Remove poshukach.com redirect virus in Chrome, Firefox, Safari

Computer users are in the crosshairs of intrusive malware that redirects Google Chrome and other web browsers to poshukach.com website repeatedly.

1. What is Poshukach?
2. Automated removal of poshukach.com virus
3. Poshukach.com redirect removal for Android
4. Restore web browser settings to their original defaults

What is Poshukach?

There is an opinion that launching a web search service is a prerogative of billion-dollar corporations. That’s true in the case of any independent, fully-fledged engine with proprietary algorithms at its core, such as Google or Bing. Nonetheless, many people are unaware of what’s called the hosted search model, whereby tech giants “lease” some of their functionality to companies that wish to step into this business niche. This is how dozens, if not hundreds of lesser-known search providers operate. In this framework, promotion is a challenge much more serious than the flat capability to return search results. When looking for ways to drive and boost user audiences, some unscrupulous Internet entrepreneurs choose to play dirty by spreading malicious code that literally reroutes people to their junk websites. That’s exactly what the makers of the controversial pushukach.com service are doing.

This quirk explains why numerous computer users and even smartphone owners have been recently seeking technical assistance to stop obnoxious redirects that lead to poshukach.com. Most victims are reporting such problems in Chrome, but this campaign doesn’t appear to be isolated to this browser alone. Firefox, Edge, and Safari are in the same boat. Cross-browser functionality is a commonplace hallmark sign of present-day malware, and so is persistence. Those affected run into difficulties reverting to their normal browsing preferences in that the unwanted “On startup” setting keeps re-emerging after such attempts. As far as Chrome is concerned, part of the reason is that the culprit program adds an enterprise policy as if it were an upshot of an employer enforcing some Internet surfing patterns. Unsurprisingly, the “Customize and control Google Chrome” menu includes a label that says, “Managed by your organization”. This is a prominent symptom of the Poshukach malware attack.

Upon an initial look-through, poshukach.com feels like a garden-variety search service, except that its controls are tailored for Russian-speaking users. The search engine results pages (SERPs) reflect information most relevant for that language ecosystem and include tons of sponsored information that diminishes the worth of the imposed search features. That’s at odds with the fact that most victims are in regions where English prevails, with a good deal of infected devices being in South Korea. Apparently, the makers of the underlying threat have built their distribution strategy with a focus on these areas.

Speaking of which, the primary contamination vector is the old school bundling trick. It means that users unknowingly let the harmful application in while thinking they are installing something unrelated, such as a free multimedia player, hardware driver, or streaming content downloader. The catch is that the dangerous payload hides inside a complex installer that only reveals the benign component but ends up pushing a whole package in one go.

Although the poshukach.com virus doesn’t manifest itself beyond a web browser, its footprint in the host system is much broader. Therefore, getting rid of this infection is a matter of thorough cleanup that spans more than the customizations in Chrome or whatever browser is acting up. The following instructions will walk you through the removal process so that no files are left behind and the pest doesn’t cause trouble anymore. A quick tip going forward is to exercise caution with software installers that promote “awesome and free” stuff or otherwise look too good to be true. This could be a lure that spreads crud like the poshukach.com redirect nuisance.

Use Combo Cleaner for Windows to remove Poshukach redirect virus

When faced with malware like Poshukach, one of the best shortcuts in terms of removal is to use Combo Cleaner, a lightweight and incredibly effective application with PC security and optimization features under the hood. It detects and thoroughly deletes threats while giving you insights into the overall health of your computer.

This program’s protection power spans modules that forestall all known types of malware, including ransomware and browser hijackers, and take your online security to the next level by blocking phishing sites and other suspicious web pages. Follow these simple steps to eliminate the infection for good:

1. Download Combo Cleaner installer.

Download Poshukach redirect virus remover

^{Combo Cleaner scans your PC with no strings attached, but you’ll have to buy its fully functional version to remove the threats it detects. The disk optimization tools that find large files and duplicates are free to use.}

2. Open the CCSetup.exe file to get started. Several subsequent screens will allow you to make initial customizations so that the program works exactly as you need from the get-go.

3. The installation will be followed by an update of malware signatures. Once this process is through, click the Start Scan button in the left-hand sidebar.

