Bytefence: An Overview In 3 Easy Steps

Introduction

Many viruses steal your data and sometimes crash down your laptops and systems that are officially known as viruses or malware. To deal with such issues, you must download anti-malware software in your systems, but not all anti-malware system is effective. Bytefence is an anti-malware software but not recommended to keep by many. You might not even know that it is present in your system. Some have also reported that it should be uninstalled from the system. Read on to know more about Bytefence and its workings and if it is harmful to keep?

1. What is Bytefence?
2. How it affects the system?
3. How to remove ByteFence?

1. What is Bytefence?

Bytefence is not malware or a virus. On the contrary, Bytefence is an anti-malware software that is used to detect the virus and suspicious activities in the systems. It is a type of security program designed to protect Windows from spyware, malware, and crapware. The software is designed by Byte Technologies, an American software company that features in developing Anti-Malware programs. However, it is certified by a trustworthy company; it is not a Windows core file and sometimes not reliable to keep in your system.

The company has designed Bytefence anti-malware to give threat alerts for the suspected malware files. What is Bytefence anti-malware can also be understood in more detail with the guide’s help on how it works and the area it affects. The Bytefence anti-malware comes with both paid and free versions available on its websites to download.
You might be wondering how Bytefence gets into your systems. Sometimes, Bytefence gets auto-download while installing other software in the form of bundled software without our consent. The distribution method of ByteFencecategorizes it in the PUP (potentially unwanted programs) and is recommended to be uninstalled by the security experts.

2. How it affects the system?

The Bytefence anti-malware virus manages to sneak into your system by installing other software as a bundled program and installing itself. It then installs itself on the browser and starts changing the browser settings as well. While making the changes, it sets its extension as the default browser and starts redirecting every search to its search engine, “search.bytfence.com.” It invades privacy by collecting valuable information like location, IP address, websites visited, etc.

The privacy also starts adding other extensions to the browsers and shares the details with third parties to gain profit, leading to misuse of your data. Bytefence anti-malware also installs the cookies and tracks down your web browsing data and history. 
If you start seeing offensive and intrusive ads, banners, and popups on your screen, you can get to understand that Bytefencemalware is hijacking your system. It becomes essential to know how to remove Bytefenceanti-malware from your system and browsers.

3. How to remove ByteFence?

The Bytefence anti-malware is present in the extension “.exe,” known as an executable program. Since it is not officially a virus, you can uninstall it from your system. There are two ways to remove it from your system: 

1. Through other anti-malware software
2. Manually

• Through other anti-malware software

When you cannot find the installer from your list of added programs, you can use anti-malware software. It works as a ByteFence removal tool that searches for every malware in the system and works on every Bytefence file, program, and extensions. Malwarebytes Free is one such prominent and widely used anti-malware tool for Windows. It can destroy several malware types that other software appears to miss. Malwarebytes have always been free when it comes to cleaning up an infected computer, and we recommend it as a key tool in battling malware.

It is important to remember that Malwarebytes Free runs without conflict alongside antivirus software.

STEP 1: Download Malwarebytes

Download Malwarebytes by clicking here.

STEP 2: Set up Malwarebytes

After the installation of Malwarebytes, double-click the MBSetup file to install Malwarebytes on your device. Downloaded files are normally stored in the folder Downloads. You may be asked to allow Malwarebytes to alter your computer using the ‘User Account Control pop-up.’ If this occurs, click on “Yes” to proceed with the installation of Malwarebytes.

STEP 3: Follow the prompts on the screen

•  When the installation of Malwarebytes starts, you see the Malwarebytes installation wizard that will direct you. First, it will ask you what on sort of device you are installing; click either Personal Computer or Work Computer.

• To install malware bytes on your computer, click “Install” on the next screen. When the installation of your Malwarebytes ends, the software opens up to the Malwarebytes welcome screen. Click on the button “Get Started.”

STEP 4: Use Malwarebytes Free

You are asked to choose between the Free version and the Paid version after downloading Malwarebytes. The Malwarebytes Premium edition provides prevention tools such as real-time scanning and rankings, but to clean up your device, use the free version.

Select “Use Free Malwarebytes.”

STEP 5: Scan

Click on the “Scan” button to scan your computer with Malwarebytes. Malwarebytes update the antivirus databases automatically and start malware scanning your computer. Malwarebytes scans Bytefence and other malicious programs on your computer. It can take a few minutes for this process, so it’s recommended you do something else and check the scan status regularly for it to be completed.

STEP 6: Quarantine

After the scanning is done, the Bytefence malware that Malwarebytes has found is displayed on the computer screen. Click the “Quarantine” button to delete the malicious software detected by Malwarebytes.

STEP 7: Restart Computer

Malwarebytes will now delete all of the malicious Bytefence files and registry keys. It will ask you to restart your system to complete the malware removal process. After the malware elimination process has been completed, Malwarebytes can be closed.

2. Manually

If you need to know how to delete Bytefence manually from every part, you can follow these instructions:  

• From Task Manager:

Open Task manager using Ctrl Shift ESC. 

Search for bytefence.exe and disable it.

• From System Apps

Open Settings, and click on the app’s settings. 

Search for Bytefence and click on Bytefence uninstall.

• From registry Files

Click on the start and open the run dialogue box. 

Type Regedit, and search. 

Locate and uninstall all the registry entries belonging to Bytefence. 

Search and delete the files located in the folders.

KEY_CURRENT_USER\\Software\\ ByteFence

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\Software\\ ByteFence

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\Software\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Run\\eg ui

• From the system

Delete the files related to byte fence from the C drive program files and Document and Settings. You can get the files in the addresses: 

C:\\Program Files\\ ByteFence

C:\\Document and Settings\\All Users\\Application Data\\ ByteFence

C:\\Documents and Settings\\%USER%\\Application Data\\ ByteFence

• From your Browsers

The Bytefence might still be available in your browser if you have uninstalled it on the system. It needs to be deleted from the browsers as well. The process on how to delete Bytefence depends on the type of browser you are using: 

On Chrome

1. Open extensions in chrome browser through the link: “chrome://extensions/”.
2. Locate the extension: search.bytefence.com and uninstall it. 
3. Click on settings-> content-> notifications, and delete all notifications related to Bytefence.

On Mozilla Firefox

1. Search for “about: addons” in the tab of Mozilla Firefox browser. 
2. Locate the extensions and remove them. 
3. Click on the privacy and security from the menu, check for the permissions, and block search.bytefence.com.

On Opera Browser

1. Open the Opera browser and click on Tools > Extensions > Manage Extensions. 
2. Locate Bytefence Anti-Malware extension and uninstall it. 

On Internet Explorer

1. Choose Manage add-ons from the three buttons on the top-right corner of the web browser. 
2. Select all Add-ons, and double click on the add-on button, remove tech-connect.biz in a new window. 
3. Delete the add-on by clicking on the remove button. 

After removing the addons, reset all the browser settings and restart the system for effective changes.

Conclusion

Like Bytefence, there are multiple other software and programs that may not seem harmful but are indirectly leaking our data as well as trying to hijack the system. It can be a real headache to deal with the issues once these programs hijack the system. It is important to download any software from the trusted websites and run a check on the system immediately if any suspicious activities and popups are visible. If you want to keep your system safe and secured, you should always have antivirus or anti-malware software in your system. Through proper security and a little more caution towards your downloading activities, the system can be protected from such attacks. 

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