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

How to remove Secure-finder.com virus

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

Olivia Morelli · Ransomware analyst

Everything you need to know about Secure-finder.com virus

Secure-finder.com virus is presented as reliable browser extension and search engine that respects users’ privacy and allows browsing the Internet anonymously. However, its description and good intentions have not convinced security specialists, and they categorized it as a browser hijacker. Users can install this extension from the official website; however, many people complain that Secure-finder.com appeared as their homepage and default search engine out of nowhere. Indeed, this PUP travels bundled with freeware. The hijacker takes full control over all web browsers that are installed on the affected computer. Then, it delivers ads, promotional links, and other commercial content. The program is free, but you should remember that free stuff is not always good, reliable and safe to use. This browser hijacker is not dangerous itself; however, Secure-finder.com redirect issues may lead to serious problems. For example, you may encounter unexpected redirects, click on misleading ad or sponsored search result that leads to a malicious website.

Developers try to convince users that using this search engine, their searches are redirected to the safe Secure Finder’s search page. However, this page is not secure or reliable at all. When you type search query to the search bar, you are redirected to Plusnetwork.com. We have already talked about this browser hijacker that you should avoid. The relationship between these two search engines is questionable and suspicious, so we recommend Secure-finder.com removal as soon as this domain appears on your browser. You should never keep the program that managed to get inside the computer without your consent. According to the Privacy Policy, this search engine and browser extension do not collect or share personally identifiable information about users. Well, they reveal that in some cases they can obtain this information unintentionally if users search for their names, surnames or similar information. Maybe data monitoring is not an issue; however, you can never be sure if this browser hijacker did not allow installing other PUPs, malware or third-party tracking cookies without your knowledge. Even though it’s a minor computer infection, it still is annoying, bothering and has some potentially dangerous features. It’s better to scan the computer with FortectIntego or other reputable malware removal utility and remove Secure-finder.com immediately.

Secure-finder.com virus is a browser hijacker

How does it spread?

Previously we have mentioned that Secure-finder.com virus has an official website that offers to install this browser extension. Therefore, you may have made a mistake and installed this toolbar yourself. However, if you are looking for alternative search engine and read other users’ reviews, you will avoid this suspicious application. However, most of the time Secure-finder.com hijack occurs unexpectedly when users install software using quick or recommended settings. Browser hijacker spreads bundled with freeware and shareware, so it’s important to select Advanced/Custom installation setup every time you install new programs. These settings allow seeing the list of optional programs and reject their installation. Keep in mind that quick or recommended installation hides additional apps and installs them by default.

How to remove Secure-finder.com?

Probably, you have tried to restore your browser’s settings, change your default homepage and search engine. Nothing has worked, right? This bogus website was still here and didn’t want to get away. Indeed, browser hijacker is designed to prevent users from resetting changes. However, this problem can be easily solved by initiating Secure-finder.com removal. Keep in mind that you have to remove browser hijacker, the program that let it inside and other suspicious applications that may have been installed without your consent. It may be a tricky task, but our team has prepared a step-by-step guide below. However, if this job still seems complicated, opt for automatic removal and let anti-malware program remove Secure-finder.com for you.

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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