I wrote this article to help you remove Drivingdirectionshome.org. This Drivingdirectionshome.org removal guide works for Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer.
Drivingdirectionshome.org is an alternative search provider. It works like established engines, such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, and MSN. The platform include an embedded links bar and toolbar. The former includes quick access buttons to the following websites: Facebook, Gmail, YouTube, Yahoo, Twitter, LinkedIn, Amazon, Instagram, Netflix, and Tumblr. The toolbar features an additional search field and links to several platforms which give travel guidelines: Map Sites, Live Traffic, and Satellite Maps. In addition, Drivingdirectionshome.org features a directions generator. There is a “from” and a “to” field for the place of departure and the destination. Users can choose between Google Maps, MapQuest, and Bing Maps as the navigation provider.
If you travel frequently, Drivingdirectionshome.org may seem like a suitable platform for your needs. However, security analysts advise against working with the website. Research has revealed that the domain is connected to a hijacker. The clandestine program targets web browsers. It can affect most established clients, including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Apple Safari, Opera, and others. The first task on the agenda of the intruder is to reset the browser’s settings. It will change your homepage and default search engine to Drivingdirectionshome.org. This will have an effect on your search results. The rogue tool will insert supported websites amid the pages which legitimately match your queries.
Programs like the Drivingdirectionshome.org hijacker are created to raise revenue. There are several monetizing techniques. Advertising is at the core of the scheme because it has the highest profit rate. The covert program forwards users to supported websites by inserting them to their search results and displaying ads on their screen. The advertisements are brought in various formats, including banners, freebies, rebates, in-text links, coupon boxes, transitional, interstitial, floating, contextual, inline, and comparison ads. The pop-up windows promote bargain shopping offers, listing miscellaneous items. This encompasses garments, technological devices, furniture, accessories, decorative elements, sports gear, gardening equipment, games, toys, and many others.
The Drivingdirectionshome.org hijacker does not conduct scans to check the status of the sponsored websites. Any of the ads could lead to a malicious domain. Following them is at your own discretion. The risk is evident. However, this does not mean that avoiding the ads would keep you out of harm’s way. The hijacker has another ability. It monitors people’s sessions and records the information they enter into their web browser. The sinister program can obtain personal and financial input, including your browsing history, tracking cookies, keystrokes, IP address, geographic location, zip code, email account, telephone number, user names, passwords, and financial credentials. The proprietors of the hijacker will sell your private data on darknet markets.
A lot of victims are oblivious as to how the Drivingdirectionshome.org hijacker entered their system. There are a few ways to spread the shady program. The first and most common is bundling. Pirated applications, freeware, and shareware can carry the executable of the hijacker merged with their own setup file. The download client will offer you the program as a bonus. The option will be listed in the terms and conditions. If you accept the presets, the hijacker will be installed. You should always take the time to read the terms and conditions of the software you add to your system. Avoid peer-to-peer networks, torrents, and other unconfirmed software vendors.
Another propagation vector is spam email campaigns. The Drivingdirectionshome.org hijacker gets merged with an attachment and transferred with the help of a macro or a script. The message will list the appended file as an important document and urge you to read it as soon as possible. To convince you that the message is legitimate, he can write it on behalf of an existing company or organization. Spammers often misrepresent the national post, courier firms, online shops, social networks, banks, institutions, government branches, and the local authorities. To proof the reliability of a given email, check the contact information. The final alternative we need to mention is drive-by installations. As much as a single click can be enough to give the Drivingdirectionshome.org hijacker access to your machine. Be wary of the website you visit and the links you follow.
Drivingdirectionshome.org Removal
Before starting the real removal process, you must reboot in Safe Mode. If you are familiar with this task, 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.
Here are the steps you must perform to remove the hijacker 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 Drivingdirectionshome.org from your browser? Please, leave a comment below, describing what steps you performed. I will answer promptly.