Softwarereferral infection is a hijacker. If your computer was infected, you got many popups, Internet Explorer start page changed to softwarereferral.com, blinking stopsign with X in system tray, continual system alert popups.
Ignore these fake popups and use the free instructions below for removing the softwarereferral/safewebnavigate hijackers and any associated malware from your computer.
Symptoms in a HijackThis Log
R0 – HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://softwarereferral.com/jump.php?wmid=6010&mid=MjI6Ojg5&lid=2
O2 – BHO: PC-Antispyware Site Blocker Button – {10F0C2A9-8E38-43e3-204D-45524C494E20} – C:\Program Files\PC-Antispyware\IeExtension.dll
O2 – BHO: GNX Bingo – {B2DCA34E-9D1C-4EDA-A1BE-C24D1B4AAE55} – C:\WINDOWS\kdftlboepta.dll
O2 – BHO: GNX Rolex – {CD6DCA54-AE70-4562-BD9E-0C0A32F01347} – C:\WINDOWS\drnpfdxsnp.dll
O3 – Toolbar: etlrlws – {13F5AE57-486D-41B6-BA43-806EA7CCAE14} – C:\WINDOWS\etlrlws.dll
O4 – HKCU\..\Run: [awedpedp] C:\WINDOWS\system32\naxgxwbu.exe
O4 – HKLM\..\Policies\Explorer\Run: [bZ76ULmU0g] C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\titkpyhg\vyzwdszw.exe
O21 – SSODL: bokpkov – {919071FA-540C-4492-BE14-79F7E72B24A1} – C:\WINDOWS\bokpkov.dll
O21 – SSODL: altvxvm – {360925C8-9CA2-4D10-9C9D-4DA09A5840FB} – C:\WINDOWS\altvxvm.dll
O24 – Desktop Component 0: Privacy Protection – file:///C:\WINDOWS\privacy_danger\index.htm
Note: SSODL modules can have random name(blue color) and some different clsid(red color), use google for check them.
Use the following instructions to remove softwarereferral/safewebnavigate hijackers
1. Using SmitfraudFix (by S!Ri).
- Download SmitfraudFix
- Reboot your computer in Safe Mode by doing the following:
1. Restart your computer
2. After hearing your computer beep once during startup, but before the Windows icon appears, press F8.
3. Instead of Windows loading as normal, a menu should appear
4. Select the first option, to run Windows in Safe Mode. - Double-click SmitfraudFix.exe.
- Press the number 2 on your keyboard and the press the enter key to choose the option Clean (safe mode recommended).
- You will be prompted : “Registry cleaning – Do you want to clean the registry ?“; answer “Yes” by typing Y and press “Enter” in order to remove the Desktop background and clean registry keys associated with the infection.
- The tool will now check if wininet.dll is infected. You may be prompted to replace the infected file (if found); answer “Yes” by typing Y and press “Enter”.
- The tool may need to restart your computer to finish the cleaning process; if it doesn’t, please restart it into Normal Windows.
2. Using Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.
- Download MalwareBytes Anti-malware (MBAM). Close all programs and Windows on your computer.
- Double Click mbam-setup.exe to install the application. When the installation begins, keep following the prompts in order to continue with the installation process. Do not make any changes to default settings and when the program has finished installing, make sure a checkmark is placed next to Update Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware and Launch Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware, then click Finish.
- If an update is found, it will download and install the latest version.
- Once the program has loaded, select “Perform Quick Scan”, then click Scan.
- The scan may take some time to finish,so please be patient.
- When the scan is complete, click OK, then Show Results to view the results.
- Make sure that everything is checked, and click Remove Selected.
- When disinfection is completed, a log will open in Notepad and you may be prompted to Restart.
Note: If you need help with the instructions, then post your questions in our Spyware Removal forum.
