Seek & Destroy Conduit: A Complete Guide

A few days ago, the media player on my PC needed updating, so as normal I went through the necessary procedure to update it. It was only when I came to open my local web browser that I realised my default home page had been reset to Conduit Search that I realised what had happened.

Being a web developer, I have 5 browsers running on each PC that I use for testing my websites. All except one of these browsers had Conduit listed as both the default search engine and the default home page.

I cleared this up form my browsers as much as I could, but this proved to be a fruitless action because when the Browser Updater sprang into action a couple of days later, the default pages were reset back to Conduit Search and it was again listed as a search engine!

Some software websites do take the liberty of including extra toolbars in with their software. I have no idea if they think they’re improving their viewers experience or if a regular bit of commission is involved. Regardless, they did ask for permission during the download/installation process, via a very discreet checkbox that is already checked.

Looking up Conduit in Google, one of the entries labels Conduit as a virus. It is actually an adware program. Basically you can use Conduit to search for photos, videos etc. However it does collect your personal information, along with browsing history and search habits and it hijacks your browser settings. Whatever the definition , it’s a pain in the backside and should be removed without delay.

Furthermore, if there really is a hell, programmers who sneak Conduit and other such softwares should be sent to it. But that’s just my opinion.

So for the above reasons, I have compiled a complete guide to removing this pesky software for good and then a few pointers of what to watch out for next time.

NB: I do target Conduit search in this article, but this should work with other similar software. I have also tested this on Windows 7 and 8. If I have overlooked anything then please feel free to either comment or drop me a line and I will gladly update it.

First things first you will need to uninstall the program from your machine for Windows:

So click Start > Control panel

Select Programs and Features

Right click the program and select Uninstall

That at least stops the PC updating it and re-installing it onto your browser.  After which just run a quick search on Conduit.  Sometimes more than one program will install itself, so searching for anything related to Conduit or conduit.com will show any further programs that will also need removing.

Next lets remove the program from your browser.  This normally includes in your browser’s search engine selection, your default page on opening the browser and a search bar.  Did I mention I had 4 of these little bad boys to remove?

Removing Conduit on Internet Explorer

Select Tools > Internet Options or

Click the Advanced Tab

Under Reset Internet Explorer settings click the Reset button

Check the box for Delete personal Settings and click the Reset button (read through it first to check you’re ok with resetting everything.)

This is followed by a procedure window

When finished click Close

Restart Internet Explorer

Remove Conduit from Mozilla Firefox

Go to Help > Troubleshooting Information

Under the section Reset Firefox to its default state Click the Reset Firefox button

Click the Reset FireFox button in a separate window

NB: This process might take a while for various tidy programs to run

Click Finish button when completed

Google Chrome

From the Settings icon Select Tools > Extensions

This will list all extensions currently used/downloaded under your Chrome browser.

Anything listed under Conduit click the trash can alongside it

Then we need to remove Conduit from the search engines as well:

Click  and select Settings

Under Search, Click the Manage Search Engines button

In the list, find Search Conduit hover over it and click the x that appears

If Conduit was the default search engine, then make another search engine default by hovering over it, and select Make Default

Click Done button

Conduit has also changed your default home page to search.conduit.com:

While still in Settings, Under On Startup, select the radio button Open a specific page or set of pages and click the set pages link

If listed, hover over Conduit and remove by clicking x

Click OK

Back in the Settings page, under Startup, Select the Open new Tab page radio and test by clicking the new tab

Safari

Surprisingly, Safari on Windows 7 wasn’t affected by Conduit in any way. I did search online and have found that its a different story with a Mac.

Remove Conduit on Opera

Go to Extensions > Manage Extensions

Remove Search Conduit from the list by clicking Uninstall

Close Opera browser and restart.

As a safety measure, go into the Search bar and click Manage search engines

Adware Software

Once you have removed everything from your PC, it would be worthwhile to download an adware program and run it on your machine.
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&sqi=2&ved=0CDkQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdownload.cnet.com%2FAdwCleaner%2F3000-7786_4-75851221.html&ei=X8TfUeKSKMqa0AXv3IHACw&usg=AFQjCNGKixggWUWfjgTc4wJ-OwLikOHF8A&sig2=fy70S_mIW3krwzcLvZryIQ&bvm=bv.48705608,d.d2k&cad=rjt Is a free download that runs on Windows 7. Follow the instructions to download and install carefully and then let it do the work.

Run a System Scan

As an extra precaution, run a full system scan using your anti-virus software. I use have used Norton 360 for a number of years, but even they proudly announce that Conduit updates were safe. This bold claim may change over time (I sure hope so!), but malicious software will get picked up by a reputable virus software that is updated regularly.

There is also Malware Bytes which also removes trojans, viruses, worms and other general nasties from your system https://store.malwarebytes.org/342/cookie?affiliate=17877&redirectto=http%3a%2f%2fwww.malwarebytes.org%2fproducts%2fmalwarebytes_free that enables you to a 14 day free trial.

Prevention

Pace yourself when setting up the new software

It is so easy to just click to the next screen during an installation wizard but this is how they get on there in the first place. Read software reviews prior to downloading: If anyone has had a bad experience, they are most certainly going to alert others.

Read the download screen and uncheck the boxes. Yes it will take longer, but it takes longer to sift through your browsers and PC to remove the carnage.

An example of the sneaky tactics used I unchecked all the boxes in this case.

Regular Scans

As covered earlier, regularly run a full system scan of your machine. This will resolve or permanently remove any viruses or other particular nasties from your machine.

This will of course slow your PC down, but most virus softwares can be scheduled to run automatically when your machine is not being used (eg night time or early morning)
It should go without saying that make sure said virus software is set up to update as and when needed.

Install/setup your firewall

While we’re on the subject of protection, a reliable firewall is also a good investment as this can block unauthorised software communications made from your PC.

So there we have it. If this has helped at least one person from this pesky browser hijacker then please could you let me know. If you would like me to write up a version for Windows XP or Vista, then please do drop me a line.

Resources

http://www.2-spyware.com/remove-conduit-redirect-virus.html
http://forums.anvisoft.com/viewtopic-45-5152-0.html
http://malwaretips.com/blogs/conduit-search-removal/
http://www.system-tips.net/remove-search-conduit-com-browser-hijacker/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/webwise/guides/about-firewalls