Blekko Redirect
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
Blekko toolbar - how to eliminate browser redirects to blekko.com?
What is Blekko toolbar?
The Blekko search engine aims to be a spam-free search results provider. This is a community-based search engine, which attempts to fight spam results in search engines and features its own crawler and human review process. This website and associated search engine are not malicious and are unrelated to malware or virus infections, however, some computer users complain that they are redirected to Blekko.com unwillingly. Redirect problems such as this are related to installation of the Blekko toolbar. This browser plug-in modifies computer users' Internet browser settings and changes the homepage and default search engine to blekko.com
If you feel that you have inadvertently downloaded and installed this browser add-on, it is probable that it was bundled with free software that you downloaded from the Internet (for example download.com offers this toolbar using their download client). The Blekko toolbar alone is not malicious and features several quick launch buttons for social networks and weather forecasts, however, in order to avoid unwilling installation of this type of browser extension, computer users should pay close attention when downloading and installing free software. A common monetization strategy is to bundle free software with additional Internet browser add-ons. As mentioned above, redirects to blekko.com are not related to malware infections - it is a direct consequence of Blekko toolbar installation.
Blekko is a legitimate search engine, safe to use for daily Internet searches, with results that seem legitimate. The Blekko toolbar, however, is bundled with Anti-phishing Domain Advisor (a browser add-on by Panda labs), which is known to display unwanted ads and coupon offers. If you have willingly installed the Blekko toolbar and aware of redirects to blekko.com, you need take no further action, however, if you feel that you have inadvertently installed it and are annoyed by redirects to this website, use this removal guide to eliminate the problem.
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Quick menu:
- What is Blekko?
- STEP 1. Uninstall Blekko Search Bar, Anti-phishing Bar applications using Control Panel.
- STEP 2. Remove Blekko.com redirect from Internet Explorer.
- STEP 3. Remove Blekko.com browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
- STEP 4. Remove Blekko.com homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
- STEP 5. Remove Blekko.com redirect from Safari.
- STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.
Blekko redirect removal:
Windows 11 users:
Right-click on the Start icon, select Apps and Features. In the opened window search for the application you want to uninstall, after locating it, click on the three vertical dots and select Uninstall.
Windows 10 users:
Right-click in the lower left corner of the screen, in the Quick Access Menu select Control Panel. In the opened window choose Programs and Features.
Windows 7 users:
Click Start (Windows Logo at the bottom left corner of your desktop), choose Control Panel. Locate Programs and click Uninstall a program.
macOS (OSX) users:
Click Finder, in the opened screen select Applications. Drag the app from the Applications folder to the Trash (located in your Dock), then right click the Trash icon and select Empty Trash.
In the uninstall programs window, look for "Blekko Search Bar, Anti-phishing Bar", select these entries and click " Uninstall" or "Remove"
After uninstalling the Blekko Toolbar, scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components or possible malware infections. Recommended malware removal software.
Blekko toolbar removal from browsers:
Video showing how to remove potentially unwanted browser add-ons:
Remove malicious add-ons from Internet Explorer:
Click on the "gear" icon (at the top right corner of Internet Explorer) select "Manage Add-ons". Look for Visicom Media Inc. related entries (Blekko Search Bar, Blekko Search Bar Toolbar, Blekko Search Bar Helper Object) and disable them.
To change your homepage from blekko.com to your preferred domain, click on the "gear" icon (at the top right corner of Internet Explorer) select "Internet Options", in the opened window remove blekko.com and enter your preferred domain, which will open each time you launch Internet Explorer.
Optional method:
If you continue to have problems with removal of the blekko.com virus, reset your Internet Explorer settings to default.
Windows XP users: Click Start, click Run, in the opened window type inetcpl.cpl In the opened window click the Advanced tab, then click Reset.
Windows Vista and Windows 7 users: Click the Windows logo, in the start search box type inetcpl.cpl and click enter. In the opened window click the Advanced tab, then click Reset.
Windows 8 users: Open Internet Explorer and click the gear icon. Select Internet Options.
In the opened window, select the Advanced tab.
Click the Reset button.
Confirm that you wish to reset Internet Explorer settings to default by clicking the Reset button.
Remove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:
Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome) select "Tools" and click on "Extensions". Locate this entry: "Blekko Search Bar" select it and click on the trash can icon.
To change your homepage in Google Chrome: Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome) select "Settings", in "On Startup section" click on "Set pages" (open a specific page or set of pages), remove blekko.com and enter your preferred domain.
To change your default search engine in Google Chrome: Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome) select "Settings", in "Search" section click "Manage Search Engines...", remove "Blekko" and add or select your preferred domain.
Optional method:
If you continue to have problems with removal of the blekko.com virus, reset your Google Chrome browser settings. Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome) and select Settings. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen. Click the Advanced… link.
After scrolling to the bottom of the screen, click the Reset (Restore settings to their original defaults) button.
In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Google Chrome settings to default by clicking the Reset button.
Remove malicious plugins from Mozilla Firefox:
Click on the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window) select "Add-ons". Click on "Extensions" and disable "Blekko Search Bar" or "SpamFreeSearch".
To reset your homepage click on the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window) then select "Options", in the opened window remove blekko.com and enter your preferred domain.
Optional method:
Computer users who have problems with blekko.com virus removal can reset their Mozilla Firefox settings.
Open Mozilla Firefox, at the top right corner of the main window, click the Firefox menu, in the opened menu, click Help.
Select Troubleshooting Information.
In the opened window, click the Refresh Firefox button.
In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Mozilla Firefox settings to default by clicking the Refresh Firefox button.
Remove malicious extensions from Safari:
Make sure your Safari browser is active and click Safari menu, then select Preferences...
In the preferences window select the Extensions tab. Look for any recently installed suspicious extensions and uninstall them.
In the preferences window select General tab and make sure that your homepage is set to a preferred URL, if its altered by a browser hijacker - change it.
In the preferences window select Search tab and make sure that your preferred Internet search engine is selected.
Optional method:
Make sure your Safari browser is active and click on Safari menu. From the drop down menu select Clear History and Website Data...
In the opened window select all history and click the Clear History button.
Remove malicious extensions from Microsoft Edge:
Click the Edge menu icon (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge), select "Extensions". Locate any recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons, and remove them.
Change your homepage and new tab settings:
Click the Edge menu icon (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge), select "Settings". In the "On startup" section look for the name of the browser hijacker and click "Disable".
Change your default Internet search engine:
To change your default search engine in Microsoft Edge: Click the Edge menu icon (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge), select "Privacy and services", scroll to bottom of the page and select "Address bar". In the "Search engines used in address bar" section look for the name of the unwanted Internet search engine, when located click the "Disable" button near it. Alternatively you can click on "Manage search engines", in the opened menu look for unwanted Internet search engine. Click on the puzzle icon near it and select "Disable".
Optional method:
If you continue to have problems with removal of the blekko.com virus, reset your Microsoft Edge browser settings. Click the Edge menu icon (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge) and select Settings.
In the opened settings menu select Reset settings.
Select Restore settings to their default values. In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Microsoft Edge settings to default by clicking the Reset button.
- If this did not help, follow these alternative instructions explaining how to reset the Microsoft Edge browser.
Summary:
A browser hijacker is a type of adware infection that modifies Internet browser settings by assigning the homepage and default Internet search engine settings to some other (unwanted) website URL. Commonly, this type of adware infiltrates operating systems through free software downloads. If your download is managed by a download client, ensure that you decline offers to install advertised toolbars or applications that seek to change your homepage and default Internet search engine settings.
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