Search.huniversalconverter.co Malware - How to remove

Convert any file to a PDF with Universal Converter – that’s what they promise you if you are willing to use their free web browser extension. The extension itself is called Universal Converter v2.1 and most of the legitimate anti-malware tools categorize it as a browser hijacker. There is some solid background to call it a malware – it is distributed using unfair methods, it makes changes to your personal preferences without even bothering to ask you about that.

Browser hijacker is the most popular type of malware at the moment. You can get infected with it in various ways, but there is nothing to worry about – if treated properly, it will be removed easily until any serious damage is caused to your system or personal files.

In case you have found yourself in this unpleasant situation and Search.huniversalconverter.co is bothering you, we’re here to help. We will provide you with detailed instructions on how to eliminate the infection effectively and also make sure that this won’t happen again. Actually, it’s a good warning sign that the protection of your computer is very weak, so if you want to continue using your computer without having security concerns, you should improve it.

Fake File Converter

So this malicious browser extension is operating under the cover of valuable and free tool that can convert up to 30 file types. That’s what they claim, but it has nothing to do with reality. This extension itself can’t do any of that and the best possible result – they will provide you with a link to a website that can actually convert files. However, it’s definitely not worth to keep the malicious tool running on your system just to have some links accessible right away on a new tab page.

Developers of this software are trying to make Search.huniversalconverter.co nice looking and convenient, so that infected users would want to continue using it. And that’s probably the worst thing you can do about this infection – just ignoring it. If you do so, your personal information and computer security will be put in real danger.

It doesn’t take much to get infected with Search.huniversalconverter.co – this extension simply needs to be added to one of your web browsers and that’s it. In case you are using a browser infected with Search.huniversalconverter.co right now, we highly recommend switching to an alternative one until this infection is completely eliminated.

If Search.huniversalconverter.co is operating on your computer, you have probably already noticed that your new tab page is hijacked and changed to www.search.huniversalconverter.co. It has been done behind your back, without even notifying you about the changes. That’s a common thing to all browser hijackers delivered by Polarity Technologies LTD. Infections like Search.hmapsanddrivingdirection.com, Quick Driving Directions, or Search.searchgmfs1.com are all operating the same.

It might look like a changed new tab page is not a big deal, but it can actually cause a lot of damage. You see, there is a web search function. If you use it, you will be redirected to Yahoo search, so you might think that it is reliable. Not so fast – those search results can be modified by Polarity. They simply insert various advertisements or sponsored links in top positions and make your browsing experience really bad. Most of those links and ads are not even relevant to your search queries.

You should understand that partners of Polarity promoted there can also be unreliable. This being said, other malware can be easily infiltrated into your system. Don’t be surprised if some adware or other malware just appears on your computer out of nowhere – it’s a consequence of keeping Search.huniversalconverter.co installed. Also, Search.huniversalconverter.co will be tracking your behavior online, gathering your personal data. This information is very valuable, so they are trying to get as much of it as possible.

Search.huniversalconverter.co Website

The website itself looks nice and clean – just a regular search engine. However, the looks can be misleading. If you take a look at other similar hijackers, they all look very similar. Dailyfileconverter.co and Search.hmyconverterhub.com also feature a web search function and an additional toolbar with various links, just like Search.huniversalconverter.co.

There is a lot of information on that toolbar – local weather report links to news and media websites and so on. Unfortunately, that’s just another way to advertise and promote websites that are affiliated with Polarity, thus they can’t be trusted.

If you take a look at the Privacy Policy provided on that website, you will soon notice that they are ready to collect your personal information. Just look at this:

When you use our Services or view content provided by Polarity, we automatically collect and store certain information in server logs. This includes:

• Search activity when you use web search services (such as search queries) (“Search Data”).
• Internet protocol address (“IP Address”)
• The type of browser you are using when using our Services, including your browser’s “user agent” (e.g., Internet Explorer, Safari, and other browsers)
• Device event information such as crashes, system activity, hardware settings, browser language, and the date and time of your request and referral URL
• Your geographic location
• The Domain name of your Internet service provider
• The source of traffic acquisition
• Date of traffic acquisition, and
• Time and date of certain browser events such as:
  • Chrome extensions enabled
  • Homepage/new tab rendered
  • Search query performed
  • Search performed on search engine results page (“SERP”)
  • Search term on SERP
  • Paid advertisements clicked on SERP
  • Organic advertisements clicked on SERP
  • Icons clicked on Home page/New Tab Page
  • Uninstalls of extension
  • Views on landing page
  • Clicks on an action button on landing page
  • Cancellations of extension installation
  • Acceptance of extension installation
  • Disablement of extension

That’s another reason to immediately stop using Search.huniversalconverter.co website and remove Universal Converter v2.1 from your infected Internet browser.

How It Was Infiltrated Into Your Computer

Search.huniversalconverter.co might be promoted on various excessive advertisements online, so if you click on one of them and follow the offer to install a free and useful tool, your system will be automatically infected.

However, that’s not the most popular way to get such malware on your computer. Usually the installer of Search.huniversalconverter.co is bundled to another installer of some free software that is available online. So when you download and install some applications like free media player or converter, this malicious add-on can come as an unwanted addition.

