Malwarebytes Failing to Remove Persistent Adware Redirects and the Manual Removal + Blocklist Patch That Worked
In the landscape of cybersecurity, end-users often rely on trusted tools to handle infections that threaten their systems and data. Malwarebytes, a popular antivirus and anti-malware solution, is often among the first lines of defense. However, in recent cases, users have reported that Malwarebytes did not fully remove certain adware infections — specifically those involving browser redirects that prove persistent and elusive. Despite multiple scans, restart attempts, and even quarantines, the unwanted behavior kept resurfacing.
TLDR
Some adware redirect infections persist even after using Malwarebytes, which is generally considered a reliable malware detection tool. These infections often hide in overlooked file paths or manipulate browser settings in a way that standard scanners miss. A combination of manual file and registry removal, along with a custom-host and blocklist patch, proved effective in eliminating the redirects. Extra attention to browser settings and startup processes was essential in the complete cleanup.
What Malwarebytes Was Able to Do — and What It Missed
After noticing suspicious behavior, such as browser windows opening automatically and search queries redirecting to unfamiliar search engines or promotional pages, many users turned to Malwarebytes. The application would detect and quarantine several threats, including PUPs (Potentially Unwanted Programs) like:
- SearchSmart
- SafeBrowse
- SmartWeb
However, the stories shared in community forums revealed a troubling pattern: after a system reboot or even several clean scans, adware symptoms would return. In particular, browser redirects to fake search engines (e.g., searchglobe.xyz, webnavigator.co, and mysearchcentral.com) persisted despite clean Malwarebytes reports.
It became clear that while Malwarebytes could detect and remove superficial components, it struggled to completely eradicate this specific class of persistent redirect malware. In several cases, browser extensions had been reinstalled without user permission, indicating a deeper infection or reinstallation pipeline.
Analyzing the Infection Vector
Upon closer inspection of affected systems, a manual analysis yielded the following methodologies used by the malware to persist:
- Scheduled Tasks: The adware had set up tasks in Windows Task Scheduler to launch a dummy update.exe file in the appdata directory every time the user logged in.
- Registry Edits: Suspicious entries were found under
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Runpointing to background services hidden in deeply buried folders like:
C:\Users\[Username]\AppData\Roaming\Updater\update.exe - Browser Hijacking: Even when users reset their browser settings, the redirect domains would appear again. A JavaScript-based extension was dynamically injecting redirect code into pages.
This extension disguised itself with generic names like “Tab Helper” or “Video Downloader HD.”
Notably, Malwarebytes failed to remove or even detect the registry entries and scheduled tasks in multiple test scenarios reproduced in a virtual machine environment.
Manual Removal Steps That Worked
To solve the issue, a combination of steps was necessary. Here is the full process that finally resolved the persistent redirect problem:
1. Disable Startup Tasks and Check Task Scheduler
Using Autoruns for Windows from Sysinternals and the native Windows Task Scheduler, the user identified and deleted hidden startup entries and scheduled tasks related to suspicious executables. If their execution point was unclear, the associated .exe files were traced to their parent folders and manually deleted after disabling their process in Task Manager.
2. Remove Registry Entries
Dead registry entries set by the malware to auto-run files on system startup were removed. Critical paths to check included:
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunHKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunHKCU\Software\Policies\Google\Chrome\ExtensionInstallForcelist(for Chrome-based redirect behavior)
3. Delete Extension Folders Manually
Since malicious browser extensions can reinstall after browser resets if their payload remains in the user data path, the following directories were cleared:
C:\Users\[Username]\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions- Likewise for Firefox:
...\Profiles\xxxxx.default-release\extensions
This step ensured that even hidden or obfuscated plugins were removed from future browser sessions.
4. Flush DNS and Reset Network Settings
Redirect malware can also modify network configurations or the local DNS cache. A series of terminal commands were executed:
ipconfig /flushdns
netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset
These commands reset the TCP/IP stack and any DNS poisoning that may result from bad cache values pointing to malicious hosts.
5. Patch the “Hosts” File with Blocklist Entries
The final and perhaps most effective step was modifying the Windows “hosts” file to include known adware domains and manually route them to 0.0.0.0. This resulted in an immediate halt in redirect attempts. Sample blocklist additions included:
0.0.0.0 searchglobe.xyz
0.0.0.0 mysearchcentral.com
0.0.0.0 webnavigator.co
0.0.0.0 gosearches.gg
0.0.0.0 browserdefense.com
This solution is not foolproof but serves as a strong preventative filter until deeper security patches or updated definitions are released by anti-malware vendors.
Why Malwarebytes Might Be Missing These Threats
Malwarebytes prides itself on behavior-based detection, but persistent redirect adware has evolved:
- It mimics legitimate update or plugin behavior, avoiding signature detection
- It waits until post-startup to trigger infections, sometimes hours later, which evades real-time scanning
- It deploys multiple redundant infection vectors (e.g., registry + scheduled task + extension), making cleanup only partially successful if done incompletely
Additionally, some of these threats are classified as low-risk by default, leading to them being tagged as “non-malicious” promotions — a dangerous classification that keeps them from quarantine spaces in default scan modes.
Recommendations for Users Facing Similar Issues
If you’re dealing with redirect infections that seem to “survive” a Malwarebytes scan, consider the following:
- Use a multi-tool approach. Malwarebytes alone may not catch the full infection.
- Inspect and clean all startup entries, Task Scheduler, and registry paths.
- Delete browser extensions and clear related folders manually.
- Patch DNS and “hosts” files with known bad domains to block reinfection attempts.
- Consider using network-level filters like Pi-hole or DNS-based content blockers.
Closing Thoughts
Malwarebytes remains an important tool in the anti-malware toolkit, but it’s not infallible. As threats adapt and become harder to detect, especially those that operate in the gray space between advertising and malicious behavior, users must sometimes go beyond automated scanning. A meticulous manual cleanup — combined with strategic DNS and host file filtering — may be necessary to reclaim browser integrity and system performance fully.
Stay vigilant, audit your system’s deeper layers, and don’t put full trust in automation. Sometimes the best defense is a keen eye and a good blocklist.
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