Search.adstopper.com

Search.adstopper.com is employed by AdStopper (or Ad Stopper Secure Search), a potentially unwanted program that was created by BrowseTech, Inc. This suspicious search tool – that we classify as a browser hijacker – is forced upon users if they want to continue using the services of the PUP for free. An alternative to that would be paying month by month (from $2.99) to have the ad-blocker working. According to our researchers, the ad-blocker works as promised; however, that does not mean that you need to be happy with the conditions. If you are not happy, we suggest removing Search.adstopper.com from your operating system without further hesitation. If you need more information before you are comfortable with making any decisions, you can continue reading this report. Read carefully, and, if your questions were not answered, leave them in the comments section below, and we will answer them there.

The first thing we did when we started analyzing Search.adstopper.com was checking legal information. It is notable that the same policies represent the hijacker and the potentially unwanted program. The so-called Cookie Policy reveals that cookies are used to collect information and supposedly ensure the best services. As stated in the document, cookies can be used in advertising, which is strange, considering that this software is all about blocking ads. It is unlikely that this program will inject malicious ads; however, ads of any kind might be annoying, and, if you do not want to encounter them, it is best to remove the software infecting them. If you decide to delete Search.adstopper.com, make sure you check Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome browsers because the hijacker might replace your regular homepage on all of them. We have not seen this hijacker affecting other browsers, but let us know if you have.

The so-called Ad Stopper Secure Search – which is also the name of the extension – is the official name of the suspicious search tool. The search tool itself is not very interactive, and, unlike most popular search tools, it does not provide different search options. When you enter search queries into the provided box, you will be provided with normal-looking results; however, you will not have the opportunity to browse for images, videos, or news. Considering that this software supports advertising, you might find sponsored links along with regular search results. Due to these reasons, it is completely understandable if you find the suspicious Search.adstopper.com undesirable. Of course, if you enjoy the services, you might decide to continue using this search tool. Although we do not classify it as a malicious threat, we do recommend researching it fully and making sure that you are comfortable with all of its features and tools.

If you figure out that you are not happy with Search.adstopper.com, we can help you remove this so-called browser hijacker from your browsers. According to our research, this hijacker could be introduced to users by third parties, which suggests that it could be bundled with other programs. If you discover these programs, analyze them to see if they must be eliminated from your PC. Because malware can be clandestine or even hidden, we suggest using an up-to-date malware scanner to see if your operating system is clean. If the hijacker and the extension it comes bundled with are the only pieces of software that you want to remove, you can focus on that. If malicious threats exist, we recommend eliminating them first.

Follow the steps in these instructions carefully, and the unwanted search tool will be eliminated for good. We have also added steps that will help you eliminate the unwanted extensions. Are you intimidated by the amount of steps that you will need to take? If you are inexperienced, this task might seem daunting, but we can assure you that it is not as difficult as you think. Of course, if you feel lost, you can rely on anti-malware software to clean your operating system. In fact, this is the better option because it also ensures further protection, which is exactly what you need if you want to keep malware away. Although we do not consider Search.adstopper.com a malware, it is possible that your operating system could use some help catching malicious threats, and a reliable anti-malware tool is best for this job.

Search.adstopper.com Removal

N.B. * symbolizes a folder named “Default” or a folder named after your Chrome profile name.

1. Open Explorer (tap Win+E on the keyboard).
2. Enter %UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\DOMStore into the address bar.
3. Right-click and Delete the file called “search.adstopper.[1].xml”.
4. Enter %UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\User Data\*\ or %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\*\ into the address bar.
5. Right-click and Delete files Web Data, Preferences, and Secure Preferences.
6. Open the Extension folder and Delete the folder called “bkjjlihdpbjopagppemnfahfeajkokbb.”
7. Enter %AppData%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\ into the address bar.
8. Open the folder with a unique ID (e.g., xxxxxxx.default).
9. Open the prefs.js file with Notepad and remove this string: user_pref("browser.startup.homepage", "search.adstopper.com");.
10. Launch RUN (tap Win+R on your keyboard).
11. Type regedit.exe into the Open box and click OK.
12. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\ or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\.
13. Expand the DOMStorage key and Delete the key called “search.adstopper.com”.
14. Expand the SearchScopeskey and Delete the key called “4b312722-1f78-4984-aa3c-81e77e3a1e43”.
15. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\ and click Main.
16. Right-click the value called “Start Page” and select Modify.
17. Replace the URL of the hijacker in "Value data" with the URL of the preferred one.