Mystarting123.com virus manipulates search results to redirect you to shady websites

Mystarting123.com is a page that can replace your previous homepage without asking for your permission[1]. The program that changes these browser settings is called a browser hijacker and belongs to potentially unwanted programs‘ (PUP) category.
Besides, cyber security experts believe that this domain is closely associated with Fireball malware, and that definitely does not create an image of a trustworthy search tool.
This suspicious and annoying program starts redirecting to hxxp:// Mystarting123.com/ every time the user attempts to use web search via browser‘s URL bar, opens a new tab, or new browser window. The website that the identified PUP promotes offers web search service that delivers modified search results.
These are usually filled with ads that look like regular search results, however, clicking them typically forces the victim to visit all kinds of third-party websites, and some of them can be really suspicious.
The variety of websites advertised via that search engine can provide all kinds of suspicious content that is not endorsed by developers of the search engine.
It seems that creators of the hijacker (which is believed to be related to MyLuckySite123.com, InitialSite123.com, or Mybeginning123.com) couldn‘t care less about users‘ security and privacy because they‘re focused on making money via pay-per-click scheme.
Therefore, if the user decides to use the described search engine, he risks facing repetitious and highly bothersome Mystarting123 redirects to external websites that might be potentially dangerous. Such activity shortly gets annoying; however, it soon becomes clear that it is not that easy to find and remove Mystarting123.
Because of that, we usually recommend users to run a system scan with a decent security software as it takes less time and saves some nerves in comparison to trying to remove this browser hijacker manually. Our suggested product is FortectIntego or MalwarebytesMalwarebytes software.
Update June 2017: Recently, security researchers from CheckPoint revealed a high volume Chinese company operation that infected over 250 million devices on a global scale[2]. The suspected company, Rafotech, was using a malicious program called Fireball to infect the devices.
According to reports, the malware is capable of opening a backdoor on the target system and can allow the attacker to control the infected computer remotely. Although the malware is currently used only to drive web traffic to specific websites by changing victim's homepage and default search engine preferences, the malware could do much more.
The fake search engines tied to this malware are youndoo.com[3], startpageing123.com, luckysearch123.com and presumably MyStarting123.com. So if this suspicious hijacker emerged in your browser, you must check your system for Fireball and, if found, delete it ASAP. For this task, we suggest using anti-malware programs.
Mystarting123 might be spying on your activity online
Although it seems that the described hijacker mainly targets Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome users, others can be affected as well. Another problem of keeping this browser hijacker in the system is associated with your privacy, and you should carefully read legal documents provided by that shady search engine.
We were shocked to find out that this browser extension/software collects „personal information from online users in a variety of ways,“ for instance, when you enter such pieces of data through online forms.
The software also uses cookies[4], which keep track of your search queries, browsing history, and other little but important details about your preferences.
Collected data is usually used to pick targeted ads for you. After installing this potentially unwanted program, you might not only get ads within search results but also in pop-ups and banners placed on websites you visit. To avoid such annoyances, you have to start thinking about Mystarting123.com removal.

Infiltration strategy
Most of the PUPs travel in a bundle with other free programs and this way they can enter target systems with user‘s permission, although without one‘s knowledge (in most cases). The user falls in a trap if one tends to overlook statements provided in software installation settings.
Usually, below Default and Standard option there are a few statements saying that the user agrees to install „recommended“ programs along with the main piece of software.
To refuse to do this, one has to pick Custom or Advanced option and only then deselect the check mark next to these suggestions. It is also advisable not to download suspicious applications from third-party websites, no matter if it is a standalone program, browser‘s new tab, or browser extension.
Annoying ad-supported programs can be installed very easily, however, trying to remove them can become a really tiresome task. If you accidentally installed the described hijacker already, follow our instructions to get rid of it.
Remove Mystarting123 for good
Now that you already know what Mystarting123.com virus is, it is time to discuss its removal options. Mystarting123 can be deleted using anti-spyware software, but if you do not have it and do not plan to obtain one, you can test your computing skills and uninstall it manually.
To ease this task for you, we prepared a full tutorial on how to remove Mystarting123.com. The instructions are provided below.
Uninstall from Windows
Uninstall from Windows 10/8:
- Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
- Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.

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

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

Delete from macOS
Remove the unwanted application:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).

Delete leftover files and folders:
- Select Go > Go to Folder.
- Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
- Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.

- Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.
Reset Internet Explorer
Remove dangerous add-ons:
- Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
- Pick Manage Add-ons.
- You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.

Change your homepage if it was altered:
- Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
- Select Internet Options.
- In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
- Click Apply and then select OK.

Delete temporary files:
- Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
- Under Browsing history, click Delete...
- Select relevant fields and press Delete.

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

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 Remove.

Clear cookies and other browser data:
- Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- 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.

Restore new tab and homepage settings:
- Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
- Then find On startup section.
- Click Remove next to any suspicious startup page.
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.

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.
- This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.

Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
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 the unwanted extension and click Remove.

Reset the homepage:
- Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
- Choose Settings.
- Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.
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 and Temporary cached files and pages, then click 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
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 suspicious extensions 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 dangerous extensions:
- Open Safari, click Safari in the menu at the top-left of the screen, and select Preferences.
- Go to the Extensions tab, look for any suspicious entries, and click Uninstall to remove them.

Clear history and website data:
- Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
- Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.

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

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