Welcome to our TrustedSurf removal instructions. This article intends to help you remove TrustedSurf from your system and is designed to work for Chrome, Firefox and all Windows versions.

Nowadays ads aren’t something that’s viewed as malicious, but is that true across the board? May ads become something dangerous and harmful? In this article we shall answer those questions and many more, regarding Trustedsurf.com.

It’s quite possible that you have experienced some of the things we are about to describe yourself and are search for a solution. In that case we’ve also written a set of steps you can follow to aid your PC and remove the dubious piece of software. But before we jump into the instructions below, we’d like to take the liberty of educating you on the topic first. Without further ado, let’s dive down on the topic of “What is a Browser Hijacker”?

What do I need to know about Trustedsurf “Virus”? Is it dangerous? If so, how?

Browser Hijackers like trustedsurf.com “Virus” first came about when developers started distributing freeware and packaging it with popular installers. It must be made abundantly clear from the get go – this is not legally a computer virus. A virus would look to ultimately harm your system in some way. Trustedsurf “virus” may negatively impact your browsing experience but it would not directly cause you any direct damage. This type of software has been typically shared around dedicated sites for freeware. People eventually started to see potential in these channels for purposes other than distributing freeware programs. Browser Hijacker creators began developing software that upon entry into a system would begin flooding a browser with ads in various shapes and forms. They typically cover the entire page and absolutely diminish the overall browsing experience. All browsers could be a target, including Chrome or Firefox. If one clicks on the ads, he is sent to questionable websites often filled with malicious content that can further harm the end user. They could also have a tempting, but fake offers in the form of a product or service you’ve always wanted to have. Do not be deceived by these attempts at persuading you. Mostly these offers are misleading. The programs they could offer you may be additional camouflaged Browser Hijacker. The danger one can see is obvious. However, if you learn to not interact with them, they are mostly harmless. The main issue at that point is that you cannot browse normally because of the ads. So, you’ll have to find a way to remove the software anyway. Thankfully, we’ve saved you the research.

What symptoms does TrustedSurf possess? How can you tell whether you have it or not?

Symptoms may be noticed immediately after TrustedSurf has entered your system. Usually such programs reveal themselves immediately upon entry, mainly because of the way they work. When TrustedSurf has successfully entered your OS, it may immediately trigger advertisements to pop-up inside your browser, so that’s usually the first and most obvious sign. When you open a web page, it may be surrounded by ads that block the main content. Some of them cover the sides of the page, some hide in text while others directly cover everything by popping up in front of you. We will briefly go over each of them.

• Banners are the types of ads that are usually placed on the sides of the page, where the white space is. While not exactly as obstructive as the others, they can still be rather annoying.
• In-text ads are the ones that are hidden in the text as the name suggests. Basically, they link certain words with a remote location on the web. Sometimes they can be accompanied by a pop-up window that appears over the words once you hover on it.
• Pop-up ads are the most annoying of the bunch and there’s a good reason why. If you’ve ever opened a page with a Browser Hijacker, this will be the first thing you’ll see. Big windows cover the entire page, making reading impossible. They degrade the overall browsing experience by a big margin.

How did TrustedSurf get into my PC?

Most likely you’ve downloaded an installer with the idea to install some software application and it came packaged with the Browser Hijacker hidden in the advanced options. This is the most popular way for Browser Hijacker developers to access your PC. They attempt to exploit the users’ lack of attention to detail and hide the option deep in the installer. You should be very careful when installing something, you should read every single step carefully in order to fully understand what everything does. Explore the advanced options even if they sound intimidating or for “expert users”. This is the reaction the developers are hoping for.

This concludes our short summary on TrustedSurf. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them below. We generally recommend you take the easier approach to removing or uninstalling the software by using our recommended removal tool.

How To Remove TrustedSurf “Virus”

Step 1

Reveal Hidden Files. If you don’t know how to do this, ask us in the comments.

Step 2

Press and hold the button on your keyboard and R. Type appwiz.cpl and click on Ok.

Look for suspicious programs and uninstall them.

In the search field type => msconfig => hit Enter.

Go to Startup and disable all entries with Unknown as Manufacturer.

Step 3

=> Search=> Copy/Paste “notepad %windir%/system32/Drivers/etc/hosts” => Enter.

If you notice other IPs different from the localhost IPs – you might be in danger!

Ask for additional help in the comments.

Step 4

Remove TrustedSurf from Chrome

Click => More Tools => Extensions.

Locate the Browser Hijacker and remove it.

Remove TrustedSurf  from Firefox

Click => Add-ons=> Extensions.

Locate the Browser Hijacker and delete it.

Malware Removal from Internet Explorer

Press on => Manage Add-ons =>

Find the Browser Hijacker and remove it.

Step 5

Right click on the Taskbar => Start Task Manager.

Navigate to Processes.

Locate any suspicious processes associated with TrustedSurf. Right click on the process = > Open File Location => End Process = > Delete the directories with the suspicious files.

Step 6

=> Search => Type:

• %AppData%
• %LocalAppData%
• %ProgramData%
• %WinDir%
• %Temp%

Hit Enter after each new search. Check each Folder and delete recent entries.

If you run into any trouble – ask us for help in the comments section!