How to remove Apollo Tab browser hijacker

Apollo Tab claims to be able to raise your productivity level by changing the homepage background

Apollo Tab is a browser hijacker that changes the main settings, like the homepage, new tab address, and search engine. It can also generate commercial content, like pop-ups, banners, and redirects. Such apps are created to monetize user activity and make a profit from clicks on ads, as well as data gathering.

Browser hijackers are developed quickly and easily, so crooks do not really care about user privacy or security. They may use rogue advertising networks that place ads leading to dangerous websites. For example, users may end up on scam pages that try to trick them into providing personal information, downloading PUPs (potentially unwanted programs),^[1] and malware.

Distribution methods

Apollo Tab is promoted as a useful browser tool that can increase your productivity level. However, there is some doubt that changing the homepage background picture to a sunny day at the beach can make a big difference. Usually, crooks create separate promotional websites for browser hijackers and try to market them as something users cannot live without.

It is important not to believe everything you see on the Internet. Even though it might look like a good deal, be wary of free software offers. It is best to download applications from official web stores and developer websites. It might get costly, but you can save in the long run by keeping your system running smoothly.

If you are not careful enough on freeware distribution platforms, you can install a lot of programs unintentionally. They often include additional programs in the installers^[2] without disclosing it clearly. That is why you should always choose the “Custom” or “Advanced” installation methods, and check the file list to untick the boxes next to any unrelated programs.

Removal process

The first thing you should do is go to your browser settings and check if you see any extensions with a similar name or suspicious-looking add-ons in general. You can follow our guide if you need help:

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:

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 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.

Protect your privacy

You should clear your browsers to get rid of all the data that might have been collected about you. Cookies^[3] are small data files that can contain information, like your IP address, geolocation, links you click on, and things you purchase online. This data can be sold to advertising networks or other third parties.

We suggest using a maintenance tool that can take care of this automatically.  FortectIntego is a multi-purpose repair software. It will fully clear your browsers from cookies and cache, which will result in better performance of your machine. Besides, it can fix various complicated system errors that are caused by corrupted files, and registry issues, which is especially helpful after a virus infection.

Get rid of potentially unwanted programs

The hijacking could have also been caused by a program. This most commonly happens when people do not pay attention during installation and browse through shady sites. If the previous removal method did not get rid of the intruder, you most likely have a potentially unwanted program performing tasks in the background.

Crooks often disguise PUPs as handy tools that you would not even suspect. It could look like an antivirus, system optimizer, media player, or else. If you are not sure what to do and you do not want to risk eliminating the wrong files, we suggest using professional security tools.

SpyHunterCombo Cleaner and MalwarebytesMalwarebytes can scan your machine, identify suspicious processes running in your machine, eliminate them, and prevent such infections in the future by giving you a warning before a malicious program can make any changes. If manual removal is what you still prefer, we have instructions for Windows and Mac machines:

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.