Hao1258.com – a deceptive search engine that you should not use

Hao1258 is a dubious search engine which can appear on your computer without downloading it. Visually, it looks similarly to Hao123 as it also displays various links to the most popular websites (like Youtube, Facebook, Amazon, etc.). However, the title of this site says “Google,” so some of the PC users might think that it is legitimate. Unfortunately, it is a browser hijacker that seeks to trick its victims into visiting questionable websites.
After hijacking the system, Hao1258.com sets itself as a homepage and a default search engine. Additionally, it starts displaying customized search results from third-party websites which are presented with the only intention – redirect users to sponsored sites.
However, the main issue related to Hao1258 is that it can also record information that is related to your browsing habits[1]. While we haven’t heard that this data was sold to third parties (potentially, cybercriminals), there is no guarantee that its developers won’t start doing so. According to our experts, there is no need for you to keep hao1258.com virus on your computer. Make sure you uninstall it if it shows up in your system out of nowhere.
Supposedly, the primary goal of Hao1258 is enchanting users’ experience while browsing the internet. However, there is no doubt that another aim of this questionable search engine is to earn money for its owners. It does that by showing sponsored links, banner ads, and similar notifications.
There is no guarantee that developers of Hao1258 virus double check all third parties that they promote. After hijacking PC system, this PUP[2] can fill your search results with display results to questionable websites, meaning that links leading to them might be potentially dangerous.

To protect yourself, you should waste no time and remove Hao1258 from each of your web browsers. Then, make sure you select another search provider wisely. If you are not comfortable with using additional software, you can get rid of this PUP by reading following the guide which is written by our experts. It is provided at the end of this post.
Other reasons why you should take care if Hao1258 removal are given below. You can do that with FortectIntego. Keep in mind that dealing with such search engines is dangerous because they might:
- set your default homepage to www.hao1258.com;
- modify the “New tab” functionality;
- infect shortcuts on your desktop;
- alter your browser settings;
- generate various intrusive ads and redirects;
- download and execute scripts that download and install PUPs and malware;
- record URLs visited, IP addresses.
Browser hijackers are mostly spread with the help of bundling
Typically, users fail to blame themselves after finding unwanted changes on their system. According to them, that could have happened because of their anti-virus failure to do its job and other reasons. Unfortunately, if you found this hijacker on your web browsers, you are the one to blame.
You should beware of bundling which is considered to be the most common way used by potentially unwanted programs to get into users’ machines. This deceptive marketing practice often targets unsuspecting users who are in a rush to install the needed application and jump thru all installation steps without reading instructions properly.
If you are installing the free software from the internet, it is highly advisable to use Advanced/Custom installation settings instead of Recommended ones. Then, you should opt-out of any unwanted software that might be included in the installation pack.
PUPs might infiltrate your machine if you click on an ad or pop-up as well, so make sure you stay away from offers that are too good to be true. Keep in mind that the key to computer ’s safety is being extra cautious.
Remove hao1258.com virus from your system with only one click
Fortunately, there are two easy ways to remove Hao1258 from your machine: manual and automatic. If you choose automatic removal, you will have to install one of the programs that are given below to get rid of Hao1258 virus completely.
Please, carefully follow the installation wizard to get the best results. Virusi.hr[3] experts highly recommend using automatic removal if you are an inexperienced user.
If you want to eliminate this PUP manually, you should follow our Hao1258 removal guide below. This guide was prepared by our experts, so you should find detailed steps required for a full elimination of this redirect virus.
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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