Directions.cm virus - How to remove

Directions.cm is an extension for the Chrome browser that you can officially download from Chrome’s store. It claims to help to navigate and provide the best directions, show weather for the selected area and on top of that create shortcut links to various utilities like a calendar, calculator, clock and etc. However, what it really does it takes over the browser, changes your default homepage, search engine and completely dictates what you see online, at the same time tracking your every step on the World Wide Web. Even though this sounds terrifying it is just a typical browser hijacker behavior that is common to plenty of viruses like FileChecker, MyWay and pretty much every Polarity’s and Airfind’s creations.

Browser hijackers are fortunately one of the easiest malware types to get rid of and their maliciousness are not that extreme like ransomware for example, but nonetheless, you have to be careful with it and remove Directions.cm before it manages to steal important data about you and open doors for other threats. The Directions.cm virus has been active for a while, but now it is reaching its peak, that is why it is important to learn how to prevent it and what to do if it gets into your system anyway.

What is Directions.cm browser hijacker

Directions.cm is a deceiful browser extension that has an official spot on the Google Chrome store. There it advertises as a New Tab page configuration which provides users with an access to free directions, maps and more. It certainly does what it promises, and even more – tracks online activity, generates excessive advertising, alters most browser settings and allows other malware to reach your system easier. After a while, the benefit of having map extension is outweighed by the irritating pop-ups, redirects, inconvenient homepage and other negative aspects of Directions.cm.

Unfortunately, the Privacy Policy and Terms of Directions.cm extension are not available at the moment (or probably ever) but even from reading the short description you can tell that this browser enhancer does not promise anything good.

This extension configures your New Tab page to provide you with access to free directions, maps and more.  Enter your To & From address and choose your preferred mapping provider to get directions. This extension offers following additional features in your new tab to help you plan your trip much easier. – Convenient web Search  – Get current weather for your location  – Shortcut links for utilities like calendar, calculator, world clock etc.  Please read carefully: By clicking the “Add to Chrome” button in the top right hand corner and installing the MapsTab extension, you agree to the Terms and the Privacy Policy and to receiving any future updates and upgrades.

Obviously, to get directions or plan your trips, you do not need a special tool to help you, you can simply do it with Google Maps, that is for free and does not require any special download. But after you click on the ‘Add to Chrome’ button then Directions.cm will install MapsTab extension and change the main homepage to chrome-extension://bkcjncmijlkmlignahmdgbjldkmfiikg/newtab/blank.html. Moreover, this won’t be a separate search engine, but just a cover and redirect to Yahoo Seach. This is because browser hijackers earn most of their revenue by bringing traffic to some websites that are willing to pay the crooks for the increased popularity.

According to the Similarweb.com at the moment most infected countries are mostly the US (76%), India and Philippines, so if you are from any of these regions you are more likely to get Directions.cm virus. Moreover, the analyzing website says that Directions.cm browser hijacker display ads from milb.com, alldistancebetween.com, maxpreps.com, mapspilot.com, mapquick.net and has a subdomain named driving.directions.cm.

Basically, browser hijackers like Directions.cm modify victim’s browser so that once the person searches for something online, the virus could display offers and services that will pay hackers to get their products advertised. Additionally, Directions.cm closely works with third-parties which will buy the information about user’s browsing habits online and personal information like age, gender, search queries, visited pages to alter the Marketing techniques and provide more targeted promotions. For this reason, Directions.cm should not remain installed in the system any longer.

What are the spreading methods of Directions.cm virus

Browser hijackers like Directions.cm usually tend to spread with other software via distributing websites. Pages Like download.com offer bundles of freeware, which may not cost you any money, but will take a toll on your privacy, security and operating system. People often just download popular software not straight from the developers but from third-party sites, because it is more convenient or simple without expecting any issues, yet some of these programs are spread without a permission and paired with malware, dragging a shade over the innocent creators.

Once you end up downloading one of such programs, you will have to run a SetupWizard which allows you to install the application to your system. Out of the habit, you will quickly select express/recommended install and skip the setup page to the end, agreeing with everything the installation page says. This is when the malware finds a legal way to sneak in. There will be an additional window that will ask you if you want to do the Custom install or add other programs at the same time of the main software set up, and if you will not uncheck the boxes/disagree then you will end up giving the permission to bring Directions.cm and other parasites to your Windows by the default.

As well as this spreading technique Directions.cm virus has a very presentable and innocent appearance on the Chrome store which tricks gullible people into believing the benefits of having such an extension and end up downloading the hijacker themselves. If you have become a victim of Directions.cm no matter what spreading method was used, this just proves that it is time to learn more about Online security, before ending up with other more dangerous threats.

How to eliminate Directions.cm virus

Once you identify the annoying Directions.cm hijacker it is time to get rid of it and its malicious features. The best and easiest removal method is the automatic malware removal software like Spyhunter or . These are one of the most sophisticated and reliable security tools that work perfectly in cases of spyware like Directions.cm browser virus, adware and etc. After the install of one or another program, you will be given instructions on how to run a system scan and etc. The great thing is that the whole removal will just take a couple minutes since anti-spyware applications will do everything for you, and even the viruses that have been sitting in your PC unnoticed will be hunted at the same time. Although at the moment the antivirus programs are becoming more and more multitasked and have powerful malware removal options, you can still see what are the Difference between the antivirus and antimalware.

Automatic Malware removal tools

How to uninstall Directions.cm browser hijacker manually

If you happen to install the Directions.cm extension yourself, simply falling for the sugar-coated features, then most likely manual removal should be sufficient enough to get rid of the annoying ads and altered homepage. After deleting Directions.cm virus from your browser do not forget to change the default settings back to your preferred, as well. Nevertheless, you can still have some issues with your Chrome or system, therefore we recommend to follow a further and more detailed guide and still run a scan with an anti-spyware program just to make sure that there is no other threat that is persistently altering the settings.

TopRemoving Directions.cm virus from Chrome

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Google Chrome window. Select “Settings”.
  
• Click “Extensions” on the left menu bar.
• Go through the extensions list and remove programs you do not need, especially similar to Driving.directions.cm. Click on the trash bin icon next to Directions.cm virus or other add-ons you want to remove.
  
• Press on the “Remove” button on the Confirmation window.
  
• If unsure, you can disable them temporarily.
  
• Restart Chrome.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

If you are still experiencing any issues related to Driving.directions.cm, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on Chrome’s menu button (three horizontal lines) and select Settings.
  
• Scroll to the end of the page and click on the Reset settings button.
  
• Click on the Reset button on the confirmation box.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.