The Kromtech MacKeeper relation.
In case you’ve detected that you have got a Browser Hijacker called Kromtech set up on your computer, then you probably are looking for a way to have it removed. Fortunately, this entire post is dedicated to helping you deal with this program and safely uninstall it even if you are not a computer expert. An easily recognizable symptom of having a Browser Hijacker on your PC is the intrusive generation of ads, pop-ups, and banners that are loaded the very moment you start your Internet browser. These types of ad-generating programs are commonly referred to as potentially unwanted mostly because they are related to activities like unwanted automatic page redirects, home page modifications, search engine replacements or other changes that may not be approved by the users. For those of you who have been lately dealing with Kromtech Virus and are seeking a reliable method to eliminate this annoying application, we have prepared a detailed Kromtech removal guide, which you can find right below this article. It contains instructions that can help you to uninstall the hijacker, as well as a professional removal tool for automatic detection.
Is the Kromtech virus dangerous?
People unfamiliar with the true nature of Browser hijackers very often mistake those programs for a computer virus. If you are one of those web users who are afraid that Kromtech Virus will harm their PC then we need to say that such software is basically harmless. Browser Hijackers are legitimate tools of the online marketing industry used for aggressive web advertising. Computer viruses, (such as Ransomware, Trojans, Spyware, etc.) on the other hand, are malicious programs that are created to perform some criminal activities. They are far more problematic than a simple ad-generating and page-redirecting application. For instance, a Ransomware cryptovirus may secretly encrypt your files and blackmail you for accessing them while a Trojan Horse may corrupt your OS in a fatal way which may require full system reinstall. Therefore you should protect your system with uttermost caution from those nasty forms of software. Surely, the Browser Hijackers can also be very annoying. They may spam your screen with various potentially unwanted ads, aggressive pop-ups and redirect links and introduce changes to your browser which may not be approved. Moreover, a click on a pop-up could possibly send you to pages with questionable content. It is also very likely that the advertisements that you see could be fitted for your personal interests because the hijackers may monitor your surfing history and make an effort to determine your specific search queries. That’s why even though they are usually not harmful it is a good idea to remove them from your system as soon as you can.
Another good reason to uninstall software such as Kromtech, Search Mine or “Top Results app” could be the potentially negative impact its constant ad-generating and page-redirecting activity may have on your system’s performance. For instance, users with less powerful computers may face sluggishness, browser unresponsiveness, sudden crashes and freezing of the screen. This is because the Hijacker is an active software which will continuously use PC resources, therefore slowing down the work of the programs that you actually need and regularly use.
SUMMARY:
| Name | Kromtech |
| Type | Browser Hijacker |
| Danger Level | Medium (nowhere near threats like Ransomware, but still a security risk) |
| Symptoms | Sponsored ads and pop-ups may constantly redirect you to various unfamiliar web pages. |
| Distribution Method | Spam and software bundling are typical methods of distribution for browser hijackers. |
Remove Kromtech
Step 1: Closing Safari (or any other browser that you may be using at the moment)
First, you will need to close your browser if it is still open. If you can’t do that normally, you will need to Force Quit it:
Open the Apple Menu and select Force Quit to do that. You can also use the ⌘ key + Option Key combination to open the Force Quit Applications dialog box. In this box, select the Safari browser (or whatever browser you are using) and then click on the Quit button. Confirm the action by selecting Force Quit again.
Step 2: Killing suspicious processes
Open Finder and go to Applications > Utilities and then open Activity Monitor. Now take a careful look at the processes there – look for any that seem suspicious, unknown and questionable. If you think that a given process may be the culprit behind the issue or may at least be related to it, highlight it with the mouse and select the i option at its top.
In the box that opens, click on Sample.
Scan the sample files with the online scanner we have on this page and if any of them get flagged as malicious, delete them and then kill their processes.
Step 3: Safely launching the browser
Hold the Shift from your keyboard and then launch Safari – holding Shift will prevent any previously opened pages to load again, just in case any of them were related to the problem.
If any problematic pages still load after you safe-launch the browser, then do the following:
Force-Quit the browser (Safari) again and then turn off your Wi-Fi connection by clicking on the Wi-Fi off option from the Mac Menu. If you are using cable Internet, simply disconnect the cable from your Mac.
Step 4: Uninstalling suspicious extensions
After you safe-launch Safari and are sure none of the previously opened pages load now, go to Preferences > Extensions.
Select and uninstall (by clicking on the Uninstall button) all extensions there that are unfamiliar to you or that you think may be suspicious. If you are not sure about a certain extension, it’s better to uninstall it – no extension is required for the normal functioning of the browser.
Step 5: Cleaning Safari
If you have other browsers aside from Safari, do the following:
In Safari, open Preferences from the browser’s menu and go to Privacy.
Select Remove All Website Data and then Remove Now. Note that this will delete all stored site data including any saved passwords and usernames. In other words, you will have to manually log-in to every site where you have a registration so make sure you remember your usernames and passwords.
Back in Preferences, click on General and see what your Safari’s homepage is. If it has been changed without your permission, change it back to what it used to be or to whatever you like it to be now.
Now go to the History menu and select the Clear History option.
Do the same to all other browsers you may have in your computer – here are examples with Chrome and Firefox.
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Cleaning Chrome
Open Chrome and open its main menu, then go to More Tools > Extensions. Click on the Remove button next to all of the extensions that you do not trust.
Next, from the main menu, go to Settings and type Manage Search Engines in the search bar. Open the result that shows up and then delete all search engines other than the one you normally use by clicking on the three-dot icon next to the other ones and selecting Remove from list.
Back in Settings, type Reset and clean up and open the option that shows up (Restore settings to their original defaults). Confirm by selecting Reset Settings.
Cleaning Firefox
Open Firefox and then open its main menu. Go to Add-ons and open the Extensions menu from the left. Look at the extensions and Remove the ones you do not trust.
Next, open the menu again, go to Help > Troubleshooting information and in the page that opens, select Refresh Firefox and then confirm the action in the window that opens.
