You might be infected.
You might be infected.
I was searching for Minecraft shaders and unknowingly downloaded a questionable installer. Its name seemed odd, but I pressed run without much thought. My doubts grew quickly. Later, a Chrome window appeared unexpectedly. Fortunately, I’m an edge user and my data stays secure. There’s no evidence of malicious activity on the edge, but I discovered a new extension named "Apps" in my browser. Since I usually browse incognito, I didn’t notice it at first. After installing, I switched to normal Chrome and noticed that any searches—even for Google—redirected to go.searches.gg. The most frustrating part is that the extension can’t be removed, claiming it’s managed by my organization. Please assist me in uninstalling it.
Perfectly reinstall Windows is the only way to guarantee a full fix. These stubborn viruses really require it.
Not saying OP has to worry about the following, but what you said is technically incorrect. There are viruses that nestle themselves inside the BIOS or even peripherals, such as NIC firmware or harddrive/SSD controller firmware . That being said, I think this is a fairly simple clickjacking kind of malware, which doesn't have to be too complicated to remove. Uninstall/reinstall would be my bet as well.
@P.Botond @Mojo-Jojo @whispous The situation is tricky. My dad uses the laptop for work and doesn’t like any tech fixes on it. He’d be upset if he discovered malware. The issue seems minor—a simple Chrome extension added to my browser. I rarely use Chrome, and even when I do, I run it in incognito mode so it doesn’t trigger the extension. It mainly changes search results to go.searches.gg, which I’ve noticed has some suspicious ratings. There’s a chance it could steal data like session tokens or passwords, but I haven’t logged anything in Chrome. I ran the file a while back and found nothing unusual except that extension. Re-installing Chrome might help, but since it’s organization-controlled, removing it isn’t easy. I’m still trying to figure out what’s going on.
Would you prefer your child to hide the malware they installed on your device? I’ve already explained how it threatens your personal information and login credentials. Are you willing to accept that danger, leaving it to your father? Consider the consequences carefully.
I halted reading here, honestly. It’s your dad’s computer. You’re endangering his work and taking actions that aren’t yours. In my view, you should talk to your dad and accept responsibility. Don’t tamper with his system—let him handle decisions. Be more mindful of other people’s systems moving forward.
If I were a parent, I'd feel much angrier without knowing the details than if my child directly shared what occurred. These situations are common, and it's best to admit the truth and resolve the issue.
It's understandable to feel uncertain about your role. However, the recommended approach for handling malware is clear. Let me know if you'd like more details. Thank you for your patience.