What is 123.sogou.com?
123.sogou.com (a.k.a. Sogou) is a Chinese search site that has officially been listed as a browser hijacker and a potentially unwanted program. Although it is primarily targeting Chinese computer users, security experts have noticed that it becomes more and more aggressive because people from Europe and JAV have also started reporting about 123.sogou.com hijack. As soon as this hijacker drops a plug-in on all web browsers that the user has installed (Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, Opera, etc.), you may find 123.sogou.com virus set as your default start page, search provider, and a new tab window. Such unauthorized browser’s modifications, first of all, are a clear sign that your PC’s system is vulnerable and can easily be affected by various cyber threats. Second of all, such modifications should not be tolerated. By settings this search by default, its developers seek to provide users with altered search results and, therefore, make them visit affiliate websites. That’s how affiliate marketing works. However, the biggest problem is related to the reliability of websites that 123.sogou.com redirects can expose you to. Since they are managed by third parties and filled with the content that is not checked, there is always a risk that after clicking on the links that this search provider presents you with you will be rerouted to suspicious or even malicious websites. Therefore, you are strongly recommended to remove 123.sogou.com hijacker by running a full system scan with FortectIntego or another reputable anti-spyware. Otherwise, it may start tracking your browsing activities, transmitting gathered information to its affiliates, slowing down the system and similar issues.

How can 123.sogou.com infect my web browser?
123.sogou.com is a misleading search site that is spread by ‘bundling’. It doesn’t have the official website, so even if it would look reliable and convenient search provider, you will not be able to install it by yourself. It always settles down on web browsers without an appropriate permission asked. That’s because it is spread bundled with legitimate applications and introduced as an ‘additional component’. Unfortunately, 123.sogou.com redirect virus is not presented such an explicit manner as we would like it to be. It may be hidden under Advanced/Custom settings, so if you usually do not check those settings, 123.sogou.com search may be set without your knowledge. In order to prevent this from happening, always select aforementioned settings and reject installation of additional components.
123.sogou.com FAQ:
Question: My web browser has already been infected with 123.sogou.com virus which is now bombarding me with suspicious ads and commonly making me visit unreliable websites. Is this search malicious and how should I get rid of it?
Answer: 123.sogou.com is not dangerous. However, as you have indicated, it may display doubtful search results, generate advertisements and cause a whole range of inconveniences. Speaking about 123.sogou.com removal, it’s important to mention that it is usually spread bundled with other computer threats. Therefore, it might be that you computer is filled more than one potentially unwanted program right now. Therefore, we do not recommend initiating its removal manually. Our recommendation is to use a reliable anti-spyware that will automatically find and remove all potential and serious computer threats.
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.

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