Startface.net - How to remove

Startface.net is a browser altering virus that can affect your online surfing by changing default settings and making itself into your new homepage and search provider. Not only it is annoying having to adjust to the new browsing engine, but your privacy and computer safety gets in danger, because this browser hijacker closely collaborates with third parties, that are malvertising and tracking your activity online. Even if you find Startface.net useful we still advise to stop using it and find a better alternative, because while using this hijacker you will sooner or later become a victim of other malware as well.

While Startface.net can look pretty harmless, it does hide many malicious secrets that classify it as a virtual virus, despite not being so notorious like other Trojans or ransomware. If you happen to see that your usual homepage and new tab become set to Startface.net, or experience more ads, pop-ups, redirects, it is about time to read this article and learn how to remove Startface.net virus from your computer.

What does Startface.net virus do

Startface.net is a Ukrainian website that claims to deliver the latest news from around the world, interesting pictures and funny videos, give quick access to the search and social network sites. The web pages layout seems to be cluttered with all pormised things: news, videos, pictures, social media icons, but they are just a clickbait to push other viruses and products, collect your personal data, track your activity online. Just by briefly visiting Startface.net you won’t do much damage to your system or give out much about yourself, however if Startface.net becomes your mainpage and search engine without you consenting to it, then you have a problem – Startface.net browser hijacker.

This browser hijacker is mostly prevalent in slavic countries such as Ukraine (29,9%), Russia (27.7%), Belarus (13.3%), Kazachstan (8.3%) and is in Russian language. That, however, doesn’t stop it from spreading to the United States, Canada or Germany. While the main page is not recognized as malicious by many sophisticated antivirus programs, Dr. Web does mark it as dangerous and as a known infection source. Actually, even before landing on Startface.net you can be redirected to Searchmoney.net, Search-engine.ru, Go.mail.ru and some other suspicious domains.

But redirects won’t stop there. Startface.net contains a lot of media files and ads that can be delivered by the third parties, whose activity is not regulated by anyone, therefore if you press on any link you might end up downloading more malware, and since your security/antivirus is already ruined by the browser hijacker, other threats will easily find a way to sneak into your PC.

The main reason why Startface.net is doing such malicious things is to earn revenue. Online marketing techniques allow crooks to benefit from pay-per-click, referrals, simply advertising, pop-ups, redirects for increased traffic, gathered statistical/personal data and etc. That is why hackers are very intrusive, just to make you visit these pages that provide them money.

What are the Startface.net infection signs:

• Different main page/new tab/search engine
• Slower browser/computer
• Variety of Repetetive ads, promotions, redirects, banners, pop-ups
• Compromised antivirus
• Crashing programs
• Longer browser and system loading time
• Denied access to some legitimate websites
• Strange addresses in the URL bar when loading any website

This and many more features show that Startface.net virus can be found in your browser making malicious changes without your permission. Although browser hijackers is not a new a threat trend  and majority of people are aware about them, but such as Search.pardessov.com, Simplysafesearch.com, Lostrabbitmedia.com and Startface.net virus itself  are still infecting many gullible users,

How did you get Startface.net virus

Startface.net virus can infect anyone that is not careful when installing a new program downloaded from unofficial websites, torrent pages. We all know that free software comes with its own price, meaning that while some websites are offering really good popular programs without any cost, they most likely will make money in other ways, in this case – bundling with malware. See what happens when you download.

Once the setup wizard is launched we try to skip through it by clicking ‘Next’ as fast as we can in order to start using the app, and we don’t see how automatically with the main product we install startface.net browser hijacker which is offered to install by the default at the same time. This can be unselected by simply clicking on Custom/Advanced installation and unchecking the boxes of attached software, but since we are rushing, we don’t see that option. For this reason you must always take your time when setting up a new software.

How to eliminate Startface.net browser hijacker

Elimination is the key for solving all the above-mentioned issues and getting rid of Startface.net virus is really easy if you have Spyhunter. These anti-spyware tools help you detect the threats that are not only visible like Startface.net, but also the ones like crypto miners that often come together with other malware and often are missed by your present antivirus. Because your PC is already infected, that is why malware-removal tool will be more.

