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Toolbars&Hijackers

Articles about removing unwanted and malicious toolbar and hijackers and resetting your browser settings. Instructions for Chrome, Firefox, IE, Safari, Opera.

How to remove Ursearch.net

Ursearch.net is a fake search engine address, which can be displayed in browsers due to a hijacker infection. Browser hijackers are a type of unwanted software designed to replace default browser settings with fake search engines and suspicious advertising algorithms. Such changes are thereby used to cause unauthorized redirects and generate illegal traffic on entered queries. The main reason why Ursearch.net is considered fake and therefore unable to bring any unique value to users comes from its reliance on legitimate search engines like Google or Yahoo to generate results. Browser hijackers and other similar software like adware may also be able to keep track of sensitive information entered in browsers (e.g. passwords, IP-addresses, geolocations, history, cookies, etc.) and use it for future monetization abuse. It is also worth mentioning that domains like Ursearch.net do not work without support - this is why they are usually backed by extensions or small desktop applications running as a background process in Task Manager. If you are also one of the Ursearch.net victims, follow the guidelines below to remove it and restore your safety.

How to remove InfoMajorSearch (Mac)

InfoMajorSearch is an unwanted adware application designed to inject potentially dangerous advertising content into browsers working on macOS. Cyber experts suppose it is part of the AdLoad malware family which has developed a number of similar infections. Ads and banners promoted by InfoMajorSearch can use virtual layers to appear on any website a user is going to visit. Clicking on them may lead to unwanted or even compromised resources - fake download pages, phishing and scam websites, social engineering techniques, and other potentially infectious channels. Users infected with adware may also become victims of slower browser and computer performance. This is because such software is likely to work in the background consuming extra system resources to maintain its features. Moreover, unwanted software may be able to track information used in a browser. Entered passwords, IP-addresses, geolocations, and other sensitive information may be gathered and used for financial abuse. If you are struggling to delete InfoMajorSearch from Mac on your own, this guide will be the right place to visit. Below, you will find all removal instructions as well as how InfoMajorSearch could end up on your system.

How to remove Properties extension (Mac)

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A questionable Google Chrome extension called Properties has been reported by victims to generate intrusive pop-up ads and redirect queries through search engines different from default settings. The unwanted add-on is compatible with Mac and was spotted infecting this system specifically. It redirects queries entered into the search line by users to Bing.com. Although it is a legitimate search engine developed by Microsoft, cybercriminals behind the Properties extension supposedly use it to generate illegal traffic and earn money on it. Properties has traits of both adware and browser hijackers - this is indicated by the abilities to display additional ads and search manipulations we discussed above. Users infected with it usually do not remember installing it themselves meaning it was likely carried by some other infection or misclicks on dubious websites. To make sure it is no longer active and does not present any potential threats like data collection, we recommend you remove it using our instructions below.

How to remove Star-search.xyz

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If you see that Star-search.xyz has replaced your homepage and become your default search engine, then you are likely to be infected with unwanted software categorized as a browser hijacker. Star-search.xyz is fake and it will be displayed each time you log into your browser as long as there is an unwanted program running within the system. It, therefore, redirects queries of users through another dubious domain to legitimate engines like bing.com, ask.com, or search.yahoo.com. This is done to generate illegal traffic and earn money on it. In addition, browser hijackers may also be able to show supplementary ads while viewing different pages as well as gather information on them. Data like passwords, IP-addresses, browser history, or geolocations may be collected and misused for further financial purposes. Also worth noting that browser hijackers may spread to both Windows and Mac operating systems to cover more victims in total. Read our guide below to get rid of such threats on both operating systems and restore your safety eventually.

How to remove Searchinet.net

Searchinet.net is an unwanted search bar address. The reason why you may see your search queries redirected through this domain is for one main reason - due to a browser hijacker installed on your system. This is likely to be a small application or browser extension modifying search settings. Searchinet.net is not a real, but fake search engine redirecting users through legitimate engines (Bing, Google, Yahoo, etc.). Such a scheme is used by cybercriminals to generate fake traffic by showing advertisements and opening suspicious pages. Browser hijackers may also collect sensitive browsing-related data like IP-addresses, geolocations, passwords, and history. In addition, users infected with unwanted software like browser hijackers tend to experience downgraded system performance due to higher consumption of resources. The presence of all these effects indicates that Searchinet.net should be removed from your system. You can do this in our guide below.

How to remove AdBlock 360

AdBlock 360 is the name of a browser extension categorized as adware. This is due to its fake ad-blocking capabilities. Developers claim this browser extension will help you establish a better surfing experience by removing unwanted ads, banners, pop-ups, and other types of intrusive content. Unfortunately, AdBlock 360 does completely the opposite. It takes over browser settings to promote its own advertisements, surveys, coupons, pop-ups, and banners leading to suspicious pages. Adware uses this scheme to generate profits on collected visits. It is also possible that AdBlock 360 is able to track and therefore gather browsing data for future abuse. Data like IP-addresses, passwords and geolocation may leak to fraudulent servers and become useful for third-party figures. Thus, we highly advise you to not trust AdBlock 360's activity and remove it as soon as possible. Follow our guide below to do it correctly and without traces.

How to remove Key Tag

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Also known as Tag Search, Key Tag is a browser hijacker designed to change your default search provider. Put differently, instead of having search queries redirected through regular engines like Google or Yahoo.com, users are forced to face other dubious domains. Key Tag was spotted to navigate users' queries through two suspicious domains - keysearchs.com and search-land.com. Such modifications assigned by hijackers are most likely used to generate illegal traffic and earn money from it. Also, Key Tag may use its capabilities to forward users to many potentially unwanted or dangerous pages. Resources of such may be designed to promote fake push notifications, dubious ads, or malicious software. Although Key Tag is not a virus itself, its capabilities are more than enough to make your PC face serious risks. Thus, we strongly advise you to immediately wipe its operation and restore a safe browsing experience. Do it using our full-fledged guide below.

How to remove ComputingInteractive (Mac)

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Being part of the AdLoad malware family, ComputingInteractive is an adware application developed for Mac. This kind of software is designed to display various ads and redirect users to sponsored pages. This is done by analyzing users' location and browsing habits based on previous sessions. As a rule, ads promoted by ComputingInteractive diminish browser experience significantly - it is common to see them push redirects to unwanted, scam, or malicious websites that expose your system to various threats. Their generation may also require extra system resources causing a computer to lag and work slower. It is also possible that adware like ComputingInteractive has some traits of browser hijackers that substitute default search engines and browser homepages. Furthermore, since adware has access to browser settings, it may be able to track various kinds of intel. In other words, it can surveil and gather sensitive data entered while surfing the web. Information like passwords, IP-addresses, and geolocations may be collected and abused for monetary purposes as a result. In sum, ComputingInteractive is not a virus itself, however, its capabilities may be enough to promote malware and create massive privacy threats. Thus, we strongly encourage you to remove it and restore safe browsing experience with our guidelines below.