What is Hao.360.cn?
Hao.360.cn is very similar to Hao123. Both of them are categorized as browser hijackers and potentially unwanted programs (PUPs). We will not try to convince you that these websites are related to malware or that they are basically malicious. No. However, both of them may cause various inconveniences during your browsing and may continuously try to make you visit suspicious third party websites. In terms of Hao.360.cn, it seems that it's mainly targeted at Chinese-speaking users. It's filled with various links, advertisements, videos and really seems suspicious. Usually, it infiltrates computers without being noticed along with other freewares. Once installed, it may replace default start page, search provider, and a new tab. Besides, it may run several processes in you Task Manager, continuously connect to the Internet for suspicious purposes, download updates and implement other suspicious activities. This way, it may diminish your web browser's performance and increase security vulnerabilities. As we have already mentioned, Hao.360.cn redirect virus is not directly related to malware. However, it may return you altered search results, which may include links to suspicious or even malicious third-party websites and you may be tricked into installing another PUP or even malicious program. Even more, Hao.360.cn plug-in seems to be filled with cookies (tracking software) and may be used for collecting non-personally identifiable information, such as commonly visited websites, data entered in them, search terms, IP address, email address and so on. You should never trust programs that are related to third parties and infiltrate computers behind your back because they may initiate suspicious activities and cause you serious computer and privacy related issues. Therefore, we recommend you to remove Hao.360.cn virus with the help of FortectIntego and set a more reliable search provider instead of this.
How can Hao.360.cn hijack my computer?
Hao.360.cn may show up on your computer without downloading it there. However, it would not be correct to state that this browser plug-in has infiltrated your PC without permission asked. In fact, it asks for permission; however, it may be disclosed in a misleading manner. To be more precise, Hao.360.cn virus is typically distributed bundled with other freewares and sharewares, such as download managers, PDF creators, media players and so on. In most of the cases, people are offered to install such programs using Quick or Basic installation option. Of course, by selecting this option they will only be asked to click two or three 'Next' buttons. Unfortunately, they are not informed that by selecting it they automatically agree to install 'additional programs'. Therefore, we highly recommend you to rely on Advanced or Custom installation option because, despite it requires more time, it discloses all available check boxes and allows deselecting the ones that promote 'optional downloads'. Be aware that additional programs seldom appear useful; therefore, you should opt out of them all without any hesitation.
How to remove Hao.360.cn virus?
If you failed to opt out of Hao.360.cn virus during freewares installation, don't worry. The only thing that you have to do is to remove Hao.360.cn virus and restore previous settings of your web browser. For that, follow the guide that is given below:
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.
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.

Did this guide help?
Be the first to comment