Get Rid of Keytar.com (Browser Hijacker/PUP)

What is Keytar.com? And how does it work?

Keytar.com is supposed to be a search engine that claims to provide reliable service to its users. It is advertised as a search engine that supposedly allows users to search the internet safely and privately. This search engine may seem useful at a first glance. However, security experts classify this program as a browser hijacker and a potentially unwanted program (PUP) as it is secretly distributed and hidden inside freeware and shareware packages. And even though this hijacker does not collect personally identifiable information from its users, it was found that it still gathers other information such as IP address, search queries, websites frequently visited, ads clicked, browsing history and other browsing related information. All the information it collects might be misused and might even be shared with third parties, clearly putting its users’ privacy at risk. In addition, some of the ads it displays might even redirect you to suspicious web pages that may harm your computer. So if you suddenly find yourself getting redirected to suspicious sites, make sure you take precautionary measures and remove Keytar.com.
Although this might be insignificant for inexperienced users, note that the information gathered is used to deliver targeted and customized ads to lure users into clicking them, generating revenue for Keytar.com’s developers in the process. So if you are not quite convinced that Keytar.com is not a safe program, here’s its Privacy Policy for your perusal and be the judge:
“Occasionally, at our discretion, we may include or offer third-party products or services on our website. Due to the fact that third-party sites have separate and independent privacy policies, we have no responsibility or liability for the content and activities of these linked sites.”
As you can see, Keytar.com is not trustworthy so it’s better if you get rid of it before it causes any trouble to your computer.
How does Keytar.com circulate online?
As pointed out early on, Keytar.com is found to be spreading in freeware and shareware packages where it is hidden among other extra programs and you wouldn’t even know that they exist until it’s too late or unless you install the free package using Custom or Advanced installation setup. It is important to always remember to install any freeware or shareware using the recommended setup instead of using the quick setup.
Here are a couple of instructions you have to follow to get rid of Keytar.com:
Step1. Close all your infected browsers. If you’re having a hard time closing them, you can close them using the Task Manager just tap on Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
Step2. After you open the Task Manager, go to the Processes tab and look for the infected browser’s process and end it.
Step3. Reset all your browsers to default to their default state.
Google Chrome

Launch Google Chrome, press Alt + F, move to More tools, and click Extensions.
Look for Keytar.com or any other unwanted add-ons, click the Recycle Bin button, and choose Remove.
Restart Google Chrome, then tap Alt + F, and select Settings.
Navigate to the On Startup section at the bottom.
Select “Open a specific page or set of pages”.
Click the More actions button next to the hijacker and click Remove.

Mozilla Firefox

Open the browser and tap Ctrl + Shift + A to access the Add-ons Manager.
In the Extensions menu Remove the unwanted extension.
Restart the browser and tap keys Alt + T.
Select Options and then move to the General menu.
Overwrite the URL in the Home Page section and then restart the browser.

Internet Explorer

Launch Internet Explorer.
Tap Alt + T and select Internet options.
Click the General tab and then overwrite the URL under the homepage section.
Click OK to save the changes.

Step4. Open Control Panel by pressing the Windows key + R, then type in appwiz.cpl and then click OK or press Enter.

Step5. Look for any suspicious program that is affiliated with Keytar.com and then Uninstall it.

Step6. Hold down Windows + E keys simultaneously to open File Explorer.
Step7. Navigate to the following directories and look for suspicious files associated with Keytar.com and delete it/them.

%USERPROFILE%\Downloads
%USERPROFILE%\Desktop
%TEMP%

Step8. Close the File Explorer.
Step9. Empty your Recycle Bin.
To make sure that nothing is amiss and that Keytar.com is completely removed from your computer, follow the advanced steps below.
Perform a full system scan using SpyRemover Pro. To do so, follow these steps:

Turn on your computer. If it’s already on, you have to reboot
After that, the BIOS screen will be displayed, but if Windows pops up instead, reboot your computer and try again. Once you’re on the BIOS screen, repeat pressing F8, by doing so the Advanced Option shows up.

To navigate the Advanced Option use the arrow keys and select Safe Mode with Networking then hit
Windows will now load the SafeMode with Networking.
Press and hold both R key and Windows key.

If done correctly, the Windows Run Box will show up.
Type in explorer http://www.fixmypcfree.com/install/spyremoverpro

A single space must be in between explorer and http. Click OK.

A dialog box will be displayed by Internet Explorer. Click Run to begin downloading the program. Installation will start automatically once download is done.