{"id":7843,"date":"2013-04-07T18:20:22","date_gmt":"2013-04-07T18:20:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/?p=7843"},"modified":"2013-04-08T04:17:09","modified_gmt":"2013-04-08T04:17:09","slug":"remove-privitize-vpn-virus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/remove-privitize-vpn-virus\/","title":{"rendered":"Remove Privitize VPN and search.privitize.com (Removal Guide)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Privitize VPN<\/strong> is a virtual private network program, which \u00a0comes bundled with additonal free software (MagniPic and Searchou), and once installed it will set your home page to <strong>google.com\/webph<\/strong> and change your browser default search engine to <strong>search.privitize.com<\/strong>.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7847\" title=\"Privitize VPN homepage redirect\" alt=\"[Image: Privitize VPN virus]\" src=\"\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Privitize-VPN-home-page-virus.jpg\" width=\"1119\" height=\"485\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Privitize-VPN-home-page-virus.jpg 1119w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Privitize-VPN-home-page-virus-300x130.jpg 300w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Privitize-VPN-home-page-virus-1024x443.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1119px) 100vw, 1119px\" \/><br \/>\nPrivitize VPN is promoted via other free downloads, and has bundled into its installer MagniPic and SearchTab programs.<\/p><div id=\"mwtad3555962869\" class=\"gas_fallback-ad_309684--placement_360520\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;\"><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-7750719144850257\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-7750719144850257\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"3957935887\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p>When you install Privitize VPN, you will also agree to change your default browser home page to google.com\/webph and default search engine to <em>searchou.com<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7855\" title=\"Search Privitize redirect\" alt=\"[Image: Search Privitize redirect virus]\" src=\"\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/search-privitize-redirect.jpg\" width=\"900\" height=\"250\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/search-privitize-redirect.jpg 900w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/search-privitize-redirect-300x83.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><br \/>\nHowever, when you uninstall Privitize VPN from your computer, your web browser\u2019s default settings will not be restored. This means that you\u2019ll have to remove Privitize and MagnicPic extensions from your favorite web browser manually.<br \/>\nYou should <strong>always pay attention when installing software<\/strong> because often, a software installer includes optional installs, such as this Privitize VPN.Be very careful what you agree to install.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7848\" title=\"Privitize VPN installation \" alt=\"[Image: Privitize VPN installation]\" src=\"\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Privitize-VPN-installer.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"410\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Privitize-VPN-installer.jpg 500w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Privitize-VPN-installer-300x246.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><br \/>\n<strong>Always opt for the custom installation<\/strong> and deselect anything that is not familiar, especially optional software that you never wanted to download and install in the first place. It goes without saying that you should not install software that you don\u2019t trust.<\/p><div id=\"mwtad1258193644\" class=\"gas_fallback-ad_381396-ad_309691-placement_360566\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;\"><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-7750719144850257\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-7750719144850257\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1471373341\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mwtad1951957209\" class=\"gas_fallback-ad_309746-ad_309691-placement_360521\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;\"><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-7750719144850257\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-7750719144850257\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"4456629336\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2>Privitize VPN- Virus Removal Instructions<\/h2>\n<h3>STEP 1\u00a0: Uninstall\u00a0Privitize VPN from your computer<\/h3>\n<p>Privitize VPN has installed three programs (<strong>Privitize VPN<\/strong>, <strong>MagniPic<\/strong>, and <strong>toolbar for IE and Chrome<\/strong>) from Industriya) which you&#8217;ll need to uninstall.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>To uninstall <strong>Privitize VPN<\/strong>\u00a0program from your computer, click the <strong>Start<\/strong> button, then select <strong>Control Panel<\/strong>, and click on <strong>Uninstall a program.<\/strong><br \/>\nIf you are a Windows 8 user, you can right-click on a bottom left hot corner (formerly known as the Start button) and select Control panel from there, then select <em>Uninstall a program<\/em>.