How to remove Multy App (BG: Winter House) browser hijacker

Multy App (BG: Winter House) extension changes your browser settings

The Multy App (BG: Winter House) is a browser extension or potentially unwanted program^[1] that you installed by accident. When added to the browser it performs annoying tasks that changes the browsing experience. The extension can affect Google Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Edge, and other browsers that provide the ability to use add-ons.

The about section states that the add-on saves users the trouble of typing the same search queries on multiple search engines. When added, it changes the homepage to searchmulty.com which has shortcuts to many search engines, social media, and shopping sites.

Despite that, you should not want to keep it as it collects various browsing data that is later used for advertising purposes. The information is sold to advertising networks^[2] so that is how the creators make money from this app. It does not have any additional benefits besides redirecting users to other sites so read our guide to learn how you can remove it.

It is rare for people to add extensions like this themselves. Usually, people want applications that will actually improve their user experience significantly. This could be the ability to hide your real location from the websites you visit, block ads or suspicious websites, instantly receive the coupons with the biggest possible discounts for online shopping, and much more. 

User privacy risks associated with Multy App (BG: Winter House)

Like many other hijackers, this one collects various data about you while you are using it. It can see what you search for, the websites you visit, what you click on, the purchases you make, and more. This is a fragment from their privacy policy:

We may collect information from you that may identify you, such as your name, address, email address, and telephone number and anonymous Information, such as the number of your page views, link clicks, and login times. Your information may be kept in an identifiable format, or in an aggregate format which means that you cannot reasonably be identified from it.

Because of this, it is important to read the Privacy Policies of the products and services you use. It is the only way to make sure you are not giving away more than you prefer. What is more, the developers can provide this information to third parties and not be held accountable for what they do with it.

Remove the extension

Removing add-ons is possible only the manual way, so you will have to go to your browser settings for that. We have provided instructions for the most frequently used browsers. Keep in mind that this removal method might not work because it might be a potentially unwanted program. Try going to your settings first, and if it does not work, proceed further:

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 the suspicious plugins that might be related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove.

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 on Uninstall at the bottom.

MS Edge (Chromium)

• Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
• Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.

Mozilla Firefox

• 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 unwanted plugin and click Remove.

Safari

• Click Safari > Preferences…
• In the new window, pick Extensions.
• Select the unwanted extension and select Uninstall.

Internet Explorer:

• 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.

Bundled software dangers

One way you could have gotten in this trouble is by downloading a potentially unwanted program. Most of the time users do this unintentionally by not paying attention during the installation process. These programs come bundled together with software from unofficial sources.

Users do not notice them because they rush and get too excited to try the new program. You should always be attentive during this process and choose a “Custom” or “Advanced” installation method. Do not skip through the steps; read the Terms of Use, the Privacy Policy, and uncheck the boxes next to the files that are not needed.

Identifying which program is responsible for hijacking your browser might be hard if you have never done this before. The program could be disguised as anything – an antivirus, video, or image editing software. If you are not sure, we recommend using SpyHunterCombo Cleaner or MalwarebytesMalwarebytes anti-malware tools that will scan your machine, eliminate it, and prevent such infections in the future. If you still want to do this yourself, here are the steps for Windows and macOS users:

Windows 10/8:

1. Enter Control Panel into Windows search box and hit Enter or click on the search result.
2. Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.
3. From the list, find the entry of the suspicious program.
4. Right-click on the application and select Uninstall.
5. If User Account Control shows up, click Yes.
6. Wait till uninstallation process is complete and click OK.

Windows 7/XP:

1. Click on Windows Start > Control Panel located on the right pane (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
2. In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.
3. Pick the unwanted application by clicking on it once.
4. At the top, click Uninstall/Change.
5. In the confirmation prompt, pick Yes.
6. Click OK once the removal process is finished.

Mac:

1. From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
2. In the Applications folder, look for all related entries.
3. Click on the app and drag it to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash)

To fully remove an unwanted app, you need to access Application Support, LaunchAgents, and LaunchDaemons folders and delete relevant files:

1. Select Go > Go to Folder.
2. Enter /Library/Application Support and click Go or press Enter.
3. In the Application Support folder, look for any dubious entries and then delete them.
4. Now enter /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders the same way and terminate all the related .plist files.

Clear your browsers

After using an app like Multy App (BG: Winter House) you should take care of your browsers. The websites you visited through it might still be collecting data about you with the help of cookies.^[3] It is good to know that cookies are stored on your device, so you can delete them at any time. 

You can choose to use a maintenance tool FortectIntego that can perform a scan automatically for you. Besides cleaning all the junk and improving the performance of your device it can fix various system errors. Of course, you can do this manually too, although it might take some time if you use more than one browser. We added the step-by-step instructions for clearing cookies and cache just in case below this post.