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  • Active
  • Severity: High
  • Stealing programs
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · May 2018

How to remove Search.searchfaa2.com

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

Gabriel E. Hall · Passionate web researcher

Search.searchfaa2.com – another useless search engine by Polarity Technologies

Search.searchfaa2.com screenshot

Search.searchfaa2.com is a search engine that might hijack your browser’s homepage after incorrect installation of freeware. Following the silent infiltration, this browser hijacker[1] can replace built-in search box, install Faster Account Access and other questionable extensions, display shady ads or redirect to potentially dangerous sites.

Summary
Name Search.searchfaa2.com
Developer Polarity Technologies
Type Browser hijacker
Danger level Medium. Alters browser's settings, controls user's activities and tracks information about users
Symptoms Changed startup page and default search engine, delivery of ads, redirects to third-party sites
Distribution methods Software bundling
To uninstall Search.searchfaa2.com, install FortectIntego and run a full system scan 

Search.searchfaa2.com virus is designed to generate advertising-based revenue from boosting traffic to websites, displaying ads, and promoting other questionable software or services. In order to achieve this goal, developers of the tool – Cyprus based company Polarity Technologies – created a program that is capable of:

  • modifying some system and browser settings;
  • alter browser shortcuts;
  • replace default homepage and search engine;
  • prevent from reverting these changes.

Simply speaking, Search.searchfaa2.com takes control over the targeted web browser, which might be Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, etc. Since then, the program might trick users into visiting websites that need traffic or click on various ads. In order to increase user’s activities, the hijacker might also collect various information about users.

According to the privacy policy, generally collects non-personally identifiable information about users, such as technical details about the computer and browser, search history, visited websites, location, etc. However, in some cases, personal information might be gathered too. So, if you are concerned about your privacy, you should not use Search.searchfaa2.com.

Collecting information about users allows delivering personalized and engaging content. However, there’s always a risk to encounter with unpleasant Search.searchfaa2.com redirect problems. Such potentially unwanted programs (PUP)[2] might be used by evil-minded people, such as scammers or malware developers.

Therefore, if you do not want to encounter a computer virus or deal with advanced scammers’ tricks, you have to remove Search.searchfaa2.com as soon as it hijacks your browser. We can ensure, it’s impossible to overlook its appearance.

We highly recommend cleaning this cyber threat using professional tools like FortectIntego. It’s easy and secure way to delete all potentially dangerous components from the computer. However, if you feel capable of manual Search.searchfaa2.com removal, you can find our prepared elimination instructions handy.

Search.searchfaa2.com virus image

Bundling explained: how free programs help to spread browser hijackers

Search.searchfaa2.com hijack is always unnoticed due to the bundling strategy. The hijacker can be attached to any free program that you can download from free download sites or torrents. Keep in mind that even legitimate programs can have additional components, so you need to be careful with the installation procedure.

First of all, stick to Advanced/Custom installation settings and monitor each of the steps. If you see pre-selected “optional downloads” or agreements to change default search engine, you have to remove these ticks.

Security specialists from semvirus.pt[3] remind that Recommended/Standard settings do not have this option, so if you use it, you allow to install everything that is attached to the primary program. It goes without saying that you should stop using this setup.

Uninstall Search.searchfaa2.com and its related components

Search.searchfaa2.com removal can be completed either manually or automatically. You can use our instructions given at the end of the article. However, you need to be careful. If you skip some of the steps or rush, all your work might be just a waste of time. The hijacker might be stubborn and try to remain as long as possible.

However, if you want to be certain that the hijacker is gone from the first time, you should opt for the automatic elimination option. In order to remove Search.searchfaa2.com automatically, you have to scan the system with updated security software.

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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