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7203\" title=\"Click on Uninstall a program\" alt=\"[Image: Uninstall a program]\" src=\"\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/uninstall-a-program-windows.jpg\" width=\"557\" height=\"298\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/uninstall-a-program-windows.jpg 557w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/uninstall-a-program-windows-300x160.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 557px) 100vw, 557px\" \/><\/li>\n<li>Seach and uninstall <strong>Privitize VPN<\/strong>,<strong>MagniPic<\/strong> and <strong>toolbar on IE and Chrome<\/strong> programs from your computer.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7854\" title=\"Uninstall Privitize VPN, MagniPic, and toolbar on IE and Chrome\" alt=\"[Image: Uninstall Privitize VPN]\" src=\"\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Privitize-VPN-uninstall.jpg\" width=\"1070\" height=\"271\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Privitize-VPN-uninstall.jpg 1070w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Privitize-VPN-uninstall-300x75.jpg 300w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Privitize-VPN-uninstall-1024x259.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1070px) 100vw, 1070px\" \/><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Please note that on some computers these programs might have a different name, search for any program developed by <strong>Industriya<\/strong>\u00a0and uninstall it from your computer.<br \/>\nBecause Privitize VPN is installed with other additional programs, we recommend that you <strong>search and uninstall any other unwanted or unknown programs<\/strong> from your computer.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>STEP 2 : Remove the Privitize VPN residual damage from your browser<\/h3>\n<p>Privitize VPN has installed two browser extensions (Privitize.com and MagniPic), has changed your homepage to google.com\/webph, and set your default search engine to <em>www.searchou.com<\/em>,<\/p><div id=\"mwtad2826163156\" class=\"gas_fallback-ad_309686-ad_309691-placement_360569\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;\"><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-7750719144850257\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-7750719144850257\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"6935453015\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<h4>Remove Privitize Search from\u00a0Internet Explorer<\/h4>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Remove Privitize Search extensions from Internet Explorer.<\/strong><br \/>\nOpen Internet Explorer,then click on the <strong>gear icon<\/strong> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6324\" title=\"Internet Explorer gear icon\" alt=\"[Image: Internet Explorer gear icon]\" src=\"\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/icongear.jpg\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" \/> (<em>Tools<\/em> for Windows XP users)\u00a0at the top (far right) and then \u00a0select <strong>Manage add-ons<\/strong>.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7099\" title=\"Select Manage Add-ons in Internet Explorer\" alt=\"[Image: Manage Add-ons in Internet Explorer]\" src=\"\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/Internet-Explorer-Manage-Add-ons.jpg\" width=\"435\" height=\"305\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/Internet-Explorer-Manage-Add-ons.jpg 435w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/Internet-Explorer-Manage-Add-ons-300x210.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 435px) 100vw, 435px\" \/><br \/>\nFrom the <em>Toolbars and Extensions<\/em> tab, select <strong>Privitize helper Object<\/strong>, <strong>MagniPic<\/strong>\u00a0and <strong>Privitize<\/strong> extensions, and click on <em>Disable<\/em>.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7849\" title=\"Privitize VPN Internet Explorer extensions \" alt=\"[Image: Privitize VPN Internet Explorer extensions ]\" src=\"\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Privitize-VPN-Internet-Explorer-extensions.jpg\" width=\"1000\" height=\"358\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Privitize-VPN-Internet-Explorer-extensions.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Privitize-VPN-Internet-Explorer-extensions-300x107.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><br \/>\n<strong>NOTE<\/strong>: Privitize VPN may have added additional add-ons which you will need to remove. We recommend that you remove any\u00a0unwanted\u00a0or unknown add-ons from Internet Explorer.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Set Internet Explorer default search engine from Privitize Search to Bing.<\/strong><br \/>\nTo change your default search engine, click on the <strong>gear icon<\/strong> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6324\" title=\"Internet Explorer gear icon\" alt=\"[Image: Internet Explorer gear icon]\" src=\"\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/icongear.jpg\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" \/> , select <strong>Manage Add-ons<\/strong>, and then, under <em>Add-on Types<\/em>, click <strong>Search Providers<\/strong>.<br \/>\nSelect <strong>Bing<\/strong> and on click the <strong>Set Default<\/strong> button.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7850\" title=\"Select Bing and click on Set as Default\" alt=\"[Image: Privitize Search redirect virus]\" src=\"\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Privitize-VPN-Internet-Explorer-redirect.jpg\" width=\"1000\" height=\"389\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Privitize-VPN-Internet-Explorer-redirect.