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  • Active
  • Severity: Medium
  • Adware
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Jul 2018

How to remove Browsing Secure adware

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

Gabriel E. Hall · Passionate web researcher

Browsing Secure – a potentially unwanted program that disrupts web browsing activities

Browsing Secure adware

Browsing Secure is an adware[1] application that stealthily gets into users' computers and performs various system changes in order to carry out its suspicious activities. Developers of the program claim that it is capable of enhancing browser performance, making the web browsing more secure, as well as protecting against phishing attacks. However, security experts claim that this potentially unwanted program delivers the intrusive advertisement based on users' browsing habits, collects various data and promotes other PUPs as legitimate software. Browsing Secure adware is simply not what it claims to be.

SUMMARY
Name Browsing Secure
Type Adware
Affected OS Windows
Distribution Software bundling
Symptoms Intrusive ads, redirects to dubious sites, installation of additional components without permission, etc.
Elimination Use FortectIntego foe quick solution

Upon infiltration, Browsing Secure adware creates a scheduled task which is launched each time computer starts and reoccurs every 10 minutes. It then initiates a JavaScript[2] that launches a secureup.exe executable that runs in the Task Manager. This allows Browsing Secure virus to perform its dubious tasks, like display pop-ups, banners, coupons, discounts, in-text links, video and another type of advertisements.

The virtual layer of ads may conceal the background of legitimate websites and disrupt web browsing sessions. Additionally, users may notice the following labels on pop-ups:

  • Ads by Browsing Secure
  • Browsing Secure Ads
  • Powered by Browsing Secure
  • Brought to you by Browsing Secure, etc.

Some of the advertisements generated by Browsing Secure adware might lead to legitimate websites (for example, promote reputable security software), but oftentimes it will show dubious pop-ups that can lead to unsafe sites. This way, installing malware could be just a step away. Do not let that happen and remove Browsing Secure virus from your computer right now.

Just like any other advertising company, Browsing Secure adware gathers a significant amount of non-personally identifiable information, which includes, but is not limited to IP address, web search history, links clicked, bookmarks added, technical data of the device and similar.

This helps Browsing Secure adware authors to create a virtual profile (an ID) of every person that has the application installed. What happens is, each time the person visits any websites, he or she will be introduced to ads that are close to his or her interests. For example, if you were interested in car parts, Browsing Secure adware will display those products that sponsors are selling.

Unfortunately, some of the gathered data may even include personal information, like email address, name, address or even credit card details. Security researchers[3] warn that users should never enter any credentials into dubious sites, as it can lead to identity fraud or money theft.

To make matters even worse, Browsing Secure adware can inject the computer with additional dubious software, such as browser extensions, toolbars, system optimizers and similar useless programs. The bloatware will clutter the machine and make it work slower. Therefore, do not delay Browsing Secure adware removal, as it is crucial for virtual safety and computer security. To make sure that all potentially unwanted apps are eliminated, use FortectIntego.

Browsing Secure virus

Software bundling – the most prominent distribution technique used by PUP authors

Potentially unwanted programs may settle down on your PC's system without even being noticed, as they spread with the help of freeware and shareware. An inattentive installation may cause infiltration of a whole pack of PUPs. If you want to prevent this from happening, you should always check Advanced/Custom settings because it's the only way to see what optional components your selected freeware carries and the only possibility to opt out of them.

You should also make sure you download software from secure sources. For example, dubious file sharing websites often contain malware that can be disguised as a legitimate application. Therefore, refrain yourself from visiting such domains. Additionally, do not get tricked by various ads to install scareware or other similar programs on your machines – always question things and do some research.

The way to remove Browsing Secure for good

Users are quite unhappy with Browsing Secure adware removal results, as the suspicious app seems to be coming back. This usually happens if you pick a manual elimination method. Nevertheless, some users succeeded and had no problems with it whatsoever. Therefore, if you decide to get rid of Browsing Secure virus by yourself, make sure you follow our guide below.

However, we highly recommend you scan your machine with reputable security software. As we already mentioned, the dubious app may have installed additional components onto your system which you might not be aware of. Thus, to remove Browsing Secure adware safely, use one of the below-mentioned programs – you won't have to worry about anything.

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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