Should I remove hosts?

Lifespan of installation (until removal)

Versions

Version	Distribution
1.28.153.3	100.00%

Rankings

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• #29,005 hosts by Irismedia
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from Irismedia

Remove hosts by Irismedia

This is an unwanted web browser extension that delivers search hijacking as well as contextual advertising within a user's web browser. The program does this by modifying the user's home and search pages in order to monetize search activities. By installing a Browser Helper Object (BHO) in Internet Explorer, the extension has the ability to monitor and track a user web browsing activities and display various banner and link-context ads in addition to its search redirection.

It adds a Browser Helper Object (BHO) to Internet Explorer. The primary executable is named hosts-bg.exe. A majority of users end up uninstalling this less than a week of it being installed. The setup package generally installs about 10 files and is usually about 3.65 MB (3,831,587 bytes).

This browser extension utilizes Crossrider framework, a cross-browser toolbar/plugin platform used to develop, deploy and monetize web browser toolbars for Internet Explorer, Chrome and Firefox. Crossrider extension provide monetization options, mostly potentially unwanted apps, for toolbars including coupons, search assistant (home page and search hijacking) and in-text contextual advertising. Many adware programs (defined by a number of anti-virus vendors) are built using Crossrider as it provides a quick an easy way to deploy ad-supported features that will assist in browser search hijacking.

• Unitech LLC toolbar by Unitech
• iVIDI Plugin by iVIDI Plugin

Installation folder: C:\Program Files\hosts

Uninstaller: C:\Program Files\hosts\Uninstall.exe /fromcontrolpanel=1

Estimated size: 3.65 MB

1. On the Start menu (for Windows 8, right-click the screen's bottom-left corner), click Control Panel, and then, under Programs, do one of the following:
• Windows Vista/7/8/10: Click Uninstall a Program.
• Windows XP: Click Add or Remove Programs.
2. When you find the program hosts, click it, and then do one of the following:
• Windows Vista/7/8/10: Click Uninstall.
• Windows XP: Click the Remove or Change/Remove tab (to the right of the program).
3. Follow the prompts. A progress bar shows you how long it will take to remove hosts.
4. If for some reason uninstallation fails, please install Microsoft's uninstall fixer utility which will help fix problems with programs that can't be uninstalled at support.microsoft.com.

1. Open Internet Explorer and click the Tools button, and then click Internet options.
2. Click the Advanced tab, and then click Reset. Select the Delete personal settings check box if you would also like to remove search providers, Accelerators and home pages. When Internet Explorer finishes applying default settings, click Close, and then click OK.
3. The changes will take effect the next time you open IE.

1. At the top of the Firefox window, click the Firefox button, go over to the Help sub-menu and select Troubleshooting Information.
2. To continue, click Reset Firefox in the confirmation window that opens. It will close and be reset.
3. When it's done, a window will list the information that was imported. Click Finish and Firefox will open.

1. Open Chrome and click the Chrome menu on the browser toolbar.
2. Select Settings. In the "Search" section, click Manage search engine. Check if (Default) is displayed next to your preferred search engine. If not, mouse over it and click Make default. Mouse over any other suspicious search engine entries that are not familiar and click X to remove them.
3. When the "Show Home button" checkbox is selected, a web address appears below it. If you want the Homepage button to open up a different webpage, click Change to enter a link.
4. Restart Google Chrome.

OS VERSIONS Win 7 (SP1) 53% Win XP 1%

USER ACTIONS Uninstall it 79% Keep it 21%

GLOBAL RANK #29,005

Which Windows OS versions does it run on?

United States	30.48%
Australia	6.67%
Canada	6.67%
France	6.67%
Sweden	5.71%
Belgium	4.76%
Spain	3.81%
United Kingdom	3.81%
Netherlands	3.81%
Argentina	1.90%
Brazil	1.90%
Czech Republic	1.90%
Germany	1.90%
Finland	1.90%

What PC manufacturers (OEMs) have it installed?

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