How to remove Get Speed Tester browser hijacker? — Fix Guide

Get Speed Tester – What is it?

“Get Speed Tester” search hijacker is a potentially unwanted application (PUA)¹, that is distributed as a plugin for your web browser. It is typically advertised as an add-on for Chrome or Firefox, that helps to search some certain details, for instance, about sport events, make your browser a lot more secure, enable downloading of any kind of video, et cetera. Also, this app adds the “Managed by your organization” feature (on Chrome browsers).

Nevertheless, the “Get Speed Tester” plugin is rather pointless because all such features are already integrated to your web browser and/or Windows. Such marketing slogans are targeted at low-skilled computer users, like pensioners or schoolchildren. But occasionally even expert users are getting caught on such an appeal. In particular situations, this hijacker is distributed along with free programs.

Get Speed Tester Search Hijacker

How harmful is Get Speed Tester hijacker?

Besides its uselessness, Get Speed Tester hijacker is additionally fairly hazardous for web browser usage. It transforms your search engine to its particular – Searchgstt.com, and also modifies your background, putting its watermark on your background image (or, sometimes, altering it to default with the specified symbol).

Apart from aesthetic adjustments done by Get Speed Tester hijacker, you may discover that some of your search questions are redirecting to the untrustworthy sites, filled with links and promotions – so-called doorway websites. Such websites can include links for malware downloads. The chance of redirecting surges if you attempt to open Google search page by force.

But all these activities are a lot more bothersome than really hazardous. The main danger, particularly for people who have a lot of confidential information in their web browsers, is embedded in data collecting capabilities. Cookie files, chats, often-visited websites, as well as other activities are simply collected by Get Speed Tester hijacker.

How to remove Get Speed Tester search hijacker?

• Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware.
• Open GridinSoft Anti-Malware and perform a “Standard scan“.
• “Move to quarantine” all items.
• Open “Tools” tab – Press “Reset Browser Settings“.
• Select proper browser and options – Click “Reset”.
• Restart your computer.

Browser hijackers are typically pretty very easy to remove. For the most part, they have a separate app that can be seen in the list of installed programs. Because of the certain marketing tactic of Get Speed Tester hijacker, it can be simply tracked and removed by hand. However, if you got Get Speed Tester in the package with a free program, your PC can be contaminated with a lot more dangerous malware – trojans, spyware or even ransomware. That’s why I’d recommend you utilize anti-malware programs to remove the Get Speed Tester PUA and all other malware.

You can utilize Microsoft Defender² – it is capable of recognizing and clearing away different malware, including mentioned hijacker. But significant malware, that might be present on your PC in the specified case, can disable the Windows antimalware program by editing the Group Policies. To avoid such circumstances, it is better to utilize GridinSoft Anti-Malware.

To detect and eliminate all unwanted programs on your PC with GridinSoft Anti-Malware, it’s better to utilize Standard or Full scan. Quick Scan is not able to find all the malicious apps, because it scans only the most popular registry entries and folders.

You can observe the detected malware sorted by their possible hazard simultaneously with the scan process. But to choose any actions against malicious programs, you need to wait until the scan is over, or to stop the scan.

To choose the action for every detected malicious or unwanted program, click the arrow in front of the name of the detected malware. By default, all malware will be moved to quarantine.

Reverting browser settings to original ones

To revert your browser settings, you need to use the Reset Browser Settings option. This action cannot be counteracted by any malware, hence, you will surely see the result. This option can be located in the Tools tab.

After pressing the Reset Browser Settings option, the menu will be shown, where you can specify, which settings will be reverted to the original.

Deleteing Get Speed Tester hijacker manually

Besides using anti-malware software for browser restoration, you may choose the “Reset browser settings” function, which is usually embedded in all popular browsers.

1. Open “Settings and more” tab in upper right corner, then find here “Settings” button. In the appeared menu, choose “Reset settings” option :
2. After picking the Reset Settings option, you will see the following menu, stating about the settings which will be reverted to original :

1. Open Menu tab (three strips in upper right corner) and click the “Help” button. In the appeared menu choose “troubleshooting information” :
2. In the next screen, find the “Refresh Firefox” option :

After choosing this option, you will see the next message :

1. Open Settings tab, find the “Advanced” button. In the extended tab choose the “Reset and clean up” button :
2. In the appeared list, click on the “Restore settings to their original defaults” :
3. Finally, you will see the window, where you can see all the settings which will be reset to default :
   

1. Open Settings menu by pressing the gear icon in the toolbar (left side of the browser window), then click “Advanced” option, and choose “Browser” button in the drop-down list. Scroll down, to the bottom of the settings menu. Find there “Restore settings to their original defaults” option :
2. After clicking the “Restore settings…” button, you will see the window, where all settings, which will be reset, are shown :

As an afterword, I want to say that time plays against you and your PC. The activity of browser hijacker must be stopped as soon as possible, because of the possibility of other malware injection. This malware can be downloaded autonomously, or offered for you to download in one of the windows with advertisements, which are shown to you by the hijacker. You need to act as fast as you can.

References

1. More information about PUAs
2. Detailed review of Microsoft Defender