ConvertDocsOnline is a Browser Extension for Google Chrome developed by Mindspark Inc. This extension offers users a quick and easy way to convert documents without any additional applications installed on their computer, it also has quick access links to popular websites that the average user might find interesting. While all this may look appealing and nice, this extension injects itself into your browser.
While installed, ConvertDocsOnline will monitor your browsing activity and record visited websites, clicked links, downloads, and even viewed products. All this information is later used/sold to Mindsparks Ad network to better serve user-targeted ads.
Browsing the internet with this extension installed will result in ad placement throughout your browsing sessions. These ads might appear as normal links (sponsored content), ad links, or even pop-up ads.
ConvertDocsOnline has been marked as a Browser Hijacker by several Anti-Virus scanners and is therefore recommended for optional removal from your PC.
About Browser Hijackers
Browser hijackers (sometimes referred to as hijackware) are a type of malware that changes web browser settings without the user’s knowledge or permission. These types of hijacks are increasing at an alarming rate around the globe, and they can be truly nefarious and sometimes dangerous too. There are plenty of reasons why you may have a browser hijack; however commercial, marketing, and advertising are definitely the primary reasons for their creation. In most cases, browser hijacking is used for earning advertising revenue that comes from forced ad mouse clicks and site visits. It might appear naive, but the majority of these sites are not legitimate and may pose a significant threat to your online safety. In a much worst case, your internet browser could be hijacked to download malicious software that can do a lot of damage to your PC.
Symptoms of browser hijacker malware
Symptoms that a web browser is a hi-jacked include:
1. the browser’s homepage is modified
2. your internet browser is constantly being redirected to adult websites
3. the default online search engine and/or the default browser settings are altered
4. you see many toolbars in your internet browser
5. you might find endless pop-up adverts on your computer screen
6. your web browser gets slow, buggy crashes very often
7. you can’t navigate to certain web pages, such as computer security software-related websites.
How they infect computer systems
Browser hijackers can enter a PC in some way or other, for example via downloads, file sharing, and e-mail also. Many browser hijackings come from add-on software, i.e., toolbars, browser helper objects (BHO), or plug-ins added to browsers to give them extra functionality. Browser hijackers sneak to your computer in addition to free software downloads also that you unwittingly install alongside the original. Examples of popular browser hijackers are Fireball, CoolWebSearch. GoSave, Ask Toolbar, RocketTab, and Babylon Toolbar.
The existence of any browser hijacker on your computer could drastically diminish the web browsing experience, record your internet activities that lead to critical privacy issues, degrade overall computer efficiency, and result in application instability also.
Removing browser hijackers
Certain hijackers could be removed by simply uninstalling the related freeware or add-ons from the Add or Remove Programs in the Windows control panel. But, many hijacking codes are certainly not very easy to get rid of manually, since they go deeper into your operating system. Beginner PC users should not try for the manual form of removal methods, as it calls for thorough system knowledge to perform fixes on the system registry and HOSTS file.
Browser hijackers can be effectively removed by installing and running anti-malware software on the affected PC. To get rid of any browser hijacker from your laptop or computer, you should download this particular certified malware removal application – SafeBytes Anti-Malware. Along with the antivirus tool, a system optimizer, like SafeBytes’s Total System Care, will help you in getting rid of all related files and modifications in the computer registry automatically.
Virus Blocking Access To Safebytes Website And Preventing Anti-Malware Downloads - What You Should Do?
All malware is bad and the level of the damage will vary greatly in accordance with the type of infection. Some malware types modify browser settings by including a proxy server or modify the PC’s DNS configuration settings. In such cases, you’ll be unable to visit some or all of the websites, and thus unable to download or install the necessary security software to remove the malware. If you are reading this now, you may have probably realized that a malware infection is the cause of your blocked net traffic. So how to proceed when you want to install antivirus software such as Safebytes? Do as instructed below to remove malware through alternate ways.
