# Conduit.com. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 21, 2014, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduit-com/681919 "2014-02-21T23:25:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pdunderhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4bbf92/32.png) [@pdunderhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pdunderhill)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2014, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduit-com/681919/1 "2014-02-21T23:25:14Z")
Hello good people, excuse me if I go orbital. YOU, the scum behind browser hijacks. Yes YOU, you blackmailing, energy sucking fuckers. The [conduit.com](http://conduit.com) company who’s company site and realty I’m sure you can find and if… I advise others on Internet security and I’ve now had a ‘drive by’ courtesy of Conduit .com. Yes I know that I’m mentioning the Co. a lot, hopefully some one will manage to avoid them. As an addendum, before you ask, I’m running a ‘clean’ and fully updated version of Win XP, Chrome + Firefox. Thoroughly scanned and I was testing this rig prior to donating it to the Danish Church in London, a little responsibility. So [Conduit.com](http://Conduit.com), come out of the woods cos I can smell class action in the air. Peter ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2014, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduit-com/681919/2 "2014-02-21T23:44:59Z")
A few times, I’ve had to go through someone’s registry, to search-and-destroy all “conduit” references. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduit-com/681919/3 "2014-02-22T02:23:58Z")
What is the site? I’ve been doing a lot of electrical and air work lately. I take it they’re not in the business of selling me conduit? And why, when hearing about a nefarious site, do I get that same feeling when looking over the edge of a cliff. No, not gonna jump. Clearly. But maybe if I use the virtual Linux machine’s FireFox/NoScript/AdBlock/Ghostery… ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduit-com/681919/4 "2014-02-22T02:30:10Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > What is the site? I’ve been doing a lot of electrical and air work lately. I take it they’re not in the business of selling me conduit? Conduit’s a web platform. They have a toolbar program that’s insiduous, likes to install itself with other software, and is hard to remove. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduit-com/681919/5 "2014-02-22T02:48:49Z")
Ah ha. Who actually _uses_ custom toolbars? This is why when my in-laws vist (in-laws from Russia, who visit plenty of .ru sites) I start their very own virtual machine on all the public computers, maximize it, then start up Firefox in full screen mode. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduit-com/681919/6 "2014-02-22T14:04:01Z")
I have this problem, too. Multiple scans with anti-malware programs later, and I still have this shit on my computer. Aside from a clean re-install, how do you get rid of this scourge? ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduit-com/681919/7 "2014-02-22T14:25:10Z")
yeah… my son got his computer infected with this shit because he goes to dumb sites and downloads dumb things. If anyone has some good instructions on cleaning this out, I would be forever grateful. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduit-com/681919/8 "2014-02-22T14:53:29Z")
Especially if I can stop them from trying to force me to do Conduit searches instead of Google. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduit-com/681919/9 "2014-02-22T18:56:12Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > If anyone has some good instructions on cleaning this out, I would be forever grateful. [Haven’t tried it myself, but…](http://www.techsupportall.com/how-to-remove-conduit-search/) ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduit-com/681919/10 "2014-02-22T19:21:23Z")
> [@Astroboy14](#): > > [Haven’t tried it myself, but…](http://www.techsupportall.com/how-to-remove-conduit-search/) Damn, that article is painfully bad in the way it’s written. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduit-com/681919/11 "2014-02-22T19:23:00Z")
> [@Astroboy14](#): > > [Haven’t tried it myself, but…](http://www.techsupportall.com/how-to-remove-conduit-search/) About the recommended “use uninstall in the control panel” it should be indeed the first thing to try, although I call them scum-ware, to avoid run ins with the law they usually do a job of uninstalling themselves. One selects the choice in the “Program and Features” to uninstall or change a program area in the control panel. Then, if there are still problems, run a program like [https://www.malwarebytes.org/](https://www.malwarebytes.org/) and [http://www.superantispyware.com/](http://www.superantispyware.com/) both available in free versions. One way to prevent this in the future, make a habit of making profiles for family members, anyone that has to do a lot of surfing should have a simple profile with no administrator permissions. Then to clean the computer is only a mater of saving the documents and then deleting the affected profile. > **[Manage User Accounts in Windows - Microsoft Support](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/manage-user-accounts-in-windows-104dc19f-6430-4b49-6a2b-e4dbd1dcdf32)** > > Learn how to add user accounts in Windows 10 and Windows 11. With an account, each person has separate files, browser favorites, and a private desktop. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduit-com/681919/12 "2014-02-22T19:29:54Z")