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Privitize-VPN-Internet-Explorer-redirect-300x116.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><br \/>\nTo remove <em>Web Search<\/em> from Internet Explorer, select <strong><em>Privitize VPN<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0and click on <strong>Remove<\/strong>.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7851\" title=\"Privitize\" alt=\"[Image: Privitize Search redirect removal]\" src=\"\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Privitize-VPN-search-Internet-Explorer-redirect-removal.jpg\" width=\"1000\" height=\"402\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Privitize-VPN-search-Internet-Explorer-redirect-removal.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Privitize-VPN-search-Internet-Explorer-redirect-removal-300x120.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/li>\n<li><strong>Change your Internet Explorer home page from <em>google.com\/webph<\/em> to its default<\/strong><br \/>\nTo change your home page, click on the <strong>gear icon<\/strong> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6324\" title=\"Internet Explorer gear icon\" alt=\"[Image: Internet Explorer gear icon]\" src=\"\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/icongear.jpg\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" \/> , select Internet Explore options, and in the <strong>General<\/strong> tab,under the <strong>Home page<\/strong> section, click on <strong>Use default<\/strong> to restore Internet Explorer default home page.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6327\" title=\"Set Internet Explorer to its default homepage\" alt=\"[Image: Set Internet Explorer to its default homepage]\" src=\"\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/default-home-page-internet-explorer.jpg\" width=\"423\" height=\"213\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/default-home-page-internet-explorer.jpg 423w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/default-home-page-internet-explorer-300x151.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 423px) 100vw, 423px\" \/><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h4>Remove Privitize Search from\u00a0Mozilla Firefox<\/h4>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Remove Privitize Search extensions from Firefox.<\/strong><br \/>\nAt the top of the Firefox window, click the orange <strong>Firefox\u00a0button<\/strong>, then select <strong>Add-ons<\/strong>.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5357\" title=\"Firefox Add-on manager\" alt=\"Firefox addon menu\" src=\"\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/firefox-addon.jpg\" width=\"313\" height=\"205\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/firefox-addon.jpg 313w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/firefox-addon-300x196.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 313px) 100vw, 313px\" \/><br \/>\nSelect the <strong>Extensions<\/strong> tab, then remove <strong>Privitize.com<\/strong>\u00a0and <strong>MagniPic<\/strong> extension from Mozilla Firefox.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7846\" title=\"Privitize VPN Firefox extension\" alt=\"[Image: Privitize VPN Firefox extension]\" src=\"\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Privitize-VPN-Firefox-extensions.jpg\" width=\"900\" height=\"301\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Privitize-VPN-Firefox-extensions.jpg 900w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Privitize-VPN-Firefox-extensions-300x100.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><br \/>\n<strong>NOTE<\/strong>: Privitize VPN may have added additional extensions which you will need to remove. We recommend that you remove any\u00a0unwanted\u00a0or unknown extensions from Mozilla Firefox.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Reset your default search engine and home page from <em>search.privitize.com<\/em>\u00a0to their default.<\/strong><br \/>\nTo reset your search engine and homepage to their default, we will use the <em>SearchReset<\/em> extension.This add-on is very simple: on installation, it backs up and then resets your search preferences and home page to their default values, and then uninstalls itself. This affects the search bar, URL bar searches, and the home page.<br \/>\nYou can download SearchReset from the below link, and then we will just need to install it to revert Firefox to its default settings.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/addons.mozilla.org\/en-US\/firefox\/addon\/searchreset\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>SEARCHRESET DOWNLOAD LINK<\/strong><\/a> <em>(This link will open another web page from where you can download the SearchReset Firefox extension)<\/em><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7089\" title=\"Install SearchReset extension to restore Firefox to its default settings\" alt=\"[Image: SearchReset extension]\" src=\"\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/searchreset-firefox-extension.jpg\" width=\"759\" height=\"538\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/searchreset-firefox-extension.jpg 759w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/searchreset-firefox-extension-300x212.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 759px) 100vw, 759px\" \/><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h4>Remove Privitize Search from\u00a0Google Chrome<\/h4>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Remove Privitize Search extensions from Google Chrome.