Get rid of viruses in Safe Mode
The Windows operating system includes a special mode known as “Safe Mode” where just the bare minimum required programs and services are loaded. If the malicious software is set to load immediately when PC boots, switching into this particular mode can prevent it from doing so. In order to enter into Safe Mode or Safe Mode with Networking, press the F8 key while the PC is starting up or run MSConfig and look for the “Safe Boot” options under the “Boot” tab. Once you are in safe mode, you can try to download and install your antivirus software application without the hindrance of the malware. Now, you can actually run the antivirus scan to eliminate computer viruses and malware without hindrance from another malicious application.
Switch to an alternate internet browser
Some malware only targets certain internet browsers. If this is your situation, make use of another internet browser as it can circumvent the malware. If you’re not able to download the anti-virus program using Internet Explorer, this means the virus could be targeting IE’s vulnerabilities. Here, you need to switch to a different internet browser like Firefox or Chrome to download the Safebytes Anti-malware program.
Install antivirus on a USB drive
Another option would be to make a portable anti-malware program on your USB stick. Adopt these measures to run the anti-malware on the infected PC.
1) On a clean PC, download and install Safebytes Anti-Malware.
2) Plug the pen drive into the clean PC.
3) Double click on the downloaded file to open the installation wizard.
4) When asked, choose the location of the pen drive as the place where you would like to store the software files. Follow the instructions on the computer screen to finish up the installation process.
5) Now, transfer the thumb drive to the infected PC.
6) Double-click the anti-malware program EXE file on the pen drive.
7) Run Full System Scan to detect and clean-up up all kinds of malware.
Review of SafeBytes Anti-Malware
If you are planning to purchase anti-malware for your desktop, there are plenty of brands and utilities for you to consider. Some are good ones, some are decent, while some are simply just bogus anti-malware applications that can ruin your personal computer themselves! You have to pick a tool that has got a good reputation and detects not only computer viruses but other sorts of malware also. When thinking about trustworthy programs, Safebytes Anti-Malware is certainly the strongly recommended one.
Safebytes is one of the well-established PC solutions companies, which provide this all-inclusive anti-malware software. Using its cutting-edge technology, this application will assist you to get rid of multiples types of malware including computer viruses, trojans, PUPs, worms, ransomware, adware, and browser hijackers.
SafeBytes anti-malware takes computer protection to a whole new level with its advanced features. These are some of the highlighted features included in the tool.
Real-time Active Protection: SafeBytes gives real-time active monitoring and protection against all known viruses and malware. It’ll monitor your PC for suspicious activity continuously and safeguards your PC from illegal access.
Robust, Anti-malware Protection: Built upon a highly acclaimed anti-virus engine, this malware removal tool has the capacity to find and get rid of several stubborn malware threats such as browser hijackers, PUPs, and ransomware that other typical antivirus applications will miss.
Extremely Speed Scanning: SafeBytes Anti-Malware has got a multi-thread scan algorithm that works up to 5 times faster than any other anti-malware software.
Web Protection: Through its unique safety score, SafeBytes informs you whether a site is safe or not to access it. This will make sure that you’re always certain of your safety when browsing the world wide web.
Light-weight: SafeBytes is really a lightweight tool. It uses up an extremely small amount of processing power as it operates in the background so you’re free to use your Windows-based PC the way you want.
24/7 Assistance: Support service is available 24 x 7 x 365 days through chat and email to answer your concerns.
SafeBytes can keep your personal computer protected from most advanced malware threats automatically, thus keeping your online experience secure and safe. Malware issues will become a thing of the past once you put this software program to use. You’ll get the best all-around protection for the money you spend on SafeBytes AntiMalware subscription, there is no doubt about it.
Technical Details and Manual Removal (Advanced Users)
To eliminate ConvertDocsOnline manually, go to the Add/Remove programs list in the Control Panel and choose the program you want to get rid of. For internet browser extensions, go to your web browser’s Addon/Extension manager and select the add-on you intend to remove or disable. You might also want to reset your home page and search engine providers, as well as delete browsing history, temporary files, and internet cookies.
