Search.Assistant Adware

Search.Assistant malware description and removal detail
Categories:Adware
Also known as:

[Panda]Adware/BlazeFind
Visible Symptoms:
Files in system folders:
[%PROGRAM_FILES%]\WindowsSA\LIBCURL.dll
[%PROGRAM_FILES%]\WindowsSA\omniscient.exe
[%PROGRAM_FILES%]\WindowsSA\OmniscientHook.dll
[%SYSTEM%]\wsaupdater.exe
[%WINDOWS%]\cerbmod.dll
[%PROGRAM_FILES%]\WindowsSA\LIBCURL.dll
[%PROGRAM_FILES%]\WindowsSA\omniscient.exe
[%PROGRAM_FILES%]\WindowsSA\OmniscientHook.dll
[%SYSTEM%]\wsaupdater.exe
[%WINDOWS%]\cerbmod.dll

In order to ensure that the Search.Assistant is launched automatically each time the system is booted, the Search.Assistant adds a link to its executable file in the system registry:
HKLM\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
[%PROGRAM_FILES%]\WindowsSA\omniscient.exe
[%SYSTEM%]\wsaupdater.exe

Platforms / OS: Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98 SE, Windows NT, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows 2003, Windows Vista

Detecting Search.Assistant:

Files:
[%PROGRAM_FILES%]\WindowsSA\LIBCURL.dll
[%PROGRAM_FILES%]\WindowsSA\omniscient.exe
[%PROGRAM_FILES%]\WindowsSA\OmniscientHook.dll
[%SYSTEM%]\wsaupdater.exe
[%WINDOWS%]\cerbmod.dll
[%PROGRAM_FILES%]\WindowsSA\LIBCURL.dll
[%PROGRAM_FILES%]\WindowsSA\omniscient.exe
[%PROGRAM_FILES%]\WindowsSA\OmniscientHook.dll
[%SYSTEM%]\wsaupdater.exe
[%WINDOWS%]\cerbmod.dll

Folders:
[%PROGRAM_FILES%]\windowssa

Registry Keys:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\appid\searchhelp.dll
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\clsid\{0f9561d0-03b2-44a3-89a6-e95e417cba25}
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\interface\{491be5b7-a7f8-40ec-aad4-cba11fdfd814}
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\searchhelp
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\typelib\{29358aa6-679d-44ea-8a51-59a3c6e6f811}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\explorer\browser helper objects\{0f9561d0-03b2-44a3-89a6-e95e417cba25}

Registry Values:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\microsoft\search assistant
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\microsoft\search assistant
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\run

Removing Search.Assistant:

An up-to-date copy of ExterminateIt should detect and prevent infection from Search.Assistant.

If you do not have ExterminateIt and you are worried that you may have infected computer, you could run trial version of ExterminateIt, or remove Search.Assistant manually.

To completely manually remove Search.Assistant malware from your computer, you need to delete the Windows registry keys and registry values, the files and folders associated with Search.Assistant.

1. Use Task Manager to terminate the Search.Assistant process.
2. Delete the original Search.Assistant file and folders.
3. Delete the system registry key parameters
4. Update your antivirus databases or buy antivirus software and perform a full scan of the computer.

We recommends that all Internet users back up any important information on their computers, enable maximum protection from network attacks and malicious code on their computers, refrain from executing suspicious programs received from untrustworthy sources.

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ExterminateIt effectively and automatically removes Search.Assistant from you computer and is a good solution for those who are seeking easy and effective protection for their computer from Trojan Horses, Rootkits, Backdoors, spyware, botnets, keystroke loggers, dialers and other malicious software(malware).

Download ExterminateIt! to instantly get rid of Search.Assistant!

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