Secure Search virus (Free Guide) - Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge
Secure Search virus Removal Guide
What is Secure Search virus?
Using Secure Search isn't the right choice when trying to browse the Internet safely
Secure Search virus is a questionable Google Chrome extension[1] that initiates URL redirects whenever the user attempts to perform a web search.
No matter which search engine the victim uses, this browser hijacker will trigger redirects through several websites before landing the user on a website filled with corrupted PlusNetwork.com search results.
The hijacker firstly connects to search.hr, then to feed2.traffisco.com/redirect, then to search.quicknetsearch.com and only then reaches the PlusNetwork page that provides search results.
The extension tracks user’s searches and uses collected data for market analysis. Besides, it might also cause these URL redirections to collect related ads from ad networks. However, we do not think that it is safe to use this search engine, especially because it forces you to use a questionable search engine that mostly delivers sponsored results.
Remember that such suspicious search sites often seek to generate pay-per-click revenue and not to provide relevant search results. By clicking on these results, you risk being taken to dangerous websites that promote spyware or malware[2]. Besides, you might be lured into vague sites that require your email address or other personally identifiable information.
Never provide such information on questionable sites because it can be used in social engineering attacks to force you to open malicious files sent to you via email.
If you care about your privacy and you do not want this browser hijacker to slow down your computer or your browser, remove Secure Search. There is no reason to believe that this questionable program can be beneficial in any way because it simply causes annoyance and frustration. If you seek to complete Secure Search removal as soon as possible, employ software like FortectIntego.
New version of SecureSearch is spreading
Securesearch.site virus. Securesearch.site redirect virus is a highly untrustworthy program that replaces browser's homepage with a site that looks like a default Google Chrome default start page. It suggests visiting some of the most popular Internet sites such as Facebook or Wikipedia; however, it generates search results based on your browsing habits.
It is likely that you will find a lot of ads in the search results. Clicking on them might redirect you to highly dangerous sites, so it is better to stay away from SecureSearch Site search engine.
If you noticed this questionable domain emerging in your browser's URL bar daily, remove Securesearch.site virus right now. This will decrease the probability of visiting an untrustworthy web page unexpectedly.
Prevent installation of unwanted ad-supported programs
The described extension is mostly promoted via ads that suggest the victim to “Turn Off Search Tracking.” If such and similar ads appear on your screen, we highly recommend scanning the system with anti-malware software to find all ad-supported programs.
You can also run into a suggestion to install this suspicious Chrome add-on when installing a different computer program (a free one). Therefore, we highly recommend that you follow every statement provided in software installers and never choose Standard or Custom software installation settings.
These are usually suggested by default, but in most cases, they contain statements giving the installer a permission to install all bundled downloads. For this reason, we highly recommend choosing Custom/Advanced settings and deselecting suggested programs one by one. You can find more information about potentially unwanted programs and their distribution methods in NoVirus website[3].
Remove Secure Search from Chrome and other web browsers today
To remove Secure Search virus from Chrome and start using your preferable search engine again, you need to follow instructions we provided. You can find them right below this article.
You should find a particular extension in your Chrome browser. However, you need to navigate to Extensions panel first. Look at the pictures provided in the Secure Search removal tutorial below.
To completely clean your computer from spyware/malware, we recommend using software like FortectIntego. It can detect and eliminate components associated with critical computer programs.
You may remove virus damage with a help of FortectIntego. SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner and Malwarebytes are recommended to detect potentially unwanted programs and viruses with all their files and registry entries that are related to them.
Getting rid of Secure Search virus. Follow these steps
Uninstall from Windows
To delete the hijacker and stop browser redirects, you must uninstall all suspicious programs from Windows.
Instructions for Windows 10/8 machines:
- Enter Control Panel into Windows search box and hit Enter or click on the search result.
- Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.
- From the list, find the entry of the suspicious program.
- Right-click on the application and select Uninstall.
- If User Account Control shows up, click Yes.
- Wait till uninstallation process is complete and click OK.
If you are Windows 7/XP user, proceed with the following instructions:
- Click on Windows Start > Control Panel located on the right pane (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
- In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.
- Pick the unwanted application by clicking on it once.
- At the top, click Uninstall/Change.
- In the confirmation prompt, pick Yes.
- Click OK once the removal process is finished.
Delete from macOS
Remove items from Applications folder:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for all related entries.
- Click on the app and drag it to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash)
To fully remove an unwanted app, you need to access Application Support, LaunchAgents, and LaunchDaemons folders and delete relevant files:
- Select Go > Go to Folder.
- Enter /Library/Application Support and click Go or press Enter.
- In the Application Support folder, look for any dubious entries and then delete them.
- Now enter /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders the same way and terminate all the related .plist files.
Remove from Microsoft Edge
Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:
- Select Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and pick Extensions.
- From the list, pick the extension and click on the Gear icon.