Automatic Malware removal tools

In case you only have one browser and Startface.net hijacker is blocking the access to download automatic protection tool you will have to try removing browser virus yourself manually. We have prepared customized removal guidelines below showing how to delete Startface.net virus from any browser. If you are having problems and virus occurrence even after the removal, check out our other article to see if the annoying parasite has not made changes in other directories.

How to delete Startface.net virus yourself

How to remove Startface.net using Windows Control Panel

Many hijackers and adware like Startface.net install some of their components as regular Windows programs as well as additional software. This part of malware can be uninstalled from the Control Panel. To access it, do the following.

• Start→Control Panel (older Windows) or press Windows Key→Search and enter Control Panel and then press Enter (Windows 8, Windows 10).
• Choose Uninstall Program (if you don't see it, click in the upper right next to "View by" and select Category).
• Go through the list of programs and select entries related to Startface.net . You can click on "Name" or "Installed On" to reorder your programs and make Startface.net easier to find.
• Click the Uninstall button. If you're asked if you really want to remove the program, click Yes.
• In many cases anti-malware programs are better at detecting related parasites, thus I recommend installing Spyhunter to identify other programs that might be a part of this infection.

How to remove Startface.net from macOS

Delete Startface.net from your applications.

1. Open Finder.
2. In the menu bar, click Go.
3. Select Applications from the dropdown.
4. Find the Startface.net  app.
5. Select it and right-click it (or hold the Ctrl and click the left mouse button).
6. In the dropdown, click Move to Bin/Trash. You might be asked to provide your login password.

TopHow To remove Startface.net from Google Chrome:

• Click on the 3 horizontal lines icon on a browser toolbar and Select More Tools→Extensions
  
• Select all malicious extensions and delete them.
  
• Click on the 3 horizontal lines icon on a browser toolbar and Select Settings
  
• Select Manage Search engines
  
• Remove unnecessary search engines from the list
  
• Go back to settings. On Startup choose Open blank page (you can remove undesired pages from the set pages link too).
• If your homepage was changed, click on Chrome menu on the top right corner, select Settings. Select Open a specific page or set of pages and click on Set pages.
  
• Delete malicious search websites at a new Startup pages window by clicking “X” next to them.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

If you are still experiencing any issues related to Startface.net, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on a Chrome’s menu button (three horizontal lines) and select Settings.
• Scroll to the end of the page and click on theReset browser settings button.
  
• Click on the Reset button on the confirmation box.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

How To remove Startface.net from Firefox:Top

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla window and select the “Add-ons” icon (Or press Ctrl+Shift+A on your keyboard).
  
• Go through Extensions and Addons list, remove everything Startface.net related and items you do not recognise. If you do not know the extension and it is not made by Mozilla, Google, Microsoft, Oracle or Adobe then you probably do not need it.
  
• If your homepage was changed, click on the Firefox menu in the top right corner, select Options → General. Enter a preferable URL to the homepage field and click Restore to Default.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to Startface.net , reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla Firefox window. Click on the Help button.
  
• ChooseTroubleshooting Information on the Help menu.
  
• Click on theReset Firefox button.
  
• Click on the Reset Firefox button on the confirmation box. Mozilla Firefox will close and change the settings to default.
  

If the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program to identify malicious entries.

How to remove Startface.net from Microsoft Edge:Top

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Microsoft Edge window. Select “Extensions”.

• Select all malicious extensions and delete them.

• Click on the three-dot menu on the browser toolbar and Select Settings

• Select Privacy and Services and scroll down. Press on Address bar.

• Choose Manage search engines.

• Remove unnecessary search engines from the list: open the three-dot menu and choose Remove.

• Go back to Settings. Open On start-up.
• Delete malicious search websites at Open specific page or pages by opening the three-dot menu and clicking Delete.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to Startface.net, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings

• Click on Edge's menu button and select Settings. Click on the Reset Settings button on the left.
• Press the Restore settings to their default values option.

• Click on the Reset button on the confirmation box.

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

How to remove Startface.net from Safari:Top

Remove malicious extensions

• Click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Preferences.
  
• Select Extensions and uninstall Startface.net and other suspicious extensions.
  
• If your homepage was changed, click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Preferences and choose General tab. Enter preferable URL to the homepage field.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings(older versions) If you are still experiencing any issues related to Startface.net, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Reset Safari…
  
• Select which options you want to reset (usually all of them come preselected) and click on the Reset button.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.