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BrowserSafeguard virus (Removal Guide) - Nov 2017 update

by Alice Woods - - | Type: Adware

BrowserSafeguard virus Removal Guide

What is BrowserSafeguard virus?

BrowserSafeguard operates as an ad-supported application

The example of BrowserSafeguard virus

BrowserSafeguard is a potentially unwanted program (PUP)[1] that has features of the adware. However, developers advertise it as an anti-spyware program that protects computers from unwanted intruders, malware infections, illegal and dangerous websites while people are browsing the web.

However, our security experts have noticed that this doubtful program may act like a typical ad-supported application (adware)[2] as well: it may display various advertisements, cause redirects to affiliate websites and collect information about people's browsing habits.

As far as we know, BrowserSafeguard may be closely related to another adware, which is called Rocket Tab. If you discovered it on your computer out of nowhere, you should waste no time and check it with reliable anti-spyware. In this case, we recommend using FortectIntego.

The research has shown that BrowserSafeguard virus might also appear on the computers out of nowhere. Actually, it might be promoted in software packages. Thus, if you install freeware or shareware under Quick/Recommended setup, this PUP may have sneaked inside the device as well.

BrowserSafeguard adware might be capable of:

  • displaying security-related pop-ups and promote suspicious computer scanners or security software;
  • delivering shopping offers or discount coupons;
  • providing ads that lead to phishing, scam or other suspicious websites;
  • trigger redirects to promotional sites;
  • collect browsing-related information about the users;
  • prevent users from BrowserSafeguard removal.

The official website of the BrowserSafeguard reveals that this program is ad-supported. Thus, if you consider downloading it, you agree that your browser might crash or freeze due to an excessive amount of ads. However, security experts believe that it’s better to choose reliable anti-spyware instead of this one.

However, if you already installed this shady security software on the system, you should get rid of it immediately. The quickest way to remove BrowserSafeguard is to scan the system with professional malware removal program that quickly identifies it as an adware. However, if you prefer manual elimination method, you can find the instructions below.

The image of BrowserSafeguard adwareBrowserSafeguard is presented as anti-spyware; however, after the installation it works as an adware.

Questionable anti-spyware might be installed without asking direct permission

This questionable program is completely free and can be downloaded from various sites. However, it has become an unwritten rule that the most of the free programs[3] come hand-in-hand with adware programs that are used for advertising.

Moreover, BrowserSafeguard hijack might occur during the installation of freeware and shareware.[4] This dubious program may enter your computer right after the installation of a doubtful free program. That is why you should be very careful what programs you are installing.

To avoid similar intruders, you should follow a couple of safety rules that were designed by viruset.no[5] security experts:

  • If you need to install a program, check whether this program is safe enough by reading comments and reviews about it.
  • Read terms of agreement section before any doubtful installation.
  • Opt for “Advanced” or “Custom” installation instead of “Quick” or “Recommended.”

Uninstall BrowserSafeguard from the computer entirely

Follow these steps to remove BrowserSafeguard from your computer:

  1. Click Start -> Control Panel -> Uninstall a Program.
  2. When in the Add/Remove Programs (or Uninstall a Program), look for recently installed/unfamiliar applications, such as TidyNetwork, DesktopWeatherAlerts, Optimizer Pro, Driver Pro, MyPC Backup, AtuZi, etc.
  3. Click Uninstall and then OK to save the changes.

Once you get rid of the program, you should also reset your browsers (Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer):

Internet Explorer:

  1. Open Internet Explorer, click on the wrench icon and go to Manage Add-ons.
  2. Go to Toolbars and extensions and remove TidyNetwork, DesktopWeatherAlerts, Optimizer Pro, Driver Pro, MyPC Backup, AtuZi, etc.

Mozilla Firefox:

  1. Open Mozilla Firefox, click on the orange arrow button (left corner) and go to Add-ons.
  2. Here, choose Extensions and remove TidyNetwork, DesktopWeatherAlerts, Optimizer Pro, Driver Pro, MyPC Backup, AtuZi and other unknown extensions from the list.

Google Chrome:

  1. Click the Chrome menu button on the Google Chrome browser, select Tools -> Extensions.
  2. Here, look for TidyNetwork, DesktopWeatherAlerts, Optimizer Pro, Driver Pro, MyPC Backup, AtuZi and other unfamiliar entries.
  3. Select each of them and choose Trash can icon to delete them.

