What is Spyder-finder.com? And how does it function?
Spyder-finder.com is a browser extension that supposedly functions as a search engine that claims to improve users’ browsing experience by generating improved search results. It is identical to Weknow.ac, a browser extension which happens to be a browser hijacker. And it comes to no surprise that Spyder-finder.com is also categorized as a browser hijacking program designed to alter the default settings in a browser in order to manipulate a user’s online browsing.
If installed, Spyder-finder.com will quickly modify the settings in the browser such as the default search provider, homepage, as well as new tab page. As a result, the next time you browse the internet, you will have no choice but to use Spyder-finder.com. Every time you try to search for any query online, instead of getting relevant search results, Spyder-finder.com will mostly display sponsored contents like ads, pop-ups, banners, in-text links. In fact it can get quite annoying as some of these ads can also cover the content of any website you visit. What’s even worse is that it also tracks your browsing activities in order to collect information like your email address, browsing history, browser type, OS version, IP address, and many more. The information collected is processed and used to generate more personalized and customized content. Spyder-finder.com may also share the information with its so-called “partners” as stated in its Privacy Policy:
“We may collect or allow third parties to collect, through blocks of code called “pixels” or “web beacons”, certain information about you and send it to our servers and to our partners. We or our partners, package all or part of this information into small text files called Cookies and send the Cookie to your computer. As an example, Cookies may store search queries made through the Software & Services, the web pages you accessed, your interaction with advertisements presented to you via the Software & Services, features you used, your session duration and your configurations and preferences of the Software & Services.”
How is Spyder-finder.com distributed over the web?
Spyder-finder.com may be distributed on free sharing sites. It is added as one of the optional components in a free software package along with other potentially unwanted programs. If you’re not careful, you could end up installing these PUPs so you must always use the Advanced or Custom setup when installing software bundles.
Uninstall Spyder-finder.com with the help of the removal guide prepared below.
Step 1: You need to first flush the DNS. To do so, right click on the Start button and click on Command Prompt (administrator). From there, type the “ipconfig /flushdns” command and hit Enter to flush the DNS.
Step 2: After that, restart your computer and then open all the browsers infected by Spyder-finder.com. Reset all the affected browsers to default to their default state.
Google Chrome
- Open Google Chrome, then tap the Alt + F keys.
- After that, click on Settings.
- Next, scroll down until you see the Advanced option, once you see it, click on it.
- After clicking the Advanced option, go to the “Restore and clean up option and click on the “Restore settings to their original defaults” option to reset Google Chrome.
- Now restart Google Chrome.
Mozilla Firefox
- Open Mozilla Firefox and tap Ctrl + Shift + A to access the Add-ons Manager.
- In the Extensions menu Remove the unwanted extension.
- Restart the browser and tap keys Alt + T.
- Select Options and then move to the General menu.
- Overwrite the URL in the Home Page section and then restart the browser.
Internet Explorer
- Launch Internet Explorer.
- Next, click the wrench icon for Settings.
- Then click Internet Options.
- After that, go to the Advanced tab.
- From there, click the Reset button. This will reset Internet Explorer’s settings to their default condition.
- Now click OK to save the changes made.
- Restart your computer.
Step 3: Next, tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and type “appwiz.cpl” in the field and press Enter to open the Programs and Features in Control Panel.
Step 4: From the list of programs installed, look for Spyder-finder.com or any unfamiliar program that could be related to it under the list of installed programs and once you’ve found it, uninstall it.
Step 5: Edit your Hosts File.
- Tap the Win + R keys to open then type in %WinDir% and then click OK.
- Go to System32/drivers/etc.
- Open the hosts file using Notepad.
- Delete all the entries that contain Spyder-finder.com.
- After that, save the changes you’ve made and close the file.
Step 6: Hold down Windows + E keys simultaneously to open File Explorer.
Step 7: Navigate to the following directories and look for suspicious files associated to the browser hijacker such as the software bundle it came with and delete it/them.
- %USERPROFILE%\Downloads
- %USERPROFILE%\Desktop
- %TEMP%
Step 8: Close the File Explorer.
Step 9: Empty the contents of Recycle Bin.
Refer to the advanced instructions given below to ensure the removal of Spyder-finder.com as well as all the file residues it left behind.
Perform a full system scan using [product-code]. To do so, follow these steps:
- Turn on your computer. If it’s already on, you have to reboot it.
- After that, the BIOS screen will be displayed, but if Windows pops up instead, reboot your computer and try again. Once you’re on the BIOS screen, repeat pressing F8, by doing so the Advanced Option shows up.
- To navigate the Advanced Option use the arrow keys and select Safe Mode with Networking then hit
- Windows will now load the Safe Mode with Networking.
- Press and hold both R key and Windows key.
- If done correctly, the Windows Run Box will show up.
- Type in the URL address, [product-url] in the Run dialog box and then tap Enter or click OK.
- After that, it will download the program. Wait for the download to finish and then open the launcher to install the program.
- Once the installation process is completed, run [product-code] to perform a full system scan.
- After the scan is completed click the “Fix, Clean & Optimize Now” button.