4. Combo Cleaner will then check system locations that are most often polluted by Windows malware. The first scan can take a while to finish.

5. Combo Cleaner will display a system tray notification as soon as the scan is over. Click the Resolve found threats button to view the results.

6. The scan summary shows the names and types of the detected threats as well as their statuses and locations. Click the Remove all threats button and follow further on-screen prompts to get rid of these items.

Use Control Panel to get rid of Poshukach virus

• Open up the Control Panel from your Start menu in Windows. Depending on the OS build, select Uninstall a program (Windows 10, 7 and Vista) or Add or Remove Programs (Windows 8).

• To facilitate the process of locating the threat, sort the programs list by date to get the latest ones displayed at the very top. Find an unfamiliar, suspicious entry under the Name column, click Uninstall and follow further directions to get the removal done.

Poshukach.com redirect removal for Android

Here’s a walkthrough to sort out the Poshukach redirect virus issue on an Android device, which might also be a target in this malvertising campaign. Keep in mind, though, that uninstall attempts in regular mode may be futile due to the mechanics of this persistent infection. Therefore, you need to perform the procedure in safe mode. Go ahead and do the following:

• Press and hold the Power button. Then, tap and hold the Power off option on the screen. Doing so will boot your device into safe mode.

• Android will ask you to confirm that you’d like to enter safe mode. Tap OK on the dialog.

• You will now see the Safe mode inscription at the bottom left of your screen. Go to Settings and choose Apps.

• Scroll down the list of applications, focusing on the ones that were installed recently. Find Poshukach or another sketchy entry with a different name that could as well be the culprit.

• Select the misbehaving app and tap Uninstall.

• Confirm removal on the relevant dialog box and reboot your device. By default, Android will get you back into regular mode. You should now be good to go – the Poshukach redirect virus won’t be triggering any redirects or irritating popups anymore.

Restore web browser settings to their original defaults

In the circumstances of a complex browser hijack like this, executing a reset makes the most sense despite a few obvious downsides. Customizations such as saved passwords, bookmarked pages etc. will be gone, but so will all the changes made by the potentially unwanted program. The instructions below address the workflow for the web browsers most targeted by the Poshukach redirect virus.

Reset Google Chrome

• Open Chrome, expand the Customize and control Google Chrome menu and choose Settings.

• Click Advanced in the sidebar, scroll down to Reset and clean up, and select this option.

• Click Restore settings to their original defaults.

• Finally, confirm the restoration by clicking Reset settings on the warning message.

• Restart Chrome.

Reset Mozilla Firefox

• Open Firefox, type about:support in the URL area and press Enter. Alternatively, you can click on the Open menu icon in the top right-hand part of the browser window, then select the Help option and proceed to Troubleshooting Information.

• On the Troubleshooting Information screen, spot the Refresh Firefox button and click on it.

• Follow subsequent directions to reset Firefox to its original settings.

• Restart the browser.

Reset Internet Explorer

• Select Internet options under IE’s Tools (Alt+X).

• Proceed by clicking on Advanced tab, then select Reset.

• To confirm the intended changes, click Reset on the Reset Internet Explorer Settings screen after ascertaining that the Delete personal settings checkbox is enabled.

• Reboot the machine to fully implement the fix.

Reset Safari

• Go to the Safari menu and select Preferences.

• When on the Preferences screen, select the Privacy tab and hit the Manage Website Data button.

• Click the Remove All button to purge all website data. Be advised this will log you out of online services and undo personalized web browser settings such as saved passwords, etc. If you aren’t okay with this, proceed to the next step.

• Safari also allows deleting data for specific sites rather than all sites in general. To use this option, select the unwanted site in the ‘Manage Website Data’ list and click Remove. Then, click Done.

• Click the Develop menu in the Finder bar and select Empty Caches.

• Finally, expand the History menu from the Finder bar and click Clear History.

• Make sure all history is selected on the dialog that will appear and click Clear History to get rid of cookies and other potentially unwanted data.

• Restart Safari.

Revise your security status

Post-factum assessment of the accuracy component in malware removal scenarios is a great habit that prevents the comeback of harmful code or replication of its unattended fractions. Make sure you are good to go by running an additional safety checkup.

Download Poshukach redirect virus removal tool