Click.Giftload

Click.Giftload is a web browser hijacker that also interferes with other applications on your PC. Computers infected by Click.Giftload may run more slowly, crash or receive annoying pop-ups. Browsing the web through a Click.Giftload infection will turn into quite the ordeal, since Click.Giftload will redirect you to malicious websites and may even stop you from accessing security-related sites. Removing Click.Giftload is reported to be exceptionally difficult and should be undertaken only by the most up to date and top-quality anti-malware software that's available.

The Worst Possible Gift for Your Computer

Although the current infection vectors for Click.Giftload aren't well-documented, Click.Giftload tends to come along with other malware infections. Click.Giftload has been observed to be coupled with trojans, rootkits and Whitesmoke Toolbar. Unlike some infections, Click.Giftload may even remain dormant and not attempt to cause any obvious problems. However, most Click.Giftload infections have been noted to cause highly-visible computer damage, as you can see below:

• Click.Giftload may reboot your PC during installation. This is typically done after corrupting the Registry to let Click.Giftload run in the background when Windows starts.
• Click.Giftload may hide your desktop and My Computer icons to trick you into thinking that your system has suffered heavy damage. In fact, this is just a sleight of hand trick that doesn't harm your files or folders; if you try to access them through alternative means, you'll find that Click.Giftload hasn't deleted them.
• Click.Giftload may cause your entire computer to slow down due to a variety of hidden and malicious attacks that eat up your system resources. This is especially evident when attempting to launch applications.
• Click.Giftload can also crash programs or prevent them from running at all. This behavior isn't limited to any one type of program, but Click.Giftload is most likely to target your web browsers and security-related programs such as anti-virus software.
• Click.Giftload may create pop-ups regardless of whether your browser is open. These pop-ups have been reported to fake anti-virus warnings, and so you should take care to distrust any strange system alerts or errors while Click.Giftload is on your computer.
• Most importantly, Click.Giftload will redirect your web browser to malicious websites. This may be done spontaneously, or Click.Giftload may limit its hijacking attacks to search results. You may also find your homepage changed or unusual warnings blocking off reputable websites.

Tossing Click.Giftload into the Garbage

It's not easy to remove Click.Giftload from your PC; even if you think you've removed it, a second scan after a reboot will often show that Click.Giftload has come right back. Removing Click.Giftload manually (by deleting the files and other components without a scanner's help) is extremely unlikely to result in success, and should be considered only as a last option.

Using appropriate anti-malware software will increase your chances of deleting Click.Giftload without it obnoxiously popping back to life afterwards, but it's not as simple as just clicking 'Scan' and being done with it. Since Click.Giftload is still an extremely new hijacker, scanning software without full updates may not detect Click.Giftload. Always update your anti-malware programs before you scan, and don't be afraid to try a backup brand if one scanner fails to find anything.

Some scanners have also been reported to be able to detect but not remove Click.Giftload. You shouldn't consider this as a sign to live with Click.Giftload; the presence of Click.Giftload is strongly linked to other computer threats, and your PC's security is in danger as long as Click.Giftload is around. If necessary, continue to try different reputable anti-malware programs until you find one that really removes Click.Giftload.