What is the Ustart virus (www.ustart.org)?
The uStart virus or Ustart.org redirect virus are are terms for potential malware (ustart malware), categorized as a browser hijacker and spyware that changes internet browser settings without consent, including the home page, default search engine, and browser shortcut, causing Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Internet Explorer to target, start up on, and redirect to ustart.org and other websites. Redirections to ustart.org often occur when attemping to search the web using the infected browser’s address bar or while manually attempting to use the address bar to direct to popular websites. Ustart malware may also be manually and voluntarily initiated and installed onto a computer, as Ustart.org promotes itself as a free startpage with widgets categories including video games, economy, movies, computers, sports, mode and shopping, tv series, tasks, Google drive, horoscopres, stocks, and more. Furthermore, www.ustart.org and Ustart products may entrap victims to terms they would never agree with if presented in a proper manner.
When first visiting www.ustart.org, users are prompted with a message that says Welcome on uStart, your start page! uStart is a free service that collect all your informations from the web and group them on the same page. All your informations – blogs, news, weather, videos, photos, facebook, e-mail… – is automatically updated each time you visit this page. The wizard can help you create your own page. The message attempts to persuade visitors to click a button that says “create my page” so that ustart.org can gain access to the internet users information. Clicking the Create my page button may change your internet browser settings to accommodate uStart without direct authorization.
Many victims of the uStart virus have no knowledge that uStart has hijacked their internet browser settings and other account settings until they notice unwanted redirections to www.ustart.org and other websites. Please note, uStart.org does not display malicious search results, but uses unethical marketing practices in order to direct traffic to their website to potentially generate money from the misfortunes of internet users.
To remove uStart malware and third-party computer viruses, as well as stop the ustart.org redirect, please follow the free ustart removal instructions provided further below.
Is Ustart.org safe?
Ustart.org is not safe for reasons concerning cyber criminal activity incovolving credit theft, extortion, and identity theft, the invasion of privacy, entrapment, and social engineering.
Furthermore, uStart may bundle and associate with third-party malware including adware, browser hijackers, and spyware. Ustart may also bundle alongside or inside freeware, shareware, codecs, and torrents. It has been reported that removing third-party software, malware, and files has also stopped the effects of ustart malware.
uStart Facebook scam: uStart Facebook hijack removal
Ustart aggressively attempts to persuade internet users to connect to www.ustart.org using their Facebook accounts, claiming that they can add their Facebook wall to the ustart.org home page. Though your Facebook feed will appear on www.ustart.org, the tactics uStart utilizes and does not directly discuss are very unethical and invasive.
Though the “signup” process for uStart and Facebook publicly admit to it, it has been reported that uStart will spam or post on behalf of the Facebook user as well as tag friends to the intial post to promote sponsored product and the ustart.org start page. Ustart also gathers information from connected Facebook accounts, including information about irrelevant Facebook friends. Some of the invasive alerts for ustart.org have been described below:
Ustart.org would like to access your public profile, friend list, email address, custom friends lists, messages, friend requests, News Feed, events, photos, personal description, likes and your friends’ birthdays, events, photos, pesonal descriptions and likes (above). Ustart.org would like to post to your friends on your behalf (below).
If you feel that ustart.org has comprimised your Facebook account, it is reccomedned to remove the uStart app from Facebook so it can no longer access your information. To remove the uStart Facebook app please follow the instructions below:
1. Click the privacy and security icon (lock) at the top of your Facebook menu and click See More Settings.
2. Click Apps, find uStart in the list of Apps you use and click the x. You will be promoted to remove the uStart app from your account, please select the radio option that says Delete all your uSart activity on Facebook and click the Remove button.
How to remove uStart malware (ustart.org)
- Uninstall uStart malware – Use the correct uStart malware uninstall procedures (2 options)
- Scan computer for malware – Scan for and remove additional malware from your computer
- Automatically repair browser settings – Automatically remove uStart browser settings and uninstall stubborn uStart software
- Manually remove ustart.org homepage
- Manually remove ustart.org search engine
1. Uninstall uStart malware 2 options)
uStart may be difficult to uninstall using Windows Uninstaller and other procedures.
Option 1: Windows Uninstall
1. Access Windows Start Menu and navigate to the Control Panel.
2. Click Uninstall a program or Add and remove a program (depending on your version of Windows).
3. In the list of installed programs, search for uStart, uStart Toolbar and other suspicious third party programs. Uninstall uStart and unwanted software by double clicking the program’s icon, or highlight the program in the list and click the Uninstall button/tab.
Option 2: CCleaner by Piriform
CCleaner by Piriform
CCleaner can be used to uninstall stubborn uStart browser software.
1. Install the free or paid version of CCleaner by Piriform and run the program.
2. Once installed, navigate to Tools > Uninstall tab and locate uStart software in the list. To automatically uninstall stubborn uStart software click Run Uninstaller.
2. Scan computer for malware (automatic removal)
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware can be used to detect and remove additional and/or third-party malware from your computer system, including malware that may be responsible for symptoms of the uStart virus.
1. Install the free or paid version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware software.
2. Once Malwarebytes is installed, run the program. If you are using the free version of Malwarebytes you will be prompted to update the database, please do so.
3. Open the first tab labeled “Scanner” and select the Perform full scan option. Click the Scan button to perform a full system scan. Malwarebytes will automatically detect malware infecting your computer system.
4. Once the full system scan is complete, Malwarebytes may prompt a message stating malicious objects were detected. Select the malicious objects and click the Remove Selected button to completely remove the malicious files from your computer (the image below shows a file that is NOT selected).
3. Automatically repair browser settings (automated repair)
CCleaner by Piriform
CCleaner can also be used to repair internet browser settings and stop your browser from redirecting to https://www.uStart.com and other websites.
1. Install the free or paid version of CCleaner by Piriform and run the program.
2. Once installed, run the program and navigate to Cleaner > Windows/Applications and click the Analyze button. Afterwards, click the Run Cleaner button on the bottom right of the program interface.
3. Next, navigate to Tools > Startup and search through each tab starting from windows, internet explorer, etc., all the way to Content Menu, for additional suspicious entries and click Disable and Delete once anything is found. Look for anything that may be suspicious or contain “ustart” in the title or filename.
4. Manually remove ustart.org homepage
- In Mozilla Firefox navigate to Tools > Options or click Firefox in the top left corner and click Options > Options. Under the General tab remove ustart.org from the “Home Page:” field and replace it with your preferred home page URL.
- In Microsoft Internet Explorer navigate to Tools >Internet Options. Remove ustart.org from the Home Page field and replace it with your preferred URL.
- In Google Chrome click the customize icon (wrench or 3 bars) and navigate to Settings.Click “Set pages” under the On startup option. Remove ustart.org and replace it with your preferred URL.
5. Manually remove ustart.org search engine
- In Mozilla Firefox, click the small search magnify glass near the search box (not url/search field) and click “Manage Search Engines…”. Remove the ustart.org search engine from the list of search providers by highlighting the selections and clicking remove.
- In Microsoft Internet Explorer navigate to Tools > Manage Add Ons > Search Providers and remove the ustart.org search engine from the list.
- In Google Chrome, click the customize icon (wrench or 3 bars) and navigate to Settings > Manage search engines… click the X next to ustart.org to remove it as your search engine.
Please note, If www.ustart.org is set as Google Chrome’s default search engine, add (or select) a new search engine (such as Google.com) and select the new search engine as the default search engine, then remove ustart.org by clicking the X next to it.
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