Go.bonefreeze.com – a browser hijacker that can leak Search Data continuously

Go.bonefreeze.com is a search provider developed and maintained by Bonefreeze company. Despite the legitimate look, this search engine belongs to the group of potentially unwanted programs (PUP)[1] and falls for the “Browser Hijacker” malware type. There are a couple of grounds that predetermined such references, i.e., stealthy distribution (known as “bundling”), unauthorized replacement of start page, search provider, and other customized web browser's settings, as well as aggravated go.bonefreeze.com removal process.
| Go.bonefreeze.com | |
|---|---|
| Classification | Browser hijacker |
| Also known as | Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP) |
| Spreads in a form of | Web browser's extension bundled with freeware |
| Main dangers | Can initiate redirects to suspicious third-party domains and display intrusive ads continuously |
| Symptoms | Replaces startup page with http://go.bonefreeze.com/, search engine with Bonefreeze, installs suspicious add-ons/toolbars, generates an excessive amount of ads among search results. |
| Get rid of Go.bonefreeze.com with the help of FortectIntego. | |
According to Bonefreeze, Go.bonefreeze.com search has been developed with an intention to provide netizens with an improved software installation process. Although quick software download process is an advantage, developers of this search are more selfish that people might think. They seek to make a profit from affiliate marketing[2] and advertising, which is why you should never fall for using the products powered by Bonefreeze.
Go.bonefreeze.com virus – that's the reference that people use to describe this search. The main reason for such a negative connotation is stealthy installation and unauthorized changes that it initiates over web browser's settings. Typically, it is distributed by bundling, i.e., attached to free software installers and promoted via installation setup.
If the user fails to unmark it, the search is installed by default. Subsequently, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, IE, Microsoft Edge or any other default web browser gets corrupted:
- Start page and search engine are replaced with http://go.bonefreeze.com/;
- Unknown web browser extensions can be installed;
- Third party cookies can be dropped;
- Data like search queries, websites visited, IP address, approximate geolocation, etc. can be leaked to third-party advertisers;
- Unwanted add-ons installed, which trigger an excessive amount of advertisements;
- Web browser generates altered search results filled with links to affiliate websites.
Go.bonefreeze.com virus can easily initiate all the changes listed above. Although they are more intrusive than malicious, there are several aspects that you should consider.
This dubious search engine is actively involved in affiliate marketing campaigns. In other words, its developers are monetized for displaying links and ads that redirect to affili8ate websites among its search results.

While such monetization practice is somewhat standard, there may be a catch. The developers of Go.bonefreeze.com redirect virus do not take any responsibility for the third-party content that they agree to publicize via their search site. Thus, each click on a link or pop-up is a potentially dangerous as you may be redirected to a phishing site or virus infected web domain. At best, you can be presented with deliberately expensive products all the time.
Anyway, our team together with German cybersecurity researchers team Dieviren.de[3] highly recommend people to remove Go.bonefreeze.com virus without delay. The easiest way to get rid of it is to run a full system scan with FortectIntego or SpyHunterCombo Cleaner.
PUPs rely on Bundling
The bulk of reputable web browser's extensions can be downloaded from official websites, Chrome web store or other legitimate download sources. Most of them have a security rating and multiple comments.
Unfortunately, less popular parties tend to distribute their software via software stacks. Legitimate apps are connected into a bundle and installed by running a single installation setup file. Despite the fact that bundling is legitimate, malware researchers keep warning people that it's misused by crooks to spread PUPs that hijack web browsers and generate suspicious or even dangerous advertisements while people browse the web.
Thus, to protect PCs from unwanted installers, double check what kind of software are you going to install. Reads its EULA and Privacy Policy before download, do research online about it, etc. Finally, opt for Advanced or Custom installation technique and unmark each additional component that you notice.
Eliminate Go.bonefreeze.com virus immediately
To evade redirects to suspicious websites and protect yourself from malicious downloads, initiate Go.bonefreeze.com removal as soon as you find it set as a default startup page. You can choose one of the two removal options – manual or automatic.
To remove Go.bonefreeze.com from the system manually, follow step-by-step instructions given at the end of this article. Nevertheless, automatic removal is not only much faster, but also more reliable. A reputable anti-malware will ensure the elimination of all suspicious components and other PUPs that might have been installed in a software package.
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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