Baseball Start browser extension (Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge) - Free Instructions

Baseball Start browser extension Removal Guide

What is Baseball Start browser extension?

Baseball Start is a browser hijacker pretending to be all-things-sports

Baseball StartBaseball Start is a browser-hijacking browser extension

Baseball Start is a browser extension that has plenty of characteristics common to browser-hijacking programs. It is known to be mostly designed for Google Chrome, but other browsers compatible with Chrome extensions can also be affected, including the Chromium-based MS Edge.

The app usually shows up on users' computers without their knowledge – they do not install the hijacker intentionally since its main distribution method is software bundling, where several optional components might be injected into a freeware[1] installer downloaded from third-party sources.

Once established, Baseball Start would change the browser's homepage and new tab address to nstart.online, which takes over the browsing sessions immediately. The provided search box would redirect through several other addresses, only to land on an alternative search provider, such as Bing or nearbyme.io. These results would also be accompanied by sponsored links ads, inserted at the very top, which makes users more likely to click them.

Name Baseball Start
Type Browser hijacker, potentially unwanted browser extension
Distribution Bundled software, third-party websites, fake ads
Symptoms New extension installed on the browser; homepage and new tab set to nstart.online; redirects searches to another provider and inserts ads
Risks Due to information tracking, users might be subjected to privacy risks. Also, since PUPs are distributed via software bundles, there is a chance of other infections
Removal You can remove any unnecessary programs by following the instructions below or by running a scan with reliable anti-malware software
Other tips After removing all potentially unwanted applications, we recommend you employ the FortectIntego utility to clean your web browsers and repair any damaged system files

Baseball Start: why not trust it

Browser hijackers are not inherently malicious – they would hardly redirect you to websites filled with malware or filled with exploit kits.[2] However, there's typically quite a lot of deception when it comes to their distribution and operation, as the main motive of the developers is not to satisfy users but to monetize advertisements that are shoved in everywhere where the opportunity is there.

One of the main traits of a browser hijacker is an alteration of the browser settings without permission (although, if you are using a modern web browser such as Chrome, you are likely to be warned about these changes). By doing this, the app can redirect users to alternative providers they are affiliated with and insert ads, presenting them as legitimate search results, which is not true. These promo links can show inaccurate or misleading information and may even lead to the installation of additional potentially unwanted programs.[3]

Browser hijackers also often pretend to be extremely useful and often pick a theme to attract a particular audience. For example, Baseball Start uses plenty of links to various baseball-related sites on its homepage. However, this is just a facade in order to make people install and keep it, as the main goal is to promote various ads during searches.

We have previously talked about nStart Football – another browser extension by the same developer, although it is focusing on various sports this time. Keep in mind that you can make up your own links on the front page of any browser, hence there is no need to resort to browser hijackers doing it for you.

Baseball Start hijackUpon installation Baseball Start changes homepage and redirects through numerous URLs before landing on the page of an alternative provider

The top results of the browser hijacker are always altered and are actually advertisements. This guarantees the flow of cash to its creators. Meanwhile, users need to deal with inaccurate results and potentially dangerous links.

To top it all off, Baseball Start would track user data whenever they are using the browser with the extension installed. This means that websites they visit, links they click, or their technical information, such as IP address, would also be collected automatically.

How to effectively remove Baseball Start hijack

If you frequently install programs without paying attention or visit unsafe websites, Baseball Start removal might be the least of your worries. This is especially true if there is no security software installed on your computer. In this case, you should immediately install SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes anti-malware and scan your entire system.

If you suspect that other malicious programs have breached your computer without your consent, you may use the procedures outlined below to search for them manually. PUPs, on the other hand, are generally detectable and removed by the most sophisticated security solutions.

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.Remove extensions from Chrome

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.Remove extensions from Firefox

MS Edge

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

MS Edge (legacy)

  • 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.Remove extensions from Edge

Safari

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

As previously mentioned, browser hijackers are known for their data-gathering practices, which is done in order to share it with other parties for more profits. In order to succeed in this task, the app authors place various trackers on users' machines, which continue operating even if the extension is removed. Therefore, you should make sure that cookies and other web data are eliminated from your system – you can do that automatically with FortectIntego or follow the instructions for a manual approach below:

Google 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.Clear cache and web data from Chrome

Mozilla Firefox

  • Click Menu and pick Options.
  • Go to Privacy & Security section.
  • Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
  • Click on Clear Data…
  • Select Cookies and Site Data, as well as Cached Web Content, and press Clear.Clear cookies and site data from Firefox

MS Edge (Chromium)

  • Click on Menu and go to Settings.
  • Select Privacy and services.
  • Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  • Under Time range, pick All time.
  • Select Clear now.Clear browser data from Chroum Edge

MS Edge (legacy)

  • Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Privacy & security.
  • Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  • Select everything (apart from passwords, although you might want to include Media licenses as well, if applicable) and click on Clear.Clear Edge browsing data

Safari

  • Click Safari > Clear History…
  • From the drop-down menu under Clear, pick all history.
  • Confirm with Clear History.Clear cookies and website data from Safari
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What to do if failed?
If you failed to fix virus damage using Fortect Intego, submit a question to our support team and provide as much details as possible.
Fortect Intego has a free limited scanner. Fortect Intego offers more through scan when you purchase its full version. When free scanner detects issues, you can fix them using free manual repairs or you can decide to purchase the full version in order to fix them automatically.
Alternative Software
Different software has a different purpose. If you didn’t succeed in fixing corrupted files with Fortect, try running SpyHunter 5.
Alternative Software
Different software has a different purpose. If you didn’t succeed in fixing corrupted files with Intego, try running Combo Cleaner.

How to prevent from getting browser hijacker

Access your website securely from any location

When you work on the domain, site, blog, or different project that requires constant management, content creation, or coding, you may need to connect to the server and content management service more often. The best solution for creating a tighter network could be a dedicated/fixed IP address.

If you make your IP address static and set to your device, you can connect to the CMS from any location and do not create any additional issues for the server or network manager that needs to monitor connections and activities. VPN software providers like Private Internet Access can help you with such settings and offer the option to control the online reputation and manage projects easily from any part of the world.

 

Recover files after data-affecting malware attacks

While much of the data can be accidentally deleted due to various reasons, malware is one of the main culprits that can cause loss of pictures, documents, videos, and other important files. More serious malware infections lead to significant data loss when your documents, system files, and images get encrypted. In particular, ransomware is is a type of malware that focuses on such functions, so your files become useless without an ability to access them.

Even though there is little to no possibility to recover after file-locking threats, some applications have features for data recovery in the system. In some cases, Data Recovery Pro can also help to recover at least some portion of your data after data-locking virus infection or general cyber infection. 

 

About the author
Lucia Danes
Lucia Danes - Virus researcher

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References