How to remove Contenko browser hijacker

Complete tips to delete Contenko

Contenko is a browser hijacker application. It displays various rogue advertisements and sponsored links with search results. It affects the web searches so as to boost the traffic over the publishers’ pages of this unwanted application.  It uses blackhat SEO and other deceptive and shady techniques to affect the ranking of the commercial pages, generate views and visits and hence revenue.

The redirects caused by the app expose the users to needed commercial material.  Technically, it is not a virus, only a potentially unwanted program, but the intrusive behavior of the app make the people frustrate and annoyed and so they named the PUA as a virus. The hijacker virus interferes with the users’ browsing experience and shows thousands of ad-supporting pages instead of providing the proper search results.

Threat Summary

Name: Contenko

Type: Browser hijacker

Symptoms: Alters new tab, homepage, search engine settings, delivers intrusive ads and redirects all in-browser searches

Risks: Exposes users to suspicious and potentially dangerous content, collects and tracks user information

Distribution: Software bundles, deceptive advertisements, p2p and other third party sites

Elimination: To remove Contenko, you should check the instructions below. Additionally, you should scan the device with some reputable antivirus tool and reset the browsers if necessary

Contenko is nothing but a redirect virus that aims to focus on monetization. It exhibits malicious traits and therefore interferes with the working performance of the web browsing application and even more, when it installs other unwanted apps or alters the crucial settings of the system. As per experts, users need to take an immediate consideration in the cases of hijacker virus infection and soon step to its removal before it conducts any alterations to the windows registry and start up preferences.

You browser will not provide any useful search results when the Contenko app alters the browsers’ settings and installs various browsers’ extensions, plug-ins and add-ons to the web browsers. It conducts custom settings changes and affects the time loading threshold, and places lock files to prevent other software from altering those settings. It can disable the function of allowing different installations. The deceptive sties promoted by the app may be set to offer various rogue software and trigger people to download plug-ins, browser extensions and toolbars.

To remove Contenko and get rid of all suspicious activities such as the redirect, pop-ups, you need a through system scan using some powerful antivirus tool. The software will find and delete all suspicious applications associated with Contenko from the system. Manually people are finding difficultly in detecting the associated programs scattered throughout the systems and folders. Also, the PUA can easily alter the start up preferences, window registries that make it more persistence. This is why, using automatic tool for removing the background running malicious processes is recommended for you.

PUAs infiltrate systems through other PUAs and deceptive sites

You discover suspicious search engines or different browser programs on your system rightly after the installation of freeware or shareware applications such as various PDF creators, download managers, and video converters and similar software. To avoid all that, you should monitor the installation process of all such programs. If you fail to do that, you will end up with some suspicious apps installation on your system.

Once the PUAs enter the system, they occupy the internet browsers and start their annoying activities. We can’t call this type of apps as virus as they do not contain malicious code. However, you should not trust the search results offered by them as they only aim to collect sales. To avoid the PUAs infiltration, you should require choosing antivirus tools that can scan the system and block all potential threats. Also, it is necessary to go for official software providers for any programs and tools download/ installation and go for Custom/Advanced option to de-select unwanted apps, if any.

Antimalware Details And User Guide

Click Here For Windows Click Here For Mac

Important Note: This malware asks you to enable the web browser notifications. So, before you go the manual removal process, execute these steps.

Google Chrome (PC)

• Go to right upper corner of the screen and click on three dots to open the Menu button
• Select “Settings”. Scroll the mouse downward to choose “Advanced” option
• Go to “Privacy and Security” section by scrolling downward and then select “Content settings” and then “Notification” option
• Find each suspicious URLs and click on three dots on the right side and choose “Block” or “Remove” option

Google Chrome (Android)

• Go to right upper corner of the screen and click on three dots to open the menu button and then click on “Settings”
• Scroll down further to click on “site settings” and then press on “notifications” option
• In the newly opened window, choose each suspicious URLs one by one
• In the permission section, select “notification” and “Off” the toggle button

Mozilla Firefox

• On the right corner of the screen, you will notice three dots which is the “Menu” button
• Select “Options” and choose “Privacy and Security” in the toolbar present in the left side of the screen
• Slowly scroll down and go to “Permission” section then choose “Settings” option next to “Notifications”
• In the newly opened window, select all the suspicious URLs. Click on the drop-down menu and select “Block”

Internet Explorer

• In the Internet Explorer window, select the Gear button present on the right corner
• Choose “Internet Options”
• Select “Privacy” tab and then “Settings” under the “Pop-up Blocker” section
• Select all the suspicious URLs one by one and click on the “Remove” option