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Click the Chrome menu\u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4953\" title=\"Chrome menu button\" alt=\"Chrome menu\" src=\"\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Chrome-button.png\" width=\"29\" height=\"29\" \/>\u00a0 button on the browser toolbar, select\u00a0<strong>Tools<\/strong>\u00a0and then click on\u00a0<strong>Extensions<\/strong>.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5221\" title=\"Open Extensions tab in Chrome\" alt=\"Google Chrome Extensions\" src=\"\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/chrome-extensions.jpg\" width=\"517\" height=\"256\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/chrome-extensions.jpg 517w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/chrome-extensions-300x148.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 517px) 100vw, 517px\" \/><br \/>\nIn the\u00a0<strong>Extensions<\/strong>\u00a0tab, remove (by clicking on the Recycle Bin) the <strong>Privitize.com<\/strong> and <strong>MagniPic<\/strong>\u00a0extensions from Google Chrome.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7845\" title=\"Privitize VPN Chrome extension\" alt=\"[Image: Privitize VPN Chrome extension]\" src=\"\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Privitize-VPN-Chrome-extensions.jpg\" width=\"985\" height=\"278\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Privitize-VPN-Chrome-extensions.jpg 985w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Privitize-VPN-Chrome-extensions-300x84.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 985px) 100vw, 985px\" \/><br \/>\n<strong>NOTE<\/strong>: Privitize VPN may have added additional extensions which you will need to remove. We recommend that you remove any\u00a0unwanted\u00a0or unknown extensions from Google Chrome.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Set Google Chrome default search engine from <em>Privitize Search<\/em> to Google.<\/strong><br \/>\nClick the Chrome menu\u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4953\" title=\"Chrome menu button\" alt=\"Chrome menu\" src=\"\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Chrome-button.png\" width=\"29\" height=\"29\" \/>\u00a0 button, then select <strong>Settings<\/strong> and click on\u00a0<strong>Manage search engines<\/strong>\u00a0in the Search section.<br \/>\nIn the <em>Search Engines<\/em> dialog that appears, select <strong>Google<\/strong> and click the <strong>Make Default<\/strong> button that appears in the row.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7852\" title=\"Select Google and click on Make Default\" alt=\"[Image: Privitize Search Chrome redirect virus]\" src=\"\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Privitize-VPN-search-redirect.jpg\" width=\"923\" height=\"306\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Privitize-VPN-search-redirect.jpg 923w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Privitize-VPN-search-redirect-300x99.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 923px) 100vw, 923px\" \/><br \/>\nSearch for <strong>Search The Web (Privitize)<\/strong>\u00a0in the <em>Search Engines<\/em> list, and click the\u00a0<strong>X<\/strong>\u00a0button that appears at the end of the row.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7853\" title=\"Select Search The Web (Privitize) and click on X\" alt=\"[Image: Privitize Search Chrome redirect removal]\" src=\"\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Privitize-VPN-search-redirect-removal.jpg\" width=\"922\" height=\"298\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Privitize-VPN-search-redirect-removal.jpg 922w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Privitize-VPN-search-redirect-removal-300x96.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 922px) 100vw, 922px\" \/><\/li>\n<li><strong>Change Google Chrome homepage from <em>google.com\/webph<\/em>\u00a0to its default<\/strong>.<br \/>\nPrivitize VPN has modified your Google settings to open their webpage whenever you start your browser, so we will need to revert this change.<br \/>\nClick the Chrome menu\u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4953\" title=\"Chrome menu button\" alt=\"Chrome menu\" src=\"\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Chrome-button.png\" width=\"29\" height=\"29\" \/>\u00a0 button, then select <strong>Settings<\/strong> and click on\u00a0<strong>One the New Tab page<\/strong>\u00a0in the <em>On Startup<\/em> section.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6331\" title=\"Change Google Chrome homepage to its default\" alt=\"[Image: Change Google Chrome homepage to its default]\" src=\"\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/on-startup-Chrome-default.jpg\" width=\"424\" height=\"256\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/on-startup-Chrome-default.jpg 424w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/on-startup-Chrome-default-300x181.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 424px) 100vw, 424px\" \/><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>STEP 3: Remove Privitize VPN registry keys with AdwCleaner.