[bannerTop]

In this article we are going to try and help you remove the Lucky Site 123 “Virus”. Our instructions cover all Windows versions as well as most browsers – Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer etc.

There have been a lot of recent complaints regarding a new Browser Hijacker program known under the name of the Lucky Site 123 “Virus”. If you also have this unwanted piece of software on your PC and struggle to find a solution for it, we can help you resolve the issue. However, you will first need to get a good understanding of what these programs actually are and what they are capable of.

General characteristics of Browser Hijackers

Browser Hijackers are a common type of PUP’s (potentially unwanted programs). What they are usually known for is their intrusive behavior and tendency to modify the user’s browser regardless of what the browser program is (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, IE, etc). Once installed onto your machine, the Hijacker usually tries to add new toolbars or search engines to your browser or change its previous homepage, thus promoting some other site. In fact, promoting and advertising is the main purpose of programs like the Lucky Site 123 “Virus”. However, unlike other, more subtle and less obstructive forms of online marketing, most Browser Hijackers make everything they can in order to get noticed. This can become extremely frustrating, especially if you allow the unwanted software to stay on your machine for an extended period of time. This is also why it’s always better to uninstall Lucky Site 123 as soon as you find out that it has been installed on your computer. We will help you with that in our instruction manual that can be found right beneath the current article. The guide gives you a number of methods and techniques that when used in conjunction would almost certainly ensure that the PUP is eliminated and dealt with.

How harmful can Browser Hijackers be?

A lot of users ask this same question and though the answer might sometimes vary, typically, Browser Hijackers are pretty safe as far as your computer safety and online security are concerned. Despite the fact that those programs might get quite annoying and execute certain unwanted tasks without the user’s agreement, they are very different from actual harmful software like the infamous Ransomware viruses for example. Thus, when faced with a Browser Hijacker, there’s hardly any reason to be concerned or worried. Usually, as long as you remain calm, follow our guidelines and are careful around Lucky Site 123, everything should work out just fine. You might not be dealing with a malicious Ransomware, but Lucky Site 123 can still be quite nagging and unpleasant to have on your PC. Having modifications enforced upon your browsers are not the only potential negative traits that programs of the Browser Hijacker type might posses.

  • Another common problem with such applications is that they could fill your browser with unwanted ads, pop-ups, banners, etc. This can drastically obstruct your online experience and make it really difficult to surf the Internet.
  • To enhance the ads it displays or to gain additional profit, some Hijackers tend to scan the user’s browsing history in order to gain valuable marketing data that is later either directly used to modify the ads generated by the unwanted software or to sell the info to third-parties (sometimes both).
  • Another, very unpleasant effect that such an application might have on your PC is that it might cause it to slow-down due to heavy system resources consumption. This is, of course, situational but if your machine is not very powerful, it is highly likely that the presence of the Hijacker would indeed have this effect on it.

How to keep your system safe from PUP’s

The next short list of tips is aimed at providing you with important information on how to protect your computer and prevent unwanted programs like Lucky Site 123 from getting installed on it.

  • Stay alert for any spam e-mails that might get send to you. If you suspect that a new letter/text message is some form of spam, be sure to eliminate it immediately avoiding any interaction with its contents.
  • Be responsible when surfing the internet. There are a lot of sketchy sites out there that serve as distributors of all sorts of unwanted programs. Therefore, visit only addresses that are reliable and trusted.
  • Make sure that you are always asked for permission before a file is downloaded onto your PC. No automatic file downloads should be allowed in your browser.
  • If you are about to install a new piece of software, see if it is a file bundle with added applications. Sometimes, you could see all added content from the regular installation menu but if there is an Advanced/Custom setup option, make sure to use it since this is often where the list of added content is. Once you figure out if and what has been bundled with the main program (the one you want to install), see if any of the added applications seems shady and potentially unwanted and if they do, uncheck them in order to leave them out before you carry on with the installation.

Lucky Site 123 Removal

Many types of malware will restrict your access to their core files. It is highly recommended that you reboot your PC in safe mode before attempting to use this guide.

  • To enable Safe Mode reboot you PC, then hit F8 repeatedly. When the corresponding menu opens please select Safe Mode with Networking.

WARNING! If you are using Windows 8,0 or later and/or your operating system is installed on a fast SSD drive this may fail to work. In this case click here to see how to start your PC in Safe Mode.

#1: Uninstall the malicious program from your control panel

 [bannerMiddle]

Enter control panel to look for any suspicious programs, which may have installed on your PC. To do that:

  1. Navigate to your Desktop
  2. Press simultaneously the Win button together with the R button (Win+R)
  3. In the Run window that just opened type appwiz.cpl

Removal ads Guide pic 1

  1. Go through the list of programs and find Lucky Site 123 or anything else that may seem suspicious. Right-click on it and choose the uninstallation option

WARNING! Carefully read any confirmation messages that may be created in the process. Sometimes you may get offers to download more Adware applications and this can be linked to either the Yes or the No answer depending on the wording!

  • Optional:

Go through the list of programs again and check online for any potentially unwanted programs. We have an article that covers this awesome free software that makes sure that your computer is free from bloatware and programs that you don’t need.

#2: Remove Lucky Site 123 From Chrome

Now we’ll remove the extensions that the malware has attached to your browser.

  1. Open your Google Chrome browser.
  2. Type chrome://extensions/  in the URL address bar and press Enter.
  3. Click on “Developer Mode” on the top right and look for the extension installed by Lucky Site 123 and anything that might be related to it. Copy their IDs (the string of letters), then remove them by clicking on the trash bin icon.

Removal ads guide pic 2

  1. Type Regedit in the Windows Start Menu and press Enter. Go in : HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Google\Chrome\Extensions and delete the entries corresponding to the suspicious IDs you recorded.

#3: Remove Lucky Site 123 From Firefox

  1. Open Mozilla Firefox browser.
  2. Type “about:support” in the URL address bar and press Enter.
  3. Click on the “Refresh Firefox” button on the right and confirm.

removal ads guide pic 3

#4 Remove Lucky Site 123 From Internet Explorer

  1. Open your Internet Explorer internet browser.
  2. Click on the Gear icon on the up right, then on manage add-ons.
  3. Go through the list disable any suspicious extensions.

guide pic 4

#5 Remove any leftover parasitic processes

 [bannerMiddleSecond]

From the task manager:

  1. Use Ctrl + Shift + Esc and open the Task manager, then click on the Processes
  2. Go through the list of processes and look for unknown or otherwise suspicious entries.
  3. If you see anything suspicious right click on the process and shoes Open File Location, then terminate the process and delete any files you find in the directory.

ads removal guide pic 6

WARNING! If the directory you open from this menu has no files inside of it it’s probably because the malware has hidden them. You need to reveal hidden files and folders in order to be able to see them. Click here if you don’t know how to do that.


ads removal guide pic 5

From the start menu:

  1. Press simultaneously the Win button together with the R button (Win+R)
  2. In the Run window that just opened type msconfig
  3. Click on the Startup tab.

ads removal guide pic 7

This menu controls which programs are loaded when windows starts after a reboot. Disable anything that seems suspicious. Optionally you can also disable any program that you don’t need and also has a high impact on your startup time.

Feel free to write to us in the comment section with any questions that you may have. Also if we have been helpful to you please share this article to help us reach more people like you.