Microsoft Edge

• Open the Microsoft Edge and click on the three dots on the right corner of the screen to open the menu
• Scroll down and select “Settings”
• Scroll down further to choose “view advanced settings”
• In the “Website Permission” option, click on “Manage” option
• Click on switch under every suspicious URL

Safari (Mac):

• On the upper right side corner, click on “Safari” and then select “Preferences”
• Go to “website” tab and then choose “Notification” section on the left pane
• Search for the suspicious URLs and choose “Deny” option for each one of them

Manual Steps to Remove Contenko:

Remove the related items of Contenko using Control-Panel

Windows 7 Users

Click “Start” (the windows logo at the bottom left corner of the desktop screen), select “Control Panel”. Locate the “Programs” and then followed by clicking on “Uninstall Program”

Windows XP Users

Click “Start” and then choose “Settings” and then click “Control Panel”. Search and click on “Add or Remove Program’ option

Windows 10 and 8 Users:

Go to the lower left corner of the screen and right-click. In the “Quick Access” menu, choose “Control Panel”. In the newly opened window, choose “Program and Features”

Mac OSX Users

Click on “Finder” option. Choose “Application” in the newly opened screen. In the “Application” folder, drag the app to “Trash”. Right click on the Trash icon and then click on “Empty Trash”.

In the uninstall programs window, search for the PUAs. Choose all the unwanted and suspicious entries and click on “Uninstall” or “Remove”.

After you uninstall all the potentially unwanted program causing Contenko issues, scan your computer with an anti-malware tool for any remaining PUPs and PUAs or possible malware infection. To scan the PC, use the recommended the anti-malware tool.

How to Remove Adware (Contenko) from Internet Browsers

Delete malicious add-ons and extensions from IE

Click on the gear icon at the top right corner of Internet Explorer. Select “Manage Add-ons”. Search for any recently installed plug-ins or add-ons and click on “Remove”.

Additional Option

If you still face issues related to Contenko removal, you can reset the Internet Explorer to its default setting.

Windows XP users: Press on “Start” and click “Run”. In the newly opened window, type “inetcpl.cpl” and click on the “Advanced” tab and then press on “Reset”.

Windows Vista and Windows 7 Users: Press the Windows logo, type inetcpl.cpl in the start search box and press enter. In the newly opened window, click on the “Advanced Tab” followed by “Reset” button.

For Windows 8 Users: Open IE and click on the “gear” icon. Choose “Internet Options”

Select the “Advanced” tab in the newly opened window

Press on “Reset” option

You have to press on the “Reset” button again to confirm that you really want to reset the IE

Remove Doubtful and Harmful Extension from Google Chrome

Go to menu of Google Chrome by pressing on three vertical dots and select on “More tools” and then “Extensions”. You can search for all the recently installed add-ons and remove all of them.

Optional Method

If the problems related to Contenko still persists or you face any issue in removing, then it is advised that your reset the Google Chrome browse settings. Go to three dotted points at the top right corner and choose “Settings”. Scroll down bottom and click on “Advanced”.

At the bottom, notice the “Reset” option and click on it.

In the next opened window, confirm that you want to reset the Google Chrome settings by click on the “Reset” button.

Remove Contenko plugins (including all other doubtful plug-ins) from Firefox Mozilla

Open the Firefox menu and select “Add-ons”. Click “Extensions”. Select all the recently installed browser plug-ins.

Optional Method

If you face problems in Contenko removal then you have the option to rese the settings of Mozilla Firefox.

Open the browser (Mozilla Firefox) and click on the “menu” and then click on “Help”.

Choose “Troubleshooting Information”

In the newly opened pop-up window, click “Refresh Firefox” button

The next step is to confirm that really want to reset the Mozilla Firefox settings to its default by clicking on “Refresh Firefox” button.

Remove Malicious Extension from Safari

Open the Safari and go to its “Menu” and select “Preferences”.

Click on the “Extension” and select all the recently installed “Extensions” and then click on “Uninstall”.

Optional Method

Open the “Safari” and go menu. In the drop-down menu, choose “Clear History and Website Data”.

In the newly opened window, select “All History” and then press on “Clear History” option.

Delete Contenko (malicious add-ons) from Microsoft Edge

Open Microsoft Edge and go to three horizontal dot icons at the top right corner of the browser. Select all the recently installed extensions and right click on the mouse to “uninstall”

Optional Method

Open the browser (Microsoft Edge) and select “Settings”

Next steps is to click on “Choose what to clear” button

Click on “show more” and then select everything and then press on “Clear” button.

Conclusion

In most cases, the PUPs and adware gets inside the marked PC through unsafe freeware downloads. It is advised that you should only choose developers website only while downloading any kind of free applications. Choose custom or advanced installation process so that you can trace the additional PUPs listed for installation along with the main program.