Remove EasyGamesTab.com (Removal Guide)

EasyGamesTab.com is a browser hijacker that promises online games but delivers unwanted advertisements

EasyGamesTab.com

EasyGamesTab.com is a web address that users might notice on their Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, or another web browser as a default homepage and new tab URL. While this might come as a surprise, the browser hijack occurred due to the installation of Easy Games Tab extension – it delivers customized browser settings in order to provide users with links to sponsored sites. Allegedly, EasyGamesTab.com is there to provide you with simple online games, but the real purpose is to show you ads, monetizing in the process.

While EasyGamesTab.com can be installed on the official sources like Chrome Web Store, many might find the extension within software bundle packages downloaded from third-party websites. Besides that, the extension is known to capture browsing-related information to serve users with targeted ads and deliver EasyGamesTab notifications on the desktop if such were accepted.

Name	EasyGamesTab.com
Type	Browser hijacker
Associated extension	EasyGamesTab/Easy Games Tab
Developer	Innover Group
Infiltration	The application can be downloaded from the official website or other official sources, although can also be spread via software bundle packages downloaded from third party sites
Symptoms	EasyGamesTab extension installed on the web browser Homepage and new tab URL are set to easygamestab.com A customized search engine delivers results via Yahoo Search results are filled with ads and sponsored links In some cases, push notifications displayed directly on the desktop
Risks	Installation of other potentially unwanted programs, information disclosure to unknown parties, etc.
Elimination	You can eliminate the unwanted extension manually via the browser. To get rid of push notifications, check out the instructions provided below. Just to be sure, you can also scan your device with anti-malware software as well
Optimization	If you found malicious programs on your computer, they could have affected its normal functions. To restore them, employ repair software Fortect Intego

EasyGamesTab is a typical browser hijacking application that incorporates links to the most popular sites, as well as a themed search bar. In includes links to Facebook, Gmail, Tax Forms, news, and other websites. As a main functionality of the app, it also provides links to simply online games like Sudoku or Solitaire. EasyGamesTab.com is just one of many hijackers that provide such functionality – some other examples include:

The customized search engine redirects all search results to Yahoo, although they are far from organic, as multiple sponsored links and ads are present within searches. This is because EasyGamesTab.com developers are participating in Yahoo's affiliate program, and, while there is nothing wrong with it, from the user point of view, there is no point in using a search engine the appends ads at the top – rather use the Yahoo search engine directly instead.

Besides providing links to sponsored sites and other types of advertisements, the official web site of EasyGamesTab is also using the push notification feature. While the function is entirely legitimate and provides messages to users who are genuinely interested in the content of a particular website, EasyGamesTab.com notifications will display ads and sponsored content that users can click on. We cannot confirm that these links are trustworthy, so rather refrain from clicking on them.

Note that not everybody understands straight away how to remove EasyGamesTab.com pop-ups that are displayed directly on their desktops (even when the web browser is off). This is because the push notification feature is relatively new, and users do not know that they need to access browser settings in order to disable Easy Games Tab notifications. If you are one of those people and need help with EasyGamesTab.com removal – we explain everything in detail below.

EasyGamesTab

Generally, browser hijackers are not that dangerous (they are considered a minor computer threat), so the term “EasyGamesTab.com virus” would be too far fetched. Nonetheless, due to suspicious distribution techniques, users might still refer to the hijacker in such a way.

It is also important to note that EasyGamesTab.com gathers some information about users. The Privacy Policy explains the following:

Apart from the types of information listed above, we automatically collect information from you in order to optimize the Extension. This includes your IP address and certain information we extrapolate therefrom (e.g., your city and the name of your ISP), your user agent and certain information we extrapolate therefrom (e.g., your browser language, type and version and your OS type and version), your device type, your screen size, the date/time for relevant events and metrics, and certain install flow events.

Note that, in some US states as well as countries, the IP address is considered to be personal information.^[1] Additionally, search terms might also sometimes include personal details, so please be careful when dealing with EasyGamesTab.com hijack.

All in all, EasyGamesTab is not malware for sure, but we do not recommend keeping it. If you enabled notifications, you could get rid of them by following the instructions provided below. You should also perform a full system scan to ensure no malicious software is present. You can also employ repair tools like Fortect Intego to help you fix system damage done by the virus.

Software bundling – an old marketing technique that is still prevalent today

While many users, more or less, know that downloading pirated software and visiting high-risk websites can lead to malware infections, they are still less aware of software bundling. This technique has been used for many years by freeware developers and its distributors – it remains incredibly successful This is because people are usually rushing the installation process of new programs and do not check the instructions properly, unintentionally letting potentially unwanted programs into their computers.

While in most cases, such unwanted apps can be eliminated relatively easily, some bundled software might be straight out malicious, even from sources you would not expect it from. For example, in 2015, a uTorrent client was found to be bundling cryptocurrency miner that would abuse computer resources to do benefit malware's authors.^[2] As a result victims' machines were running on 90% CPU usage and were barely usable. Besides, some Djvu ransomware variants were also found to be inserted within adware bundles.^[3]

Thus, be careful when dealing with third-party installers – never rush, opt for Advanced/Custom mode instead of Recommended/Quick one, watch out for pre-ticked boxes, and deceptive offers. Also, employing anti-malware that can recognize PUPs can also help you determine which apps are less than desirable.

Get rid of EasyGamesTab.com hijacker

EasyGamesTab.com removal should not be difficult – simply right-click on the extension and select “Remove extension.” Nevertheless, there might be much more to it – some settings might remain on the web browser, resulting in unexpected advertisements and other unwanted behavior. If you experience that, you should also reset your browsers, as explained below. In case you found EasyGamesTab seemingly out of nowhere, you should also scan your machine with anti-malware to make sure no malicious apps are present.

To remove EasyGamesTab.com notifications from the web browsers, you can either reset them or eliminate the hijacker's entry via the settings menu. Here's how to do it:

Google Chrome

Go to Menu > Settings
Select Advanced
Under Privacy and security, go to Site Settings > Notifications
Under Allow section, locate easygamestab.com
Click More Actions and then select Block

Mozilla Firefox:

Go to Menu > Options
Select Privacy & Security > Notifications
Click on Settings – you should see easygamestab.com
Click on the the drop-down menu and select Block
Save Changes

Safari:

Go to Safari > Preferences…
Under Websites tab, pick Notifications
Select easygamestab.com and then click Deny

MS Edge:

Go to More > Settings
Select View advanced settings > Advanced
Click on Manage permissions
Find easygamestab.com entry and turn notifications off

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.

How to remove EasyGamesTab.com

EasyGamesTab.com is a browser hijacker that promises online games but delivers unwanted advertisements

Software bundling – an old marketing technique that is still prevalent today