Youdontknowwhoiam
Youdontknowwhoiam is an obstructive add-on for your browser that will not stop displaying ads on your screen unless you get rid of the unpleasant app. Youdontknowwhoiam tends to hijack different settings of the browser such as the starting page or the toolbar in order to increase the number of ads it displays.
The main security concern that most computer users have about their computer systems is keeping them safe from Trojans, Ransomware or other highly dangerous and harmful criminal programs. However, what many do not realize is that it is not necessary for a software piece to be some highly malicious malware piece for it to be a security hazard. Case in point, the browser hijacker apps like Youdontknowwhoiam and Clever Captcha are technically not viruses and their typical purpose differs greatly from the purposes of threats like Spyware, Rootkits, Ransomware Trojans and so on. Instead of trying to harm your system or do something else that’s harmful while in the computer, a hijacker would mostly limit itself to spamming your browser with page-redirects and ads and maybe changing its starting page address or search engine service tool. You can get that on Chrome or Firefox or any other browser really but having a hijacker in your computer won’t necessarily lead to any direct harm. This is because the apps of this category are not typically made with the intention to commit cyber crimes with their help. That being said, though, there are undoubtedly risks related to the presence of Youdontknowwhoiam inside your browser. Sure, at first a software like this may look no different from any other extension you may have in your browser but trust us, as soon as the ads, the banners, the pop-ups, the redirects and the unwelcome changes start to kick in, you will know that something’s not quite right. Most users want to get rid of a hijacker as soon as the effects of its presence become apparent since it can all be a bit too irritating to tolerate. We fully understand that and we are determined to help you deal with a software element named Youdontknowwhoiam which is the newest addition to the hijacker family:
So, how could a hijacker be hazardous?
Though the main goal of apps like Youdontknowwhoiam is to accumulate revenue for the people who’ve created them through invasive online advertising and not much else, you may still get your computer’s safety compromised if you allow such software to operate in your computer instead of uninstalling the annoying app. The hijacker itself will probably not have any harmful abilities of its own. The problem comes from the different ads it may show as those can originate from different sources. For example, a given ad may be coming to you from a site that truly sells quality products. However, some other advert could be a clickbait link to shady sites and pages that may try to trick you or maybe even lad malware inside your computer. Needless to say, it is in your best interest to avoid this second type of ads. However, since it would normally be difficult if not impossible to tell the difference between safe and unsafe ads, it’s simple better to make the generation of invasive and aggressive advertising content on your screen stop and the way to do that is by removing the hijacker software.
SUMMARY:
| Name | Youdontknowwhoiam |
| Type | Browser Hijacker |
| Danger Level | Medium (nowhere near threats like Ransomware, but still a security risk) |
| Symptoms | It’s next to impossible to not notice the appearance of the annoying ads and the changes to the browser. |
| Distribution Method | Misleading online ads and software bundles. |
| Detection Tool | Some threats reinstall themselves if you don’t delete their core files. We recommend downloading SpyHunter to remove harmful programs for you. This may save you hours and ensure you don’t harm your system by deleting the wrong files. |
OFFERRemove Youdontknowwhoiam Virus
To try and remove Youdontknowwhoiam quickly you can try this:
- Go to your browser’s settings and select More Tools (or Add-ons, depending on your browser).
- Then click on the Extensions tab.
- Look for the Youdontknowwhoiam extension (as well as any other unfamiliar ones).
- Remove Youdontknowwhoiam by clicking on the Trash Bin icon next to its name.
- Confirm and get rid of Youdontknowwhoiam and any other suspicious items.
If this does not work as described please follow our more detailed Youdontknowwhoiam removal guide below.
If you have a Windows virus, continue with the guide below.
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
Some of the steps will likely require you to exit the page. Bookmark it for later reference.
Reboot in Safe Mode (use this guide if you don’t know how to do it).
WARNING! READ CAREFULLY BEFORE PROCEEDING!
Press CTRL + SHIFT + ESC at the same time and go to the Processes Tab (the “Details” Tab on Win 8 and 10). Try to determine which processes are dangerous.
Right click on each of them and select Open File Location. Then scan the files with our free online virus scanner:
After you open their folder, end the processes that are infected, then delete their folders.
Note: If you are sure something is part of the infection – delete it, even if the scanner doesn’t flag it. No anti-virus program can detect all infections.
Hold together the Start Key and R. Type appwiz.cpl –> OK.
You are now in the Control Panel. Look for suspicious entries. Uninstall it/them.
Type msconfig in the search field and hit enter. A window will pop-up:
Startup —> Uncheck entries that have “Unknown” as Manufacturer or otherwise look suspicious.
Hold the Start Key and R – copy + paste the following and click OK:
notepad %windir%/system32/Drivers/etc/hosts
A new file will open. If you are hacked, there will be a bunch of other IPs connected to you at the bottom. Look at the image below:
If there are suspicious IPs below “Localhost” – write to us in the comments.
Open the start menu and search for Network Connections (On Windows 10 you just write it after clicking the Windows button), press enter.
- Right-click on the Network Adapter you are using —> Properties —> Internet Protocol Version 4 (ICP/IP), click Properties.
- The DNS line should be set to Obtain DNS server automatically. If it is not, set it yourself.
- Click on Advanced —> the DNS tab. Remove everything here (if there is something) —> OK.
- After you complete this step, the threat will be gone from your browsers. Finish the next step as well or it may reappear on a system reboot.
Right click on the browser’s shortcut —> Properties.
NOTE: We are showing Google Chrome, but you can do this for Firefox and IE (or Edge).
Properties —–> Shortcut. In Target, remove everything after .exe.
Remove Youdontknowwhoiam from Internet Explorer:
Open IE, click 
—–> Manage Add-ons.
Find the threat —> Disable. Go to —–> Internet Options —> change the URL to whatever you use (if hijacked) —> Apply.
Remove Youdontknowwhoiam from Firefox:
Open Firefox, click 
——-> Add-ons —-> Extensions.
Remove Youdontknowwhoiam from Chrome:
Close Chrome. Navigate to:
C:/Users/!!!!USER NAME!!!!/AppData/Local/Google/Chrome/User Data. There is a Folder called “Default” inside:
Rename it to Backup Default. Restart Chrome.
Type Regedit in the windows search field and press Enter.
Inside, press CTRL and F together and type the threat’s Name. Right click and delete any entries you find with a similar name. If they don’t show up this way, go manually to these directories and delete/uninstall them:
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER—-Software—–Random Directory. It could be any one of them – ask us if you can’t discern which ones are malicious.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER—-Software—Microsoft—-Windows—CurrentVersion—Run– Random
HKEY_CURRENT_USER—-Software—Microsoft—Internet Explorer—-Main—- Random
If the guide doesn’t help, download the anti-virus program we recommended or try our free online virus scanner. Also, you can always ask us in the comments for help!
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