Remove Search.yourspeedtester.com virus

Search.yourspeedtester.com – a fake search engine that might interfere with your browsing

If you haven't heard about Polarity Technologies, Ltd., it is a software developer that specializes in producing low-quality applications and browser extensions – Search.yourspeedtester.com is one of them. These can typically be found on Chrome Web Store, third-party websites, or installed along with freeware applications.^[1]

This particular hijack is related to the Your Speed Tester extension that gets attached to Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, or another web browser. It replaces the current homepage and new tab address without asking for permission and redirects all searches to Yahoo. These results are also often littered with sponsored links and ads, which can result in a rather frustrating browsing experience.

Name	Search.yourspeedtester.com
Type	Browser hijacker
Developer	Polarity Technologies
Operation	Changes web browser settings and appends a customized search engine;
Elimination	You can uninstall unwanted apps manually as per instructions below or by employing anti-malware software
System fix	If security software found malware on your system, you should also take care of its health by employing a repair tool Fortect Intego

Due to dubious distribution techniques (users might sometimes install the app inadvertently), some might believe that it's a virus that infiltrated their devices. In fact, this is not true, as Search.yourspeedtester.com and the extension that sets it is considered to be a potentially unwanted program and a browser hijacker^[2]

The hijacker promotes a site that suggests testing “your Internet speed from your new tab.” Although such a feature sounds promising, we assure you that it is not worth swapping your current homepage, new tab, and search engine address with a suspicious URL.

The search engine available on the Your Speed Tester website functions like a typical ad-supported tool that aims to generate pay-per-click revenue for its developers. As a consequence, users receive modified search results instead of organic ones, and of course, lots of these are sponsored by various third parties.

Clicking these search results could be dangerous because the developer of the search tool hardly endorses content shared on advertised websites. It simply aims to generate revenue but not to provide quality service for the users.

Search.yourspeedtester.com redirect virus might unexpectedly take you to untrustworthy websites that suggest free programs, software updates, rogue system optimizers, free browser add-ons, and similar software. Please, stay away from them. If you decide to install one of them on your PC, you may unwillingly add a spyware or malware type application to your system.

VirusActivity^[3] experts say that malware program distribution is on the rise nowadays, so it is necessary to keep up with the latest news about their distribution methods and functionalities.

Search engines that deliver more ads than organic search results should not be trusted. For this reason, we suggest you remove potentially unwanted programs from your system. You can easily change your browser’s settings afterward – set a new tab page, homepage, and default search provider according to your needs.

To eliminate the browser hijacker, you may want to use our removal instructions provided below. It is also advisable to run a full system scan with SpyHunter Combo Cleaner security software afterward and, if malware is found and deleted, Fortect Intego repair is recommended to fix virus damage automatically.

Dissemination of browser-hijacking computer programs

Programs that hijack web browsers are known as browser hijackers, and they fall into the PUP category. Almost all programs of this kind reach victims’ computers in a very simple way – users install them without realizing it.

It usually happens when the victim doesn’t pay enough attention to statements provided in the software setup. Therefore, if you tend to install programs by clicking the “Next” button several times and then “Install” and “Finish,” – you need to use the tips we provide below.

Never install free programs from unknown web sources. Even if they seem to be useful, they may contain some dangerous components that can severely damage your computer system. Be careful when installing new programs. Developers of potentially unwanted programs know that people tend to rush when adding new software to their PCs; it allows them to take advantage of it and force unsuspecting victims to install spyware-type apps.

In general, you should always read the Privacy Policy document and also check what settings are chosen for the installation process. You must opt for Custom/Advanced mode because it is the only way to decompose the software pack. After choosing the right installation option, deselect programs that you do not need and continue.

Remove Search.yourspeedtester.com virus from your computer

You can remove the hijacker using the instructions provided below in the article. However, you will notice that it is quite easy to remove it – it is yet another reason why this potentially unwanted program falls to the spyware and not malware category. Therefore, technically it cannot be called a virus. However, it causes numerous problems, and so it shouldn’t be kept on the computer system.

To complete the removal, you should perform a full system scan using a spyware/malware removal tool, as there might be other suspicious or even malicious apps running in the background. If you already have one, update it and run a system check. If you do not own such a program, consider using one of the ones we recommend.

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.

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.

How to remove Search.yourspeedtester.com virus

Search.yourspeedtester.com – a fake search engine that might interfere with your browsing

Dissemination of browser-hijacking computer programs