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  • Active
  • Severity: Medium
  • Browser Hijackers
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Mar 2019

How to remove Searchsecurepro.co

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

Lucia Danes · Virus researcher

Searchsecurepro.co is the browser extension that claims to improve users' browsing online with the safety shield and similar features

Searchsecurepro.co virusSearchsecurepro.co is the browser hijacker that supposed to protect your browser, but the extension you are about to add can cause additional commercial content delivered to your screen. The Search Secure browser extension is promoted as a safety shield that protects users from online threats by providing reports about potential intruders. However, this app is the potentially unwanted program itself that can change your browser's appearance, major features and, this way, affect your time online. When your start page and a new tab become altered, the default search engine is set to Searchsecurepro.co. As a result, this browser hijacker starts showing sponsored content that is supposed to boost traffic to affiliated commercial sites to monetize from your views. As a result, you can be forced to deal with constant redirects and pop-up advertisements delivered to your screen against your will.

Name Searchsecurepro.co
Category Browser hijacker/Potentially unwanted program[1]
Symptoms Delivers modified search results, causes numerous advertisements, redirects
Promoted as The browser extension that offers safe time online
Affects Various browsers on MacOS and Windows OS
Distribution Software bundling, an official website, third party sites
Removal Remove Searchsecurepro.co with the below-given guide and clean the system afterward with FortectIntego

Searchsecurepro.co is a free & secure browser extension, according to developers. They also claim that this extension provides:

  • real-time alerts about threats;
  • safety shield;
  • analyzed threat reports;
  • requires no settings.

However, no safety shield could indicate real online threats and keep your browser safe. Searchsecurepro.co virus has been categorized as a potentially unwanted program which, in most cases, comes via software bundling. Additionally, after spending some time while collecting users' search habits and similar data, the virus redirects its victim to sponsored sites. 

Unfortunately, the features that were mentioned earlier can also trick users into getting the program from the Internet themselves. Although the main method used for these type of intruders like Searchsecurepro.co to hijack the system is software bundling and deceptive websites, you can also be tricked into installing the program yourself. Please, do NOT do that.

Instead, you should remove Searchsecurepro.co program from the machine as soon as possible because visiting questionable online freeware providers may expose you to malicious material. This way, various cyber threats can end up on your device without much effort.

Also, Searchsecurepro.co removal is crucial for keeping your privacy safe. The Privacy Policy section on the official website reveals the data tracking[2] feature of this program. The part about collected information reads the following:

We gather Personal Information and Non-Personal you provide to us directly or that is obtained from you use of our Services. “Personal Information” means information, such as your first and last name, email address, physical address, telephone number, billing information, or social security number, that is able to personally identify you. “Non-Personal Information” means information that is not capable of personally identifying you.

To get rid of Searchsecurepro.co and prevent its frustrating symptoms, make sure to uninstall all suspicious applications that could be related to this PUP (can also be found as Search Secure in Task Manager). You should also clean the system using automatic tools like FortectIntego to eliminate the potential damage.

If you have difficulty when trying to eliminate this extension, make sure you also disable Push Notifications on each of your browsers separately:

  • You need to locate Advanced options of the Browser settings;
  • Then in the section of Content settings, you should find Notifications options;
  • Find Searchsecurepro.co or another suspicious site and choose Block notifications or even Remove the website form that list.

Searchsecurepro.co

Questionable software with malicious purposes

Nowadays the internet is filled with promotional content, and every other pop-up advertisement suggests the installation of a program or tool that should improve the performance of your machine. However, getting programs from questionable websites, software providers or services like the p2p network can be dangerous.

Researchers[3] note that installations hide additional programs and choosing Default or Quick options affects the risk of getting unwanted programs automatically downloaded on your system. You need to opt for Advanced or Custom installations and this way you can de-select any bundled applications from the list. 

Leave Searchsecurepro.co virus and its commercial content in the past

For the proper Searchsecurepro.co removal, you should employ professional tools like antivirus or PC security program. When these PUPs get on the system, the elimination process is not the easiest one. In most cases, the intrusive content is delivered directly on the browser but the program hides on the system, and you need to delete the program itself to end frustrating behavior.

To remove Searchsecurepro.co from the device with all associated files or applications, you should use reliable programs and scan the system. This way your device gets cleaned fully, and you can forget about the intrusive browser hijacker's behavior.

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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