Remove WebDiscover Browser toolbar virus

This post is an all-in-one tutorial that provides simple instructions to uninstall the aggressive WebDiscover Browser malware from infected Windows computer.

There are plenty of tools available on the Internet that claim to enhance one’s online search experience. Some do come in handy, but unfortunately lots of them behave like commonplace adware and completely neglect fundamental things such as user consent and ethics. Based on user feedback and security analysts’ findings, the app called WebDiscover Browser is in that gray area rather than being a clearly benign solution. The underlying idea seems okay – it purportedly aims to make web search a one-click adventure by adding a toolbar right in the upper part of the desktop. As a result, the search bar is at the user’s fingertips. The caveat, though, is that most people never asked for such a service, nor are they even aware of the program installation until the symptoms splash onto their machine.

The missing link of informed installation is an outright giveaway that points to shady nature of the WebDiscover Browser solution. That’s minus one point to its karma. Another issue is that, for some reason, it dares interfere with custom settings in other web browsers available on the plagued computer. In particular, the culprit tweaks the default homepage, new tab and search engine in Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer if spotted in the host system. It replaces these values with search.ydserp.com/wd-ext. This URL actually has more characters following the above-mentioned string, depending on the malvertising campaign ID.

Titled prosaically “Search”, the search.ydserp.com custom landing page looks like a garden-variety information lookup provider. It contains a search box and a few standard buttons, including About, Contact Us, and Privacy Policy. A little bit of inspection reveals that this page simply dispatches the traffic by forwarding all keyword queries over to Bing. So, at the end of the day, users get a pretty much worthless service that has no genuine value of its own and does nothing but redirect Internet traffic without approval. Of course, some people may consider the toolbar on the desktop to be a convenient extra, but most are frustrated because it showed up out of the blue. To top it off, WebDiscover Browser defiantly hijacks other browsers.

Another alarming wakeup call is that the application under scrutiny tries to prevent victims from uninstalling it. A scheduled task will appear in the system – again, without proper authorization – so that the pest is launched at every system logon instance and also at a predefined time. This trait makes WebDiscover Browser more than just a nuisance, but also a persistent malware that won’t stop wreaking havoc until the compromised user eliminates every fragment of it from their PC and reinstates their normal browsing configuration.

Automated removal of WebDiscover Browser virus

Owing to an up-to-date database of malware signatures and intelligent behavioral detection, the recommended software can quickly locate the infection, eradicate it and remediate all harmful changes. So go ahead and do the following:

1. Download and install the antimalware tool. Open the solution and have it check your PC for PUPs and other types of malicious software by clicking the Start Computer Scan button

Download WebDiscover Browser remover

2. Rest assured the scan report will list all items that may harm your operating system. Select the detected entries and click Fix Threats to get the troubleshooting completed.

Use Control Panel to get rid of WebDiscover Browser PUP

• Open up the Control Panel from your Start menu in Windows and select Uninstall a program

• 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 the WebDiscover Browser entry under the Name column, click Uninstall and follow further directions to get the removal done.

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 WebDiscover Browser virus.

Reset Google Chrome

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

• Scroll down the settings screen and click Advanced down at the bottom

• Move on to the Reset and clean up sub-section and select the option that says 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 Remove All Website Data button if you are up to erasing all website data stored on your Mac. Otherwise, you can use a site-specific removal option described below

• A dialog will appear, asking you to validate your choice. Click the Remove Now button if you are sure. Be advised this will log you out of online services and undo personalized web browser settings such as saved passwords, etc.

• Safari also allows deleting data for specific sites rather than all sites in general. To use this option, click the Details button under Privacy tab

• Select the websites for which you would like to erase data and click the Remove button

• Click the Done button to confirm and exit. You can also select the Remove All option to remove all data stored by the listed websites.

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 WebDiscover Browser virus removal tool