if there are any extra elements in the setup wizard, those elements are part of this default setup configuration. What this means is, if you opt for the default install and the Video3w hijacker is in the bundle, you will more than likely get the hijacker installed on your machine. The very act of choosing the default install option is what gives the hijacker the permission it needs to get installed and to integrate with your browser.
    Normally, such software bundles would have a custom setup menu and the presence of the extra elements would be disclosed in one way or another. However, most users cannot be bothered to check the details and the provided customization options in a program installer and simply go with the default configuration without paying any attention to what this may entail. One thing to remember here is that the installation of hijackers doesn’t typically happen in an illegal way – those apps aren’t like Ransomware, Trojans and other virus infections. A hijackers such as Video3w and  Eduratsu wouldn’t try to hurt your system, mess with any of your personal data or conduct some other form cyber crime.


    What to do if a hijacker is in the browser?


    Removing the hijacker is essential to your system’s safety and here is why. Though the app that promotes Video3w isn’t a harmful piece of software in and of itself, the random redirects it may trigger could lead you to unsafe sites with contents that may expose your machine to danger. Many ad-related online pages are used to spread malware, Trojans, ransomware viruses and spyware and you really shouldn’t have any components in your browser that can redirect you to random sites without your permission.
    Help with the removal of Video3w can be found in the guide that we have posted below. So be sure to have a look at it if you want to remove the new homepage and get rid of the hijacker that is responsible for its appearance in your browser.


    About the author

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    Violet George

    Violet is an active writer with a passion for all things cyber security. She enjoys helping victims of computer virus infections remove them and successfully deal with the aftermath of the attacks. But most importantly, Violet makes it her priority to spend time educating people on privacy issues and maintaining the safety of their computers. It is her firm belief that by spreading this information, she can empower web users to effectively protect their personal data and their devices from hackers and cybercriminals.

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