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  • Active
  • Severity: High
  • Stealing programs
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Jun 2016

How to remove Search.funtabsocial.com virus

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

Reasons to remove Search.funtabsocial.com virus from your computer:

“Virus” might be a too harsh term to describe Search.funtabsocial.com, however, we have discovered that computer users who install this program tend to call it like that. We have decided to analyze this program and understand how it works, and our research has revealed that this program is a browser hijacker, which is just one of many potentially unwanted programs (PUPs), produced by Imali Media.

The aforementioned website becomes home & new tab page, and also a default search engine in case the user installs this browser hijacker. This hijacker adds FunSocialTab extension to every browser (Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari), and alters these settings. In most cases, user’s claim that they cannot remember installing such program on their computers, but that is because they do not know how PUPs spread. You can get an offer to install this program when installing another free program. People often tend to install programs in a hurry and rely on Default/Standard installation settings, but as a result, they lose the chance to notice additional components added to their download; therefore, we would like to explain how you can avoid installing optional components. All you have to do is to choose Advanced/Custom settings during installation, and then opt out any suspicious suggestions to alter your browser’s home page, add vague toolbars or apps.

Search.funtabsocial.com hijacker changes browser settings and replaces home page address

Now we would like to talk about dangers related to Search.funtabsocial.com browser hijacker’s existence on your computer. Although this page might seem safe at the first sight, it isn’t as trustworthy as it looks like. It was noticed that it delivers many sponsored search results, and you might find them annoying, especially if you are a computer user who likes to find relevant information quickly. What is more, some of the results that this search delivers can link you to questionable Internet sites, so if you care about your computer’s security, you should not try to explore such websites. You can accidentally come across an offer to update your Java or Flash Player, or install some questionable programs. Be careful! Untrustworthy websites often suggest installing infectious or merely annoying ad-supported programs. If you do not want to contaminate your computer with unreliable programs, better initiate Search.funtabsocial.com removal. For that, use FortectIntego (to delete it automatically) or instructions given below this post (to delete it manually).

What type of information does this program gather about you?

We must inform you that Search.funtabsocial.com redirect virus is capable of collecting and storing certain data about you and your browsing habits. First of all, it collects all information that you willingly provide, for instance, your name, email address, nickname, phone number, website, company, and so on. This app also collects certain data automatically, including user’s search queries, browsing history, clicks, and similar information. According to its developers, it collects such information in order to respond to user’s requests, improve their services, deliver targeted advertisements and so on. If you do not want to reveal such information to Imali Media, you should uninstall this PUP from your computer.

How can you remove Search.funtabsocial.com?

You can use Search.funtabsocial.com removal instructions that our team has prepared and delete this questionable computer application manually. Make sure you complete tasks in the correct order and, most importantly, do not skip any of them, and you will eliminate Search.funtabsocial.com virus. However, there is another way to get rid of this program. You can just command an anti-spyware program to delete it for you automatically. In case you do not know which anti-spyware program to use, you can use one of the following programs:

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.

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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