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Spyware News
  • Active
  • Severity: Medium
  • Browser Hijackers
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Dec 2019

How to remove Bit Search redirect

A step-by-step removal guide for affected devices. Follow the verified procedure below — most readers complete it in under 10 minutes.

Lucia Danes · Virus researcher

Bit Search – a browser hijacker that can set the web browser's search engine to only-search.com

Bit Search browser hijacker

Bit Search is a search engine that has been getting increasingly popular on the Internet, but, unfortunately, not in a positive way. Security experts started noticing that it is acting in a misleading manner and seeks to infiltrate random computers without being noticed. Later on, they have found out that this suspicious search engine is employed by suspicious third parties in order to take over users' search sessions and make them visit predetermined websites. That is why various reputable security vendors have labeled Bit Search as a browser hijacker[1] and a potentially unwanted program.

If you are reading this article due to the fact that you have found Bit-Search.com as your homepage, new tab URL bar, and search engine, then you should take needed actions to restore DNS settings of your web browsers. Besides, this browser hijacker is capable of setting the search engine to another unreliable one named only-search.com.

Name Bit Search
Type Browser hijacker/potentially unwanted program
Danger level Low. It does not destroy the computer or lock files. However, redirects can take you to potentially malicious locations
Search engine This browser-hijacking app can set the default search engine to Bit-Search.com or to only-search.com
Activities Besides modifying major browser settings, the PUP can load the user's browser sessions with unwanted advertisements, redirects, and collect information related to the user's browsing history
Removal You can use automatical or manual removal guidelines to get rid of this potentially unwanted program. Employ reliable software or go to the end of this article and check the step-by-step instructions there
Fixing If you have discovered some system compromisation after the browser hijacker attack, you can try recovering the machine with the help of software such as FortectIntego

You should never rely on search engines that you are not familiar with, especially the ones that have infiltrated your computer without being noticed and Bit Search is definitely one of them. As we have already mentioned, this rogue app has been created in order to serve third-parties and increase their page rank or sales.

That is why you can expect to receive altered search results from this plug-in. It may deliver you sponsored links in the priority and you may not even suspect that you are visiting suspicious websites. Bit Search can get you easily involved in redirecting sessions some of which might accidentally force you to land on a malware-laden location.

Bit Search

By the way, when people use this search provider willingly, it becomes an easy task for its developers to investigate users' search queries, websites that they visit and other personally non-identifiable information without asking the user's permission. Be aware that Bit Search might be capable of collecting the following information:

  1. Commonly visited websites;
  2. Hyperlinks and ads accessed;
  3. Bookmarks[2] saved;
  4. Offers and deals searched;
  5. Your IP address;
  6. Geolocation.

In some cases, Bit Search might get the hold of your email address and you might start receiving dozens of spam messages in your email's Spam section. The main goal of collecting information that we mentioned before is to get users involved in targeted advertising where the developers can benefit from each click.

Bit Search can provide you with various bogus offers and deals that force you to believe in needing a particular product or service when you truly do not need them. You might also be provided with offers to purchase rogue security products which you have to deny, otherwise, you will end up spending money for a completely useless app.

Regarding the frequency of the activities that are promoted by Bit Search, your web browsers might start struggling to perform search queries and experience constant freezes. The same might happen to your computer if the browser hijacker starts overusing your system's resources such as the CPU's[3] energy.

Bit Search virus

Bit Search removal is a way to prevent these things from happening. The potentially unwanted program should be eliminated not only from the computer system but also from web browser apps such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, and Safari that might be filled with PUP-related objects.

When you remove Bit Search completely, you can start looking for system compromisation signs. Due to the fact that PUPs can bring other PUPs or even malware to the computer, some system objects of yours might have gotten affected by this factor. If there is some damage to fix, try repairing it with software such as FortectIntego.

The appearance of browser hijackers

If you are one of those users who do not pay enough attention to the installation process of free programs, it is very likely that one day you will find your default search engine and homepage modified too questionable new ones. Browser-hijacking products are inseparable from various freeware and shareware installations.

The PUP comes as an optional download to various download managers, video and audio players, PDF converters, and other similar programs that are promoted on various download websites for free, for example, cnet.com, download.com, softonic.com, soft32.com. This so-called “bundling” distribution method is misleading and very frequently tricks people into accepting various PUPs without even noticing them.

If you want to avoid this, always select the Advanced or Custom installation and follow the process with extreme carefulness. Deselect all unfamiliar programs that may be suggested to you and under any circumstance do not accept to install any unrecognizable plug-ins and modify your web browser's DNS settings. 

Continuously, browser hijackers might appear on third-party websites injected into specific advertisements, hyperlinks, or fake software updates. According to cybersecurity specialists from LesVirus.fr,[4] you should prevent yourself from visiting unsecured pages and always have reliable antimalware protection running that will inform you if some type of threat is trying to invade your computer system.