[Hitman Pro](http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/hitman_pro.html) will remove it. I also like [AdwCleaner](http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/adwcleaner.html)and [JunkwareRemovalTool](http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/junkware_removal_tool.html) for general crapware removal. ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduit-com/681919/13 "2014-02-22T20:13:35Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Damn, that article is painfully bad in the way it’s written. Wow. Yeah it is… I didn’t read the whole thing, just kinda glanced at it and it looked OK. Sorry! ---
**Author:** ![arseNal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@arseNal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/arseNal)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2014, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduit-com/681919/14 "2014-02-25T15:39:23Z")
I’m very curious about this drive-by download concept and have been trying to find it “in the wild”. So is [conduit.com](http://conduit.com) able to infect a browser just by being visited? I tried going there and clicked around but nothing happened. Is there a particular browser that is vulnerable to this site, or is there a particular link on the site that causes the infection? ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2014, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduit-com/681919/15 "2014-02-25T15:50:47Z")
**Protip** : some places routinely bundle these spy/malware into their installers (cnet/download.com), so only use reputable sources ([filehippo.com](http://www.filehippo.com/)). Also never “speed-click” your way through the installation process (read carefully and click “custom install” to weed out obvious spyware components). ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2014, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduit-com/681919/16 "2014-02-25T15:54:17Z")
And whatever you do, never click on the giant green “DOWNLOAD” button! ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2014, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduit-com/681919/17 "2014-02-25T16:13:10Z")
> [@orcenio](#): > > **Protip** : some places routinely bundle these spy/malware into their installers (cnet/download.com), so only use reputable sources ([filehippo.com](http://www.filehippo.com/)). Also never “speed-click” your way through the installation process (read carefully and click “custom install” to weed out obvious spyware components). [ninite.com](http://ninite.com/) is also safe/sound and reputable. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2014, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduit-com/681919/18 "2014-02-25T16:18:34Z")
When I highlight and right-click a term in IE, I would like to make the option “Search with Google”, NOT “Search with Bing” and especially not “Search with Conduit Search”. Is there a way to change that? Windows Help is as useless as ever. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2014, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduit-com/681919/19 "2014-02-25T16:27:06Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > When I highlight and right-click a term in IE, I would like to make the option “Search with Google”, NOT “Search with Bing” and especially not “Search with Conduit Search”. Is there a way to change that? Windows Help is as useless as ever. > > Regards, > Shodan 1. [go here](http://www.iegallery.com/en-us/addons?callback=true&featuretype=2) 2. Click on google 3. Click the “Add to Internet Explorer” button 4. Make sure you check the “set as default search” box 5. Donate $5 to [SPLC](https://donate.splcenter.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=463)🙂 6. Consider switching to [chrome](https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/browser/). ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2014, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduit-com/681919/20 "2014-02-25T16:36:27Z")
> [@MsRobyn](#): > > I have this problem, too. Multiple scans with anti-malware programs later, and I still have this shit on my computer. > > Aside from a clean re-install, how do you get rid of this scourge? You find a board like [majorgeeks.com](http://majorgeeks.com) or [malwaretips.com](http://malwaretips.com) that has experts who will help you for free. There are several of them. They will usually ask you to download software like “Hijack This” that will produce a log showing info about your system and post it for them to see. Then they’ll give you solutions to try. (Then you donate a few bucks to the board if you’re not a jerk). That’s how I got rid of some nasty malware (the “about:blank” virus: [http://malwaretips.com/threads/about-blank-virus.16086/](http://malwaretips.com/threads/about-blank-virus.16086/)) some years ago. Geeks can be very nice people. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conduit-com/681919.md?page=2)