- Click on Uninstall at the bottom.
Clear cookies and other browser data:
- Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Privacy & security.
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Select everything (apart from passwords, although you might want to include Media licenses as well, if applicable) and click on Clear.
Restore new tab and homepage settings:
- Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
- Then find On startup section.
- Click Disable if you found any suspicious domain.
Reset MS Edge if the above steps did not work:
- Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
- Select Details tab.
- Now scroll down and locate every entry with Microsoft Edge name in it. Right-click on each of them and select End Task to stop MS Edge from running.
If this solution failed to help you, you need to use an advanced Edge reset method. Note that you need to backup your data before proceeding.
- Find the following folder on your computer: C:\\Users\\%username%\\AppData\\Local\\Packages\\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe.
- Press Ctrl + A on your keyboard to select all folders.
- Right-click on them and pick Delete
- Now right-click on the Start button and pick Windows PowerShell (Admin).
- When the new window opens, copy and paste the following command, and then press Enter:
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\\AppXManifest.xml” -Verbose
Instructions for Chromium-based Edge
Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):
- Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
- Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.
Clear cache and site data:
- Click on Menu and go to Settings.
- Select Privacy, search and services.
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Under Time range, pick All time.
- Select Clear now.
Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- On the left side, pick Reset settings.
- Select Restore settings to their default values.
- Confirm with Reset.
Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
Remove any suspicious extensions you can find in Firefox. This will help to eliminate browser hijackers and adware-related programs.
Remove dangerous extensions:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click on the Menu (three horizontal lines at the top-right of the window).
- Select Add-ons.
- In here, select unwanted plugin and click Remove.
Reset the homepage:
- Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
- Choose Options.
- Under Home options, enter your preferred site that will open every time you newly open the Mozilla Firefox.
Clear cookies and site data:
- Click Menu and pick Settings.
- Go to Privacy & Security section.
- Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
- Click on Clear Data…
- Select Cookies and Site Data, as well as Cached Web Content and press Clear.
Reset Mozilla Firefox
If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
- Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.
- Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox…
- Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox.
Remove from Google Chrome
Find Secure Search extension in Chrome and remove it.
Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:
- Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
- In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all the suspicious plugins that might be related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove.
Clear cache and web data from Chrome:
- Click on Menu and pick Settings.
- Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
- Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
- Click Clear data.
Change your homepage:
- Click menu and choose Settings.
- Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
- Click on Open a specific or set of pages and click on three dots to find the Remove option.
Reset Google Chrome:
If the previous methods did not help you, reset Google Chrome to eliminate all the unwanted components:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
- Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
- Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
- Confirm with Reset settings.
Delete from Safari
Remove unwanted extensions from Safari:
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- In the new window, pick Extensions.
- Select the unwanted extension and select Uninstall.
Clear cookies and other website data from Safari:
- Click Safari > Clear History…
- From the drop-down menu under Clear, pick all history.
- Confirm with Clear History.
Reset Safari if the above-mentioned steps did not help you:
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- Go to Advanced tab.
- Tick the Show Develop menu in menu bar.
- From the menu bar, click Develop, and then select Empty Caches.
After uninstalling this potentially unwanted program (PUP) and fixing each of your web browsers, we recommend you to scan your PC system with a reputable anti-spyware. This will help you to get rid of Secure Search registry traces and will also identify related parasites or possible malware infections on your computer. For that you can use our top-rated malware remover: FortectIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes.
How to prevent from getting browser hijacker
Stream videos without limitations, no matter where you are
There are multiple parties that could find out almost anything about you by checking your online activity. While this is highly unlikely, advertisers and tech companies are constantly tracking you online. The first step to privacy should be a secure browser that focuses on tracker reduction to a minimum.
Even if you employ a secure browser, you will not be able to access websites that are restricted due to local government laws or other reasons. In other words, you may not be able to stream Disney+ or US-based Netflix in some countries. To bypass these restrictions, you can employ a powerful Private Internet Access VPN, which provides dedicated servers for torrenting and streaming, not slowing you down in the process.
Data backups are important – recover your lost files
Ransomware is one of the biggest threats to personal data. Once it is executed on a machine, it launches a sophisticated encryption algorithm that locks all your files, although it does not destroy them. The most common misconception is that anti-malware software can return files to their previous states. This is not true, however, and data remains locked after the malicious payload is deleted.
While regular data backups are the only secure method to recover your files after a ransomware attack, tools such as Data Recovery Pro can also be effective and restore at least some of your lost data.
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- ^ Stefan Heule. The Most Dangerous Code in the Web Browser. Stefan Heule blog. Blog Posts from a Computer Science PhD Student at Stanford.
- ^ Dann Albright. Which Websites Are Most Likely to Infect You with Malware?. MakeUseOf. Technology, Simplified.
- ^ NoVirus. NoVirus. Malware Removal Tutorials, Tech News.