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  • Active
  • Severity: Medium
  • Browser Hijackers
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Jul 2021

How to remove Search.hontheradio.co

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

Olivia Morelli · Ransomware analyst

Search.hontheradio.co – a browser hijacker that injects misleading ads into your search results

Search.hontheradio.co search engine

Search.hontheradio.co is a potentially unwanted program (PUP)[1] that may look like a suitable portal to listen to online radio and execute search inquiries. However, this browser hijacker has a negative side. It adjusts browsers’ web page settings, sets an unknown home page, and these changes cannot be reverted back to normal state.

As well as many other potentially unwanted programs, the article's culprit also collects non-personal data and information related to user’s browsing activities. The data that developers of this browser hijacker[2] collect vary from IP addresses to viewed pages.

Also, Search.hontheradio.co virus might share the information they get with third parties who get much more value from that than the user itself. For instance, they might create and display personalized ads based on aggregated data. There are several browser hijackers (The Book Hub, Watch All Sports, etc.) with the same behavior that is very similar to this one and was created by this virus developer – Polarity Technologies.

Summary
Name Search.hontheradio.co
Developers Polarity Technologies
Type Browser hijacker
Danger level Medium. Might hijack web browsers and expose to potentially dangerous content
Symptoms Changed homepage, default search engine, and new tab URL address; browser redirects to suspicious websites, display ads
Distribution Software bundling, fake Flash Player updates
Removal To eliminate such a threat from your infected device, use a reliable anti-malware tool
System fix Repair altered registry and other core system settings by performing system diagnostics with the FortectIntego software

 

You may question yourself, what is the real purpose of On The Radio extension on your computer, but it's not hard to guess. Developers want to show how useful and handy potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) are by suggesting “useful features” and excellent browsing experience, while the real reasons might be:

  • Redirect users to third-party websites once they click on a link on the results page or open a new browser’s tab out of nowhere;
  • Promote suspicious toolbars, programs, or browser extensions;
  • Generate advertising-based revenue from user’s clicks on ads;
  • Collect information about users and sell these details to third parties.

Again, the browser hijacker is made to create value for the developers, not the users even though it looks genuine. All the above-mentioned activities might diminish the browsing experience and make the browser freeze or crash very often. To stop unwanted activities on Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, or other web browsers, you have to uninstall suspicious extensions and reset the browser.

However, the PUP may have arrived on the system together with other unwanted apps. So, in order to remove Search.hontheradio.co entirely, you might need to get rid of all questionable entries existing on your PC. To protect your system you should use anti-malware antivirus software such as MalwarebytesMalwarebytes or SpyHunterCombo Cleaner.

It will help to clean your computer and remove all unwelcomed guests. However, if you do not want to use additional tools for the removal, you can take advantage of our prepared guides. The instructions presented at the end of the article will guide you through this procedure.

Whichever removal method you choose, please be advised that your system files and settings might have been heavily altered. That might result in various abnormal system behavior. Therefore we recommend performing system diagnostics with the FortectIntego repair tool to fix all system-related issues.

Search.hontheradio.co browser hijacker

How PUPs are spread?

The problem is that many potentially unwanted programs have an official website that gives you a feeling of legitimacy and you think that you can download it from its official page. Besides that, this browser hijacker gets into the system of a device without the user’s permission, because it is being transferred by using a “bundling” method.

Developers of these kinds of browser hijackers usually do not show them and hide them in freeware or shareware packages. The majority of users rely on Quick/Recommended installation settings that do not openly disclose third-party apps that are spreading together with the primary program.

However, it is possible to avoid Search.hontheradio.co hijack and infiltration of other undesired apps. All it takes is to use Custom/Advanced settings for the freeware installation and monitor this procedure. If you see some “offered downloads,” you should remove the ticks and only then click the “Next” button to finish the installation.

Accordingly, careless program’s using and downloading, most of the time doing it in a rush, are the main things, why potentially unwanted programs get installed into our browsers. Security experts from bedynet.ru[3] remind that paying attention to software downloads takes less time than dealing with PUP-related problems.

Simple instructions to remove Search.hontheradio.co virus 

To remove search.hontheradio.co you need to follow the steps listed below. Your main task is to find and uninstall programs, browser extensions, and other associated files with the browser hijacker. Additionally, you should reset affected web browsers to delete tracking cookies.

However, if the hijacker re-installs itself after the system reboot, it means that you left some of the components related to the PUP. In this case, you should opt for the automatic removal option and delete these entries with anti-malware program.

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.

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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