Removing Bit Search virus

It is always recommended to get rid of Bit Search virus and similar hijackers, adware and other PUPs automatically because they may have inserted various registries into your computer system. These components might be difficult to detect sometimes by the human eye as they can be deeply hidden. However, if you are not fond of using additional software, you can follow the guidelines that are below and remove Bit Search by using your own effort.

Keep in mind that manual Bit Search removal requires a big variety of activities that includes not only deleting the program from your Windows or Mac computer. The browser hijacker probably filled your browser apps with unwanted content such as extensions, plug-ins, and add-ons. If you want to get rid of the cyber threat properly, you will have to clean browsers such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Microsoft Edge, and Internet Explorer.

Uninstall from Windows

Uninstall from Windows 10/8:

  1. Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
  2. Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.Uninstall from Windows 10/8

Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:

  1. Click on Windows Start > Control Panel (Windows XP users should click on Add/Remove Programs).
  2. In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.Uninstall from Windows 7/XP

Remove the unwanted program:

  1. In the Programs and Features window, look for any recently installed suspicious entries, select them, and click Uninstall.
  2. If User Account Control appears, click Yes to confirm, then complete the removal.Uninstall the unwanted program from Windows

Delete from macOS

Remove the unwanted application:

  1. From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
  2. In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).Uninstall from Mac

Delete leftover files and folders:

  1. Select Go > Go to Folder.
  2. Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
  3. Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.Delete leftover files from Mac
  4. Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.

Reset Internet Explorer

Remove dangerous add-ons:

  1. Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
  2. Pick Manage Add-ons.
  3. You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.Remove add-ons from Internet Explorer

Change your homepage if it was altered:

  1. Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
  2. Select Internet Options.
  3. In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
  4. Click Apply and then select OK.Reset IE homepage

Delete temporary files:

  1. Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
  2. Under Browsing history, click Delete...
  3. Select relevant fields and press Delete.Clear temporary files from Internet Explorer

Reset Internet Explorer:

  1. Click on Gear icon > Internet options and select Advanced tab.
  2. Select Reset.
  3. In the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset.Reset Internet Explorer

Remove from Microsoft Edge

Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:

  1. Select Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and pick Extensions.
  2. From the list, pick the extension and click on the Gear icon.
  3. Click Remove.Remove extensions from Edge

Clear cookies and other browser data:

  1. Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
  2. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  3. Select Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files. (apart from passwords, although you might want to include Media licenses as well, if applicable) and click on Clear.Clear Edge browsing data

Restore new tab and homepage settings:

  1. Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
  2. Then find On startup section.
  3. Click Remove next to any suspicious startup page.

Reset MS Edge if the above steps did not work:

  1. Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
  2. Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
  3. Select Details tab.
  4. 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.Reset MS Edge

Instructions for Chromium-based Edge

Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):

  1. Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
  2. Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.Remove extensions from Chromium Edge

Clear cache and site data:

  1. Click on Menu and go to Settings.
  2. Select Privacy, search and services.
  3. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  4. Under Time range, pick All time.
  5. Select Clear now.Clear browser data from Chroum Edge

Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:

  1. Click on Menu and select Settings.
  2. On the left side, pick Reset settings.
  3. Select Restore settings to their default values.
  4. Confirm with Reset.
  5. This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.Reset Chromium Edge

Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)

Remove dangerous extensions:

  1. Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click on the Menu (three horizontal lines at the top-right of the window).
  2. Select Add-ons.
  3. In here, select the unwanted extension and click Remove.Remove extensions from Firefox

Reset the homepage:

  1. Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
  2. Choose Settings.
  3. Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.

Clear cookies and site data:

  1. Click Menu and pick Settings.
  2. Go to Privacy & Security section.
  3. Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
  4. Click on Clear Data...
  5. Select Cookies and Site Data and Temporary cached files and pages, then click Clear.Clear cookies and site data from Firefox

Reset Mozilla Firefox

If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:

  1. Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
  2. Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.Reset Firefox 1
  3. Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox...
  4. Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox.Reset Firefox 2

Remove from Google Chrome

Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

  1. Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
  2. In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all suspicious extensions related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove.Remove extensions from Chrome

Clear cache and web data from Chrome:

  1. Click on Menu and pick Settings.
  2. Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
  3. Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
  4. Click Clear data.Clear cache and web data from Chrome

Change your homepage:

  1. Click menu and choose Settings.
  2. Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
  3. 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:

  1. Click on Menu and select Settings.
  2. In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
  3. Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
  4. Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
  5. Confirm with Reset settings.Reset Chrome 2

Delete from Safari

Remove dangerous extensions:

  1. Open Safari, click Safari in the menu at the top-left of the screen, and select Preferences.
  2. Go to the Extensions tab, look for any suspicious entries, and click Uninstall to remove them.Remove extensions from Safari

Clear history and website data:

  1. Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
  2. Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.Clear history from Safari

Reset Safari:

  1. Click Safari in the menu and select Preferences > Advanced.
  2. Enable Show Develop menu in menu bar.
  3. From the menu bar, click Develop and select Empty Caches.Reset Safari

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