Did you open Chrome today e, much to your surprise, did you notice that the browser home page had changed? Instead of the classic tab with the most frequently visited sites, is there a strange search engine called Delta Homes? I'm sorry, but you fell victim to a browser hijacker.
Browser hijackers are malware that alter the behavior of browsers, ie programs that allow you to surf the Internet, in order to "hijack" the user on sites full of advertising banners; banners that naturally allow malware creators to earn a lot of money in a scam. Very often browser hijackers are installed "by betrayal" on the computer after the installation of some free (or even worse, "pirated") software downloaded from the Internet, however do not worry, they can be removed. It takes a little patience, but they can be removed.
Per delete Delta Homes Chrome you must uninstall all the programs concerning the latter (therefore all the "suspicious" applications installed on the day the malware appeared), then you must examine the computer with some free anti-malware software e, finally, if it is still necessary, you have to reset Chrome preferences so that start page, search engine etc. all return to the way they were originally. For more detailed instructions read on.
Uninstall Delta Homes "manually"
As a first step, I recommend opening the Control Panel Windows and uninstall "manually" all software connected to Delta Homes.
Then click on the item Uninstall a program located at the bottom left, select the tab Installed on to arrange all the programs installed on your computer in chronological order and locate any that they might have to do with Delta Homes.
At this point, select one by one all the "suspicious" programs (those that are installed on the same day as Delta Homes) and click on the button Uninstall / Change located at the top right to remove them from the PC. The process of uninstalling the software may vary depending on the case, usually just always click on Next / Next to carry it out.
Adwcleaner
Now you need to remove all residual traces of Delta Homes left on your computer using some antimalware software. The first one I recommend you to try is Adwcleaner which is completely free, does not require installations and is focused on combating browser hijackers.
To download Adwcleaner on your PC, connect to its official website and click on the button Download Now located in the right sidebar. When the download is complete, open the file adwcleaner_5.xx.exe just downloaded and click on Yes I accept to access the main software screen.
If you see a Windows SmartScreen Filter warning, don't worry, it's a false positive. Click on the item first Further information and then Run anyway to start the program normally.
Next, click on the button Analysis and wait a few seconds for the system to be scanned. When the operation is complete, make sure there is a check mark next to all the threats found by the software and first click on Cleaning and then OK three consecutive times to "clean" the PC.
The system will restart and when you log in to Windows again a text file will open automatically with the list of all the files removed by Adwcleaner.
JRT
JRT (acronym for Junkware Removal Tool) is another antimalware software focused on removing threats like Delta Homes. It's as fast as Adwcleaner, free, but unlike the latter it doesn't have a graphical interface, it only works from the comme line.
To download it to your PC, connect to the Internet site that hosts it (link above) and click on the button Get My Free Download. Then start the program JRT.exe that you just downloaded, wait for the Windows Comme Prompt to appear and press the key Submit onla tastiera of the computer.
Within a few minutes the software will create a restore point, examine the system and remove all threats detected on it. All automatically, without you having to lift a finger. At the end of the operation a text file will open with the list of elements removed by JRT.
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
Finally, here is the heavy artillery! I am of course referring to Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, one of the most famous and effective anti-malware in the world.
Unlike Adwcleaner and JRT, Malwarebytes is not focused on a specific type of malware. It is capable of eradicating a very wide range of cyber threats, and its effectiveness pays off with rather long scanning times.
The software is agolable in two versions: a free one (which is what you need) and a paid one, which also offers real-time system monitoring. Let's see how it works right away.
To download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware on your computer, connect to its official website and click on the button first Scarica the free version e then Download now. When the download is complete, open the file mbam-setup-org–2.xx.exe that you have just downloaded on your PC and first click on Yes e then OK e NEXT.
Then accept the conditions of use of the program, putting the check mark next to the item I accept the terms of the license agreement, and complete the setup by pressing on first NEXT five consecutive times and then on Install e end. In the last setup screen, uncheck the item activate the free trial of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Pro (as already mentioned, you don't need it for what you have to do).
Now start Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, wait for the program to update its definitions and start a full scan of the PC by going to the tab Scanby selecting the option Search for new items and clicking on your button Start Scan. The operation could go on for several minutes.
At the end of the check, make sure that all the elements detected by the program program are selected and first click on Remove selected e then Close to eliminate them. A system restart may be required for the changes to take effect.
Reset Chrome
At this point you should already be able to delete Delta Homes Chrome. If not, try resetting your browser settings by doing these three simple steps.
- Reset the Chrome home page by clicking on the button menu located at the top right (the icon with the three horizontal lines) and selecting the item Settings from the menu that appears. Then put the check mark next to the item I clicked the Nuova tab page And that's it.
- Reset the Chrome search engine by clicking on the button menu located at the top right (the icon with the three horizontal lines) and selecting the item Settings from the menu that opens. Then expe the drop-down menu Search and imposta l'opzione Google in this last.
- Remove the Delta Homes extension from Chrome by clicking on the button menu located at the top right (the icon with the three horizontal lines) and selecting the item Other tools> Extensions from the menu that opens. Then find the extension related to Delta Homes and click on the basket placed next to it to uninstall it from the browser.
- “Clean up” the Chrome shortcut on the Windows desktop by removing references to Delta Homes from it. If you don't know how to do it, right-click on the browser icon and select the item Property from the menu that appears. In the window that opens, select the tab connection, delete any references to Delta Homes present at the end of the fields Destination e Da and click on Apply / OK per salvare i Cambiomenti.
To perform all these operations at the same time, connect to this web page and download the official tool for "cleaning" Chrome. Just click on the button Download now and confirm by pressing on Accept and download.
Once the download is complete, launch the executable software_removal_tool.exe that you have just downloaded, wait a few moments for the status of Chrome to be examined and reset the browser settings by clicking first on Continue and then Restore.
Please note: this deletes custom search engines, cookies, website data and extensions. It also restores the home page and search engine to factory state and removes pinned tabs in the browser.