In order to ensure the complete removal, manually check your hard drive and Windows registry for all of the following and remove or reset the values as needed. But bear in mind, this can be a tricky task and only computer professionals could carry it out safely. Furthermore, certain malicious programs are capable to defend against its removal. It is advised that you carry out the removal process in Safe Mode.
Files:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\ConvertDocsOnlineTooltab
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Local Extension Settings\pebplbnpogfdllkijjlabbjbbngdadjl
%UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Local Extension Settings\pebplbnpogfdllkijjlabbjbbngdadjl
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\pebplbnpogfdllkijjlabbjbbngdadjl
%UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\pebplbnpogfdllkijjlabbjbbngdadjl
Registry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Google\Chrome\PreferenceMACs\Default\extensions.settings, value: pebplbnpogfdllkijjlabbjbbngdadjl
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\DOMStorage\convertdocsonline.dl.myway.com
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\DOMStorage\convertdocsonline.dl.tb.ask.com
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\ConvertDocsOnline
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\ConvertDocsOnline
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\[APPLICATION]\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall..Uninstaller
ConvertDocsOnlineTooltab Uninstall Internet Explorer
Parallels is an application developer for MAC OS mostly known for its PC virtualization software Parallels Desktop, a PC virtualization software running on Macs enabling running Windows and Linux with respective software on your MAC.
With its latest Desktop 17 version, the software can run natively on both Intel-based and M1-based MACs. Thanks to this feature MAC users will be able to benefit from various speed improvements while running both Windows 10 or Windows 11 preview.
On both Intel and M1 setups, Parallels resumes Windows and Linux up to 38% faster, provides an up to 25% bump in 2D graphics and a six-time increase in OpenGL graphics processing. M1-centric stats include 33% faster Windows start-up times, up to 28% faster DirectX 11 performance, and up to 20% better disk performance on Windows 10 Insider Preview.
Parallels Desktop 17 delivers a set of fresh features including a new video driver that enhances video and game playback and boosts Windows UI responsiveness. An improved Coherence mode lets users run Windows apps within the Mac environment, cutting down on distracting changes in appearance during Windows sign-in, shut down, and software updates.
Drag-and-drop operations are also improved, with support for text and graphics between Mac and Windows applications. This function works well with MAC OS Monterey's Quick Note feature, which can accept content from any Windows app.
USB support, disk management, copy and paste unformatted text, and automatic virtual machine optimization also receive upgrades. 
Each time when the company is breached data is stolen and that places the company in a bad light usually because its user database has been compromised and people are concerned about their data being misused. This is very rational fear and concern but this time things are a little bit different than usual, why is that, you might ask?
Well, as before mentioned GoDaddy is a hosting company and the vector of attack was aimed at the part where it is hosting WordPress. Attackers were able to get their hands on the sFTP credentials of customers on that server meaning that all of the websites are also been relieved of their user base as well.
This potentially means that there is a high chance that all of the hosted web site's content is also compromised, meaning that your data could also be compromised even if you were not a GoDaddy customer, all you needed to do is to be a member of any site hosted on their platform.
GoDaddy has reset WordPress passwords and private keys, so it’s already taken the steps required to stock the attacker from exploiting anything with the passwords obtained. The company is in the process of generating new SSL certificates for customers.
Bad thing is that the attack used a compromised password to get into systems all the way back around September 6th, 2021, the breach was discovered on November 17th, 2021, which is more than a 2-month active time where the attacker could harvest tons of data. The outcome of this attack will be seen in the upcoming time, until then be safe, and Just in case change your passwords. 
Run the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool
Builders with no depth knowledge and experience can sometimes choose improper CPU or GPU, picking one of them to be much more powerful than another thus not using it to its full potential because another component cannot handle stuff at the same speed. In order to not be trumped by this kind of stuff, there is a website that is completely free and you do not even need to be registered in order to use it.