Various potentially unwanted programs are distributed this way and there is an effective solution to protect your computer from it – simply install anti-malware software that has real-time protection features and let it run in the background all the time. We suggest trying some free options, such as Plumbytes or Malware Fighter.

How To Eliminate Search.huniversalconverter.co From Your Computer

To get rid of this malicious extension you should scan your computer with a decent anti-malware tool, such as Spyhunter for PC or Combo Cleaner for Mac. Those programs have a huge virus database and can detect and remove most of the malicious infections out there.
The only problem is that this process might be too complicated for a regular computer user. If you still want to try your luck – take a look at manual removal instructions provided below this article.

Automatic Malware removal tools

Manual Removal of Search.huniversalconverter.co

How to remove huniversalconverter Malware using Windows Control Panel

Many hijackers and adware like Search.huniversalconverter.co Malware install some of their components as regular Windows programs as well as additional software. This part of malware can be uninstalled from the Control Panel. To access it, do the following.

• Start→Control Panel (older Windows) or press Windows Key→Search and enter Control Panel and then press Enter (Windows 8, Windows 10).
• Choose Uninstall Program (if you don't see it, click in the upper right next to "View by" and select Category).
• Go through the list of programs and select entries related to huniversalconverter Malware . You can click on "Name" or "Installed On" to reorder your programs and make Search.huniversalconverter.co Malware easier to find.
• Click the Uninstall button. If you're asked if you really want to remove the program, click Yes.
• In many cases anti-malware programs are better at detecting related parasites, thus I recommend installing Spyhunter to identify other programs that might be a part of this infection.

How to remove huniversalconverter Malware from macOS

Delete Search.huniversalconverter.co Malware from your applications.

1. Open Finder.
2. In the menu bar, click Go.
3. Select Applications from the dropdown.
4. Find the huniversalconverter Malware app.
5. Select it and right-click it (or hold the Ctrl and click the left mouse button).
6. In the dropdown, click Move to Bin/Trash. You might be asked to provide your login password.

TopHow To remove Search.huniversalconverter.co Malware from Google Chrome:

• Click on the 3 horizontal lines icon on a browser toolbar and Select More Tools→Extensions
  
• Select all malicious extensions and delete them.
  
• Click on the 3 horizontal lines icon on a browser toolbar and Select Settings
  
• Select Manage Search engines
  
• Remove unnecessary search engines from the list
  
• Go back to settings. On Startup choose Open blank page (you can remove undesired pages from the set pages link too).
• If your homepage was changed, click on Chrome menu on the top right corner, select Settings. Select Open a specific page or set of pages and click on Set pages.
  
• Delete malicious search websites at a new Startup pages window by clicking “X” next to them.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

If you are still experiencing any issues related to Search.huniversalconverter.co Malware, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on a Chrome’s menu button (three horizontal lines) and select Settings.
• Scroll to the end of the page and click on theReset browser 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.

How To remove Search.huniversalconverter.co Malware from Firefox:Top

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla window and select the “Add-ons” icon (Or press Ctrl+Shift+A on your keyboard).
  
• Go through Extensions and Addons list, remove everything Search.huniversalconverter.co Malware related and items you do not recognise. If you do not know the extension and it is not made by Mozilla, Google, Microsoft, Oracle or Adobe then you probably do not need it.
  
• If your homepage was changed, click on the Firefox menu in the top right corner, select Options → General. Enter a preferable URL to the homepage field and click Restore to Default.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to huniversalconverter Malware, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla Firefox window. Click on the Help button.
  
• ChooseTroubleshooting Information on the Help menu.
  
• Click on theReset Firefox button.
  
• Click on the Reset Firefox button on the confirmation box. Mozilla Firefox will close and change the settings to default.
  

If the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program to identify malicious entries.

How to remove Search.huniversalconverter.co Malware from Microsoft Edge:Top

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Microsoft Edge window. Select “Extensions”.

• Select all malicious extensions and delete them.

• Click on the three-dot menu on the browser toolbar and Select Settings

• Select Privacy and Services and scroll down. Press on Address bar.

• Choose Manage search engines.

• Remove unnecessary search engines from the list: open the three-dot menu and choose Remove.

• Go back to Settings. Open On start-up.
• Delete malicious search websites at Open specific page or pages by opening the three-dot menu and clicking Delete.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to Search.huniversalconverter.co Malware, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings

• Click on Edge's menu button and select Settings. Click on the Reset Settings button on the left.
• Press the Restore settings to their default values option.

• 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.

How to remove Search.huniversalconverter.co Malware from Safari:Top

Remove malicious extensions

• Click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Preferences.
  
• Select Extensions and uninstall huniversalconverter Malware and other suspicious extensions.
  
• If your homepage was changed, click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Preferences and choose General tab. Enter preferable URL to the homepage field.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings(older versions) If you are still experiencing any issues related to Search.huniversalconverter.co Malware, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Reset Safari…
  
• Select which options you want to reset (usually all of them come preselected) and click on the Reset button.
  

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