<\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li>You can download\u00a0AdwCleaner\u00a0from the below link. <strong><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/toolslib.net\/downloads\/finish\/1\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ADWCLEANER DOWNLOAD LINK<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0(<em>This link will automatically download AdwCleaner on your computer<\/em>)<\/li>\n<li>Before starting this utility, close all open programs and internet browsers.<\/li>\n<li>Double click on\u00a0<strong>adwcleaner.exe<\/strong>\u00a0to run the tool.<\/li>\n<li>Click on\u00a0<strong>Delete<\/strong>, then confirm each time with\u00a0<strong>Ok<\/strong>.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5010\" title=\"Click on Delete to remove Privitize VPN virus\" alt=\"Adwcleaner utility\" src=\"\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/adwcleaner1.jpg\" width=\"425\" height=\"254\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/adwcleaner1.jpg 425w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/adwcleaner1-300x179.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 425px) 100vw, 425px\" \/><\/li>\n<li>Your computer will be rebooted automatically. A text file will open after the restart.<\/li>\n<li>NEXT, double click on\u00a0<strong>adwcleaner.exe<\/strong>\u00a0to run the tool.<\/li>\n<li>Click on\u00a0<strong>Uninstall<\/strong>, then confirm with\u00a0<strong>yes<\/strong> to remove this utility from your computer.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>STEP 4: Run a computer scan with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware<\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li>You can <strong>download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free<\/strong> from the below link, then double click on it to install this program.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/store.malwarebytes.org\/342\/cookie?affiliate=17877&amp;redirectto=http%3a%2f%2fwww.malwarebytes.org%2fproducts%2fmalwarebytes_free\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>MALWAREBYTES ANTI-MALWARE DOWNLOAD LINK<\/strong><\/a><em> (This link will open a download page in a new window from where you can download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free)<\/em><\/li>\n<li>When the installation begins, <strong>keep following the prompts<\/strong> in order to continue with the setup process. <strong>DO NOT make any changes to default settings<\/strong> and when the program has finished installing, make sure you leave both the <strong>Update Malwarebytes&#8217; Anti-Malware<\/strong> and <strong>Launch Malwarebytes&#8217; Anti-Malware<\/strong> checked, then click on the <strong>Finish <\/strong>button.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6075\" title=\"Malwarebytes Anti-Malware final installation screen\" alt=\"[Image: Malwarebytes Anti-Malware final installation screen]\" src=\"\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/malwarebytes-installation.jpg\" width=\"402\" height=\"310\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/malwarebytes-installation.jpg 402w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/malwarebytes-installation-300x231.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 402px) 100vw, 402px\" \/><\/li>\n<li>On the <strong>Scanner<\/strong> tab, select <strong>Perform quick scan<\/strong> and then click on the <strong>Scan\u00a0<\/strong>button to start scanning your computer.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6076\" title=\"Run a Quick Scan with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware\" alt=\"[Image: Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Quick Scan]\" src=\"\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/malwarebytes-quick-scan.jpg\" width=\"521\" height=\"397\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/malwarebytes-quick-scan.jpg 521w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/malwarebytes-quick-scan-300x228.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 521px) 100vw, 521px\" \/><\/li>\n<li>Malwarebytes&#8217; Anti-Malware will now start scanning your computer as shown below.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6077\" title=\"Malwarebytes Anti-Malware scanning for Privitize VPN \" alt=\"[Image: Malwarebytes Anti-Malware scanning for Privitize VPN virus]\" src=\"\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/malwarebytes-scan.jpg\" width=\"521\" height=\"397\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/malwarebytes-scan.jpg 521w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/malwarebytes-scan-300x228.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 521px) 100vw, 521px\" \/><\/li>\n<li>When the Malwarebytes scan will be completed, click on\u00a0<strong>Show Result<\/strong>.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6078\" title=\"Malwarebytes when the system scan has completed\" alt=\"[Image: Malwarebytes Anti-Malware scan results]\" src=\"\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/malwarebytes-scan-results.jpg\" width=\"521\" height=\"397\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/malwarebytes-scan-results.jpg 521w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/malwarebytes-scan-results-300x228.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 521px) 100vw, 521px\" \/><\/li>\n<li>You will now be presented with a screen showing you the malware infections that Malwarebytes&#8217; Anti-Malware has detected.Please note that the infections found may be different than what is shown in the image. Make sure that everything is <strong>Checked (ticked)<\/strong> and click on the <strong>Remove Selected <\/strong>button.