I wrote this article to help you remove INTERNETWAIT.COM/HOTOFFM. This INTERNETWAIT.COM/HOTOFFM removal guide works for Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer.
INTERNETWAIT.COM/HOTOFFM is a malicious website which misrepresents Google Russia. The domain is unrelated to the established search provider. The purpose of the rogue domain is to exploit the browser. The people behind INTERNETWAIT.COM/HOTOFFM use a hijacker which penetrates the web browser and alters its internal settings. This enables hackers to manipulate the activity of the program to their convenience. INTERNETWAIT.COM/HOTOFFM is not a reliable search engine. It returns unsolicited results which could redirect to rogue websites. The same risk derives from the ads the furtive program displays. There is also a personal security risk.
What makes the hijacker behind INTERNETWAIT.COM/HOTOFFM dangerous?
The INTERNETWAIT.COM/HOTOFFM hijacker can be harmful in a number of ways. The insidious program makes unauthorized changes to the browser’s settings. INTERNETWAIT.COM/HOTOFFM will be set as your homepage and default search provider. You will find that your custom preferences cannot be reset. Using INTERNETWAIT.COM/HOTOFFM to conduct your searches would be risky. The search results it returns contain sponsored content. The hijacker inserts the supported pages amid the regular which makes the task seamless.
The mission of the furtive program is to raise proceeds for its developers. The owners of the hijacker use the pay-per-click system to accumulate revenue. Every time a user is redirected, a certain unit is added to the total commissions. There are two ways to take people to the sponsored websites. Direct advertising is the more effective method. The INTERNETWAIT.COM/HOTOFFM hijacker displays advertisements, promoting bargain shopping deals. The product palette includes clothes, accessories, technological devices, furniture, decorative elements, gardening equipment, sports gear, games, toys, books and other items. The ad flow will interrupt your work and slow down your machine to a crawl. Keep in mind that the web pages the INTERNETWAIT.COM/HOTOFFM hijacker links to are risky.
The other threat around the furtive program is even greater. The INTERNETWAIT.COM/HOTOFFM hijacker spies on people. It will monitor your online sessions and extract various kinds of information from your web browser. This encompasses your history, keystrokes, cookies, country of origin, email, IP address, phone number, demographic details, user names, passwords and the information you have entered into your personal accounts. The owners of the INTERNETWAIT.COM/HOTOFFM hijacker can sell your sensitive input on dark markets.
How is the INTERNETWAIT.COM/HOTOFFM hijacker distributed?
The INTERNETWAIT.COM/HOTOFFM hijacker can enter your computer in a couple of ways. The preferred distribution method for the furtive program is bundling. The hijacker travels with freeware, shareware and pirated copies of paid applications. The shady tool can get installed together with your software of choice. The hijacker will be added in the terms and conditions of the download client as a bonus. You have to find where the option for it is listed and remove the check mark from the box next to it. Take the time to read the end user license agreement (EULA) of the software you intend to use.
The other propagation method the INTERNETWAIT.COM/HOTOFFM hijacker has adopted is spam emails. The shady program latches onto attached files which it uses as a back door to the system. The person behind the bogus letter will try to convince you that the attachment is an important document, like a receipt for a delivery package, an invoice for a payment, a utility bill, a fine or a subpoena from the court. To proof the reliability of a given message, check the contacts the sender has provided.
INTERNETWAIT.COM/HOTOFFM Uninstall
Before starting the real removal process, you must reboot in Safe Mode. If you know how to do this, skip the instructions below and proceed to Step 2. If you do not know how to do it, here is how to reboot in Safe mode:
For Windows 98, XP, Millenium and 7:
Reboot your computer. When the first screen of information appears, start repeatedly pressing F8 key. Then choose Safe Mode With Networking from the options.
For Windows 8/8.1
Click the Start button, next click Control Panel —> System and Security —> Administrative Tools —> System Configuration.
Check the Safe Boot option and click OK. Click Restart when asked.
For Windows 10
Open the Start menu and click or tap on the Power button.
While keeping the Shift key pressed, click or tap on Restart.
Please, follow the steps precisely to remove INTERNETWAIT.COM/HOTOFFM from the browser:
Remove From Mozilla Firefox:
Open Firefox, click on top-right corner , click Add-ons, hit Extensions next.
Look for suspicious or unknown extensions, remove them all.
Remove From Chrome:
Open Chrome, click chrome menu icon at the top-right corner —>More Tools —> Extensions. There, identify the malware and select chrome-trash-icon(Remove).
Remove From Internet Explorer:
Open IE, then click IE gear icon on the top-right corner —> Manage Add-ons.
Find the malicious add-on. Remove it by pressing Disable.
Right click on the browser’s shortcut, then click Properties. Remove everything after the .exe” in the Target box.
Open Control Panel by holding the Win Key and R together. Write appwiz.cpl in the field, then click OK.
Here, find any program you had no intention to install and uninstall it.
Run the Task Manager by right clicking on the Taskbar and choosing Start Task Manager.
Look carefully at the file names and descriptions of the running processes. If you find any suspicious one, search on Google for its name, or contact me directly to identify it. If you find a malware process, right-click on it and choose End task.
Open MS Config by holding the Win Key and R together. Type msconfig and hit Enter.
Go in the Startup tab and Uncheck entries that have “Unknown” as Manufacturer.
Still can not remove INTERNETWAIT.COM/HOTOFFM from your browser? Please, leave a comment below, describing what steps you performed. I will answer promptly.