Blekko Redirect is a browser hijacker that changes default search provider to Blekko.com. Blekko is a legitimate website, one of the smaller search engines. It also claims to be a spam free. However, it also pays affiliates for each visitor that tries out the search engine. Although the amount of money is relatively small, it is lucrative for malware makers that gain additional couple of bucks for each install. Thus stripped down version of Blekko toolbar is installed without user’s consent and uninstall is impossible sometimes. As users are not warned about the install, they call the toolbar causing redirections a Blekko virus.
Due to this, we rate Blekko Toolbar as Potentially Unwanted Application and if the uninstaller is not included it is a sign of malware infection. Distribution of such programs without actual uninstaller is violation of terms and conditions of affiliate program, however, malware makers do not care and it is hard to prove. If you haven’t installed the toolbar yourself, it is a sign your PC is infected with adware or trojans, and you should not take these redirections lightly. Besides being annoying if you are happy with your regular search results, they hide more serious problem: someone installs software without your actual consent.
If you haven’t installed Blekko Toolbar yourself
In this case, you are infected and should remove Blekko Virus, you must immediately perform a full system scan with an anti-malware program. There are several versions of trojans that distribute toolbars and you will need anti-malware program like Spyhunter to determine the cause of infection. Then you should repeat the steps written bellow.
If you have installed Blekko Toolbar, or see it in control panel
If you have installed toolbar yourself and wish to remove it, follow following instructions :
1. Go to control panel. Uninstall Blekko Toolbar. I would also recommend uninstall other software you do not know about that was installed on the same day.
2. Open your browser. Go to extensions/pluggins. Check out that there is nothing Blekko related. Delete all extensions that are made by anything else than Microsoft, Adobe, Oracle, Sun or Google.
3. You will have to reset your Search provider.
On IE:
Click arrow on the right of search box
Do following
On IE8-9 choose Manage Search providers
On ie7 click change search defaults
Remove Blekko from the list
On Firefox :
In url field type “about:config” (without the quotes) and do following =>
Type “Keyword.url” in the search box. Right click it & reset it.
Type “browser.search.defaultengine” in the search box. Right click it & reset it.
On Google Chrome:
Click gear icon on browser toolbar
Select Settings
Select Basics ->Manage Search engines
Remove Blekko from list
4. Scan with anti-malware program Spyhunter or Spybot S&D to confirm that everything got removed and cleaned.
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I ran all scans on my cpu, uninstalled blekko from control panel.
I have a blekko toolbar on firefox, when I go to addons/extensions, I see nothing new. There is no option to remove blekko toolbar or anything of that sort.
When I go to chrome, every new page i open is blekko. I go to manage search engines, and it still says that GOOGLE is the default search engine. Theres also nothing out of the ordinary in extensions/addons.
HOW TO I REMOVE THIS CRAP!!!!!!
In chrome, you will have to change the start page. Press on Wench icon, go to Settings, there go to on Startup. Change to open New Tab.
Also, it might install some invisible addon too. Scan with Anti-Malware programs.
Hi, thanks for the instructions i get infected when i was downloading from softpedia the blekko was packaged with the software shame on sofpedia for packaging viruses and trojans into their download packages anyway i have scotty and eset smart security they warned me about some soft wants to instll itself and i didn’t allow it but it install itself Without my permission that’s definitely a malicious behavior.
for get rid of this malicious soft i uninstalled it from control panel and then restart my system after that i did what you have said in the instructions
On IE:
Click arrow on the right of search box
Do following
On IE8-9 choose Manage Search providers
On ie7 click change search defaults
Remove Blekko from the list
On Firefox :
In url field type “about:config” (without the quotes) and do following =>
Type “Keyword.url” in the search box. Right click it & reset it.
Type “browser.search.defaultengine” in the search box. Right click it & reset it.
On Google Chrome:
Click wench icon on browser toolbar
Select Settings
Select Basics ->Manage Search engines
Remove Blekko from list
and blekko is gone people don’t trust any site when downloading from internet and i recommend u to don’t download from downloading sites like softpedia that when u waana a damn soft they enforce u to dl some other softs.
Hi, a friend of mine has the same blekko problem, which i intend to tackle soon, further to the actions listed on here, i would also suggest deleteing anything related to blekko from the registry aswell,
click start, in search box, type regedit, this will appear at top of start window, click on it to open the registry, select H/KEY LOCAL MACHINE, then SOFTWARE from the drop down menu, look for blekko, then right click and delete, you will be asked if you want to remove the item and all sub keys, choose yes, that should remove any remnants of blekko from the system, hope this helps 🙂
Hi again, an excellent antimalware and adware program is MALWAREBYTES, I use it on my laptop regualarly and find it very easy to use and it does the job it’s intended for, the quick scan takes about 5 mins on my machine, thats an 80gb hard drive which has about 50% free space, full scan takes a lot longer, havnt timed it though, but the easiest way to prevent blekko and other nasty’s getting in, is to install a good internet security suite, i use norton 360, again, an excellent product, and since installing it, havnt had any problems at all :), well worth the cost if you value your pc/laptop.
The reset option is grayed out when i do your firefox instructions.