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6079\" title=\"Click on Remove Selected to get rid of Privitize VPN virus\" alt=\"[Image:Malwarebytes removing malware]\" src=\"\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/malwarebytes-virus-removal.jpg\" width=\"521\" height=\"397\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/malwarebytes-virus-removal.jpg 521w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/malwarebytes-virus-removal-300x228.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 521px) 100vw, 521px\" \/><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>STEP 5: Run a computer scan with HitmanPro<\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Download HitmanPro<\/strong> from the below link, then double click on it to start this program.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cleverbridge.com\/747\/cookie?affiliate=17877&amp;redirectto=http%3a%2f%2fwww.surfright.nl%2fen%2fhitmanpro%2f&amp;product=69061s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> <strong>HITMANPRO DOWNLOAD LINK<\/strong><\/a> <em>(This link will open a new web page from where you can download HitmanPro)<\/em><\/li>\n<li>HitmanPro will start and you&#8217;ll need to follow the prompts (by clicking on the <strong>Next<\/strong> button) to start a system scan with this program.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5179\" title=\"HitmanPro installation options (Click Next)\" alt=\"HitmanPro installation\" src=\"\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/hitmapro-start-scan.jpg\" width=\"497\" height=\"393\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/hitmapro-start-scan.jpg 497w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/hitmapro-start-scan-300x237.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 497px) 100vw, 497px\" \/><\/li>\n<li>HitmanPro will start scanning your computer for malware, as seen in the image below.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5177\" title=\"HitmanPro while scanning for Privitize VPN\" alt=\"HitmanPro scans for Privitize VPN virus\" src=\"\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/hitmanpro-scan.jpg\" width=\"497\" height=\"393\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/hitmanpro-scan.jpg 497w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/hitmanpro-scan-300x237.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 497px) 100vw, 497px\" \/><\/li>\n<li>Once the scan is complete,you&#8217;ll see a screen which will display all the infected files that this utility has detected, and you&#8217;ll need to click on <strong>Next<\/strong> to remove these malicious files.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5178\" title=\"HitmanPro reporting scan results\" alt=\"HitmanPro scan results\" src=\"\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/hitmanpro-scan-results.jpg\" width=\"497\" height=\"393\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/hitmanpro-scan-results.jpg 497w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/hitmanpro-scan-results-300x237.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 497px) 100vw, 497px\" \/><\/li>\n<li>Click <strong>Activate free license <\/strong>to start the free 30 days trial and remove all the malicious files from your computer.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5175\" title=\"Activate HitmanPro free 30 days trial license\" alt=\"HitmanPro 30 days activation button\" src=\"\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/hitmanpro-activation.jpg\" width=\"497\" height=\"393\" srcset=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/hitmanpro-activation.jpg 497w, https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/hitmanpro-activation-300x237.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 497px) 100vw, 497px\" \/><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>If you are still experiencing problems while trying to remove Privitize VPN from your machine, please start a new thread in our <a href=\"http:\/\/malwaretips.com\/Forum-Malware-Removal-Assistance\">Malware Removal Assistance<\/a> forum.<\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Privitize VPN is a virtual private network program, which \u00a0comes bundled with additonal free software (MagniPic and Searchou), and once installed it will set your home page to google.com\/webph and change your browser default search &#8230; <\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more-container\"><a title=\"Remove Privitize VPN and search.privitize.com (Removal Guide)\" class=\"read-more button\" href=\"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/remove-privitize-vpn-virus\/#more-7843\" aria-label=\"Read more about Remove Privitize VPN and search.privitize.com (Removal Guide)\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7847,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2725],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7843","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adware","masonry-post","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-50","resize-featured-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7843","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7843"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7843\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7847"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7843"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7843"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malwaretips.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7843"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}