Swapgame.net virus - How to remove

Swapgame.net website offers a combination of a search tool and an online game. To visit the search tool and not the interface of the game, people will have to enter Swapgame.net/search.html URL. If a shorter link is loaded, you will be invited to play the online game of moving balls to green-colored safe spaces. The game is controlled via a keyboard and is an elementary entertainment, meant to serve as a distraction from the browser hijacker. Occasionally, instead of being introduced to the suspicious search engine, the Swapgame.net/search.html link will be replaced by Google.com.ua.

About this browser hijacker, created by vicious developers

One of our primary goals is to discover to whom the fake search engine belongs to. We managed to dig up some information, suggesting that a person named Baijie Chen is the owner. However, the most disturbing fact that our investigation brought to us was the fact that this person is the controller of a bunch of other websites that promote, distribute and offer pornographic content. Most of these websites have expired, but is clear that products of this person and his company should be completely neglected.

Infection has managed to take root in countries like Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, Peru and India. While these countries are the biggest web traffic contributors, we cannot ignore the possibility that people from other countries might also be infected. The website is over 4 years old and it has registered back in 2013. Last modification occurred quite recently, in May of 2017. However, we cannot help but wonder why this service does not have an EULA document and a Privacy Policy.

As soon as the original domain is loaded, people will notice ‘Sponsored Links” section. It is indicated to be supported by Content.ad service which while is legitimate WordPress plugin, has also caught some attention by security researchers. This Content recommendation platform has been criticized for promoting fake news articles, installations of deceptive programs and other misleading ads.

The platform can show banners, pop-ups, pop-downs, side bars, promoted contents and this material is clearly designed for click-bait purposes. Take a look a couple of articles that are promoted: “Try not to gasp when you see what they found here”, “1 quick trick that will stop you needing to buy a new computer again”.

Api.content-ad.net is briefly noticed in the address bar which soon becomes occupied by little-known websites that probably specialize in publishing fake news or exaggerated articles. We hope you won’t be tempted to explore this search engine. Knowing the truth about its creators that might be involved in adult-oriented services, you should not find them respectable enough to provide you with a search tool.

Malware removal options

If you are worried about keeping you computer system clean from malware, we can provide you with a couple of options. To regularly check the status of your computer, we advise you to utilize such tools like Spyhunter or Plumbytes. They will inform you about issues that are menacing the security of your device. If there is anything to worry about, these tools will also gladly attend to your side at the time of need.

It could be that certain browser extension is making sure that an unknown search platform would be noticed as users’ preferences and its online game would become a constant destination link after reoccurring redirection. Please check the list of your active add-ons/extensions and try to find any software that you would not recognize.

Browser extensions could be automatically installed in case people are regular visitors in domains that engage in suspicious, illegal or immoral services. In addition to that, we propose that users would only download and install programs from respectable sources. Under no circumstances should you blindly allow applications to become a part of your operating system.

Automatic Malware removal tools

Manual removal of Swapgame.net virus

How to remove Swapgame.net virus using Windows Control Panel

Many hijackers and adware like Swapgame.net virus 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 Swapgame.net virus . You can click on "Name" or "Installed On" to reorder your programs and make Swapgame.net virus 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 Swapgame.net virus from macOS

Delete Swapgame.net virus from your applications.

1. Open Finder.
2. In the menu bar, click Go.
3. Select Applications from the dropdown.
4. Find the Swapgame.net virus 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 Swapgame.net virus 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 Swapgame.net virus, 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 Swapgame.net virus 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 Swapgame.net virus 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 Swapgame.net virus, 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 Swapgame.net virus 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 Swapgame.net virus, 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 Swapgame.net virus from Safari:Top

Remove malicious extensions

• Click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Preferences.
  
• Select Extensions and uninstall Swapgame.net virus 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 Swapgame.net virus, 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.