secure.start-pagesearch.com pups detected can't be removed
(i'm running windows 10 home so i wonder why you say windows 8; not actual reason for this request) adwcleaner keeps labeling 2 secure.start-pagesearch.com as threats in firefox url but cannot remove them. i spent 2 afternoons with their tech guy emailing and doing all kinds of things to figure them out. online searches say the secure.start-pagesearch.com are connected to cloudflare. are they malware? please answer!!! here's the log (firefox url at bottom)
# ------------------------------- # Malwarebytes AdwCleaner 7.1.1.0 # ------------------------------- # Build: 04-27-2018 # Database: 2018-05-02.2 # Support: https://www.malwarebytes.com/support # # ------------------------------- # Mode: Clean # ------------------------------- # Start: 05-02-2018 # Duration: 00:00:02 # OS: Windows 10 Home # Cleaned: 0 # Failed: 2 ***** [ Services ] ***** No malicious services cleaned. ***** [ Folders ] ***** No malicious folders cleaned. ***** [ Files ] ***** No malicious files cleaned. ***** [ DLL ] ***** No malicious DLLs cleaned. ***** [ WMI ] ***** No malicious WMI cleaned. ***** [ Shortcuts ] ***** No malicious shortcuts cleaned. ***** [ Tasks ] ***** No malicious tasks cleaned. ***** [ Registry ] ***** No malicious registry entries cleaned. ***** [ Chromium (and derivatives) ] ***** No malicious Chromium entries cleaned. ***** [ Chromium URLs ] ***** No malicious Chromium URLs cleaned. ***** [ Firefox (and derivatives) ] ***** No malicious Firefox entries cleaned. ***** [ Firefox URLs ] ***** Not Deleted secure.start-pagesearch.com Not Deleted secure.start-pagesearch.com ************************* [+] Delete Tracing Keys [+] Reset Winsock ************************* ########## EOF - C:\AdwCleaner\Logs\AdwCleaner[C20].txt ##########
Modified by cor-el
All Replies (6)
You can search the about:config page for this website pagesearch.com and reset possible user set (bold) via the right-click context menu to the default value.
You can open the about:config page via the location/address bar. You can accept the warning and click "I accept the risk!" to continue.
See also:
Hi, I myself would not use the search you found. Better ones out there. Virustotal finds 1 scan out of 64 to be malware. https://www.virustotal.com/#/url/efed54ac004693e77e0aafa560f08708e8de5a38fd7ef37f33b4b78a379d7bc1/detection
I would allow adwcleaner to delete it or download malwarebytes and let it delete it. Also look in your Programs & Features and see if it is entered there which would be nice for easy removal.
Here are two possible reasons your Firefox might report itself as running on Windows 8:
(A) Compatibility setting on your Firefox shortcut
To check on that, find the icon you use the start Firefox, and either:
- Right-click a desktop shortcut, then click Properties
- Right-click a Firefox icon pinned to the Taskbar then right-click Mozilla Firefox, then click Properties
You should clear all the boxes on the Compatibility tab for best results:
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(B) Modified "user agent string" in Firefox preferences
This article describes how to check for that: How to reset the default user agent on Firefox.
thanks to all for your help. cor-el; that pagesearch.com or secure iteration of it don't appear in about.config. i clicked on the link in this post's notification email thinking i could read responses or edit but was taken to pagesearch.com itself, a blank page. refusing to panic, i clicked on the circled i in the url pane and got more url info and cookies names which i typed copies of into an email for reference. then i went to firefox menu bar> tools> options> privacy and security> accept cookies from websites> exceptions and typed in those to addresses and clicked block.
thanks Pkshadow you reminded me how much i miss virus total since firefox quantum dumped it and searched addons and now have it back. i did a web search for pagesearch.com and got a link to easy counter which vt said is safe then clicked on that where there is a link to it and got this;
Suspicious site http://out.easycounter.com/external/secure.start-pagesearch.com eeeesh!!!
thanks jscher, i did as you said and now my firefox troubleshoot page lists my os as win 10, cool.
on the pagesearch.com thing; i have been using norton and malwarebytes, they say no threats. adwcleaner says those 2 pups are threats but can't clean or quarantine them. malwarebytes owns adwcleaner so i contacted their support and after 2 afternoons of unusual levels of helpfulness, thanks larry, email back and forth efforts larry thinks it's a false error. i wonder now because of the later gleaned virus total result. since the many web searches led to cloud flare being connected to pagesearch.com i wrote to them and they suggested pcrisk.com but that has terrible reviews, thanks wot. i didn't go there but i did get Superantispyware and a microsoft msert and scanned with both of those plus i did a norton power eraser. norton scan plus their power eraser, superantispyware, malwarebytes and msert all say no threats. i'm going to do another set of all the scans and hope for the best.
Hi, I have a lifetime Malwarebytes and ya their support is easy to work with. Welcome re : virus total. You may want to try this one as I have a lifetime on this also. https://www.adlice.com/download/roguekiller/ Malwarebytes bought ADWcleaner from them. It will find as a pup if you have changed your homepage (1 setting) and also if have turn MS UAC off (2 settings).
Online scanners, Eset is good. not sure if housecall is around anymore then there is https://fileforum.betanews.com/detail/McAfee-Stinger/1040919764/1
Looks like you decided to continue in a new thread /questions/1216709