How to remove Woso browser hijacker? — Fix Guide

Written by Wilbur Woodham
The Woso search hijacker is an example of a standard unwanted program; such applications are spread massively nowadays. On this page you will see the complete guidelines of “Woso” hijacker removal in several methods: utilizing anti-malware programs and also hand-operated removal process.
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Woso – What is it?

“Woso” search hijacker is a potentially unwanted application (PUA)1, that is distributed as a plugin for your internet browser. It is typically spread as an add-on for Chrome or Firefox, that helps to search some particular info, as an example, about sport events, make your browser far more secure, enable downloading of any video clip, and so on.

Nonetheless, the “Woso” plugin is pretty ineffective because all such functions are currently integrated to your browser and/or Windows. Such advertising slogans are targeted at low-skilled computer users, for example, pensioners or schoolchildren. But often even qualified users are getting caught on such a lure. In specific scenarios, this hijacker is distributed together with free tools.

Woso hijacker - Quickgosearch.com

Woso Search Hijacker

Here is a short info for the Woso hijacker
SiteQuickgosearch.com
HostingAS13335 Cloudflare, Inc.
United States, San Francisco
Infection TypeBrowser Hijacker, Unwanted Application
IP Address172.67.202.45
HostingAS13335 Cloudflare, Inc.
San Francisco, United States
SymptomsChanged search engine; search queries redirection
Similar behaviorQuickgo/, Package, Convertrz
Fix Tool
To remove possible virus infections, try to scan your PC

How harmful is Woso hijacker?

Besides its impracticality, Woso hijacker is also really hazardous for browser use. It modifies your search engine to its specific – Quickgosearch.com, and additionally alters your background, adding its watermark on your wallpaper (or, sometimes, altering it to default with the specified symptom).

Aside from visual adjustments done by Woso hijacker, you might see that a couple of your search questions are redirecting to the suspicious websites, full of links and promotions – so-called doorway websites. Such sites can contain web links for malware downloads. The chance of redirecting rises if you attempt to open Google search page forcibly.

However all these actions are much more annoying than truly hazardous. The greatest threat, particularly for individuals who have a huge amount of secret information in their internet browsers, is installed in information collecting capabilities. Cookie files, conversations, often-visited web pages, as well as various other activities are easily gathered by Woso hijacker.

How to remove Woso search hijacker?

  • Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware.
  • Open GridinSoft Anti-Malware and perform a “Standard scan“.
  • “Move to quarantine” all items.
  • Open “Tools” tab – Press “Reset Browser Settings“.
  • Select proper browser and options – Click “Reset”.
  • Restart your computer.

Browser hijackers are usually rather very easy to remove. For the most part, they have an independent application that can be spotted in the list of installed applications. Because of the certain marketing method of Woso hijacker, it can be simply tracked and removed by hand. However, if you got Woso in the package with a free program, your computer may be contaminated with a lot more major malwaretrojans, spyware or even ransomware. That’s why I’d recommend you use anti-malware tools to remove the Woso PUA and all various other malware.

You can utilize Microsoft Defender2 – it is capable of recognizing and clearing away different malware, including named hijacker. Nevertheless, major malware, that might be present on your computer in the discussed situation, can disable the Windows antimalware tool by modifying the Group Policies. To keep away from such circumstances, it is far better to make use of GridinSoft Anti-Malware.

To detect and erase all malicious applications on your PC with GridinSoft Anti-Malware, it’s better to use Standard or Full scan. Quick Scan is not able to find all the malicious apps, because it checks only the most popular registry entries and folders.

Main screen in GridinSoft Anti-Malware

You can observe the detected viruses sorted by their possible hazard during the scan process. But to perform any actions against malicious programs, you need to wait until the scan is over, or to stop the scan.

GridinSoft Anti-Malware during the scan

To choose the action for each spotted virus or unwanted program, click the arrow in front of the name of the detected virus. By default, all the viruses will be moved to quarantine.

List of the detected malware after the scan

Reverting browser settings to original ones

To revert your browser settings, you are required to use the Reset Browser Settings option. This action is not able to be intercepted by any malicious program, hence, you will surely see the result. This option can be located in the Tools tab.

Tools tab in GridinSoft Anti-Malware

After pressing the Reset Browser Settings option, the menu will be shown, where you can choose, which settings will be reverted to the original.

Reset Browser Settings options

Deleteing Woso hijacker manually

Besides using anti-malware software for browser restoration, you may choose the “Reset browser settings” function, which is usually embedded in all popular browsers.

To reset Edge, do the following steps :
  1. Open “Settings and more” tab in upper right corner, then find here “Settings” button. In the appeared menu, choose “Reset settings” option :
  2. Reseting the Edge browser

  3. After picking the Reset Settings option, you will see the following menu, stating about the settings which will be reverted to original :
For Mozilla Firefox, do the next actions :
  1. Open Menu tab (three strips in upper right corner) and click the “Help” button. In the appeared menu choose “troubleshooting information” :
  2. The first step to revert Mozilla Firefox

  3. In the next screen, find the “Refresh Firefox” option :
  4. The second step of Firefox restoration
    After choosing this option, you will see the next message :
    The last step for Firefox

If you use Google Chrome
  1. Open Settings tab, find the “Advanced” button. In the extended tab choose the “Reset and clean up” button :
  2. In the appeared list, click on the “Restore settings to their original defaults” :
  3. Finally, you will see the window, where you can see all the settings which will be reset to default :
Opera can be reset in the next way
  1. Open Settings menu by pressing the gear icon in the toolbar (left side of the browser window), then click “Advanced” option, and choose “Browser” button in the drop-down list. Scroll down, to the bottom of the settings menu. Find there “Restore settings to their original defaults” option :
  2. After clicking the “Restore settings…” button, you will see the window, where all settings, which will be reset, are shown :

As an afterword, I want to say that time plays against you and your PC. The activity of browser hijacker must be stopped as soon as possible, because of the possibility of other malware injection. This malware can be downloaded autonomously, or offered for you to download in one of the windows with advertisements, which are shown to you by the hijacker. You need to act as fast as you can.

I need your help to share this guide.

Browser hijackers are among the largest and also disruptive kinds of malware. I published this article to help you, so I wish you will help me to make the computer world completely clean of malware. Please, share this article in the social networks you use – Twitter, Reddit, Facebook – wherever.
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Wilbur Woodham
How to Remove Woso?

Name: Woso

Description: Woso - a lot of users became a victim of browser hijacker. I have a lot of friends who literally bombed me with the questions like “how to remove Woso?”. In this article we will show you how to deal with Woso (Quickgosearch.com), which may corrupt your browser’s correct performance, and create a lot of troubles while you are working.

Operating System: Windows

Application Category: Browser Hijacker

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References

  1. More information about PUAs
  2. Detailed review of Microsoft Defender

About the author

Wilbur Woodham

I was a technical writer from early in my career, and consider IT Security one of my foundational skills. I’m sharing my experience here, and I hope you find it useful.

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