Below you can find the illustrated guide how to wipe out this potentially unwanted program from the system. However, if manual removal seems complicated, you can opt for the automatic BrowserSafeguard removal. It requires scanning the system with reputable anti-malware.

You may remove virus damage with a help of FortectIntego. SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner and Malwarebytes are recommended to detect potentially unwanted programs and viruses with all their files and registry entries that are related to them.

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Getting rid of BrowserSafeguard virus. Follow these steps

Uninstall from Windows

Follow these steps to wipe out adware from the Windows OS:

  1. Click Start → Control Panel → Programs and Features (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs). Click 'Start -> Control Panel -> Programs and Features' (if you are 'Windows XP' user, click on 'Add/Remove Programs').
  2. If you are Windows 10 / Windows 8 user, then right-click in the lower left corner of the screen. Once Quick Access Menu shows up, select Control Panel and Uninstall a Program. If you are 'Windows 10 / Windows 8' user, then right-click in the lower left corner of the screen. Once 'Quick Access Menu' shows up, select 'Control Panel' and 'Uninstall a Program'.
  3. Uninstall BrowserSafeguard and related programs
    Here, look for BrowserSafeguard or any other recently installed suspicious programs.
  4. Uninstall them and click OK to save these changes. Right click on each of suspicious entries and select 'Uninstall'

Delete from macOS

  1. If you are using OS X, click Go button at the top left of the screen and select Applications. Cick 'Go' and select 'Applications'
  2. Wait until you see Applications folder and look for BrowserSafeguard or any other suspicious programs on it. Now right click on every of such entries and select Move to Trash. Click on every malicious entry and select 'Move to Trash'

Remove from Microsoft Edge

Delete unwanted extensions from 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 Remove. Remove extensions from Edge

Clear cookies and other browser data:

  1. Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
  2. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  3. 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. Clear Edge browsing data

Restore new tab and homepage settings:

  1. Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
  2. Then find On startup section.
  3. Click Remove next to any suspicious startup page.

Reset MS Edge if the above steps did not work:

  1. Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
  2. Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
  3. Select Details tab.
  4. 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. Reset MS Edge

Instructions for Chromium-based Edge

Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):

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

Clear cache and site data:

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

Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:

  1. Click on Menu and select Settings.
  2. On the left side, pick Reset settings.
  3. Select Restore settings to their default values.
  4. Confirm with Reset.
  5. This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history. Reset Chromium Edge

Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)

Follow these steps to remove all adware-related components from the Mozilla Firefox:

Remove dangerous extensions:

  1. Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click on the Menu (three horizontal lines at the top-right of the window).
  2. Select Add-ons.
  3. In here, select the unwanted extension and click Remove. Remove extensions from Firefox

Reset the homepage:

  1. Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
  2. Choose Settings.
  3. Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.

Clear cookies and site data:

  1. Click Menu and pick Settings.
  2. Go to Privacy & Security section.
  3. Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
  4. Click on Clear Data…
  5. Select Cookies and Site Data and Temporary cached files and pages, then click Clear. Clear cookies and site data from Firefox

Reset Mozilla Firefox

If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:

  1. Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
  2. Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information. Reset Firefox 1
  3. Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox…
  4. Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox. Reset Firefox 2

Remove from Google Chrome

These guidelines will help you to wipe out suspicious components from Google Chrome and reset the browser:

Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

  1. Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
  2. In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all suspicious extensions related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove. Remove extensions from Chrome

Clear cache and web data from Chrome:

  1. Click on Menu and pick Settings.
  2. Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
  3. Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
  4. Click Clear data. Clear cache and web data from Chrome

Change your homepage:

  1. Click menu and choose Settings.
  2. Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
  3. 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:

  1. Click on Menu and select Settings.
  2. In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
  3. Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
  4. Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
  5. Confirm with Reset settings. Reset Chrome 2

Delete from Safari

  1. Remove dangerous extensions
    Open Safari web browser and click on Safari in menu at the top left of the screen. Once you do this, select Preferences. Click on 'Safari' and select 'Preferences'
  2. Here, select Extensions and look for BrowserSafeguard or other suspicious entries. Click on the Uninstall button to get rid each of them. Go to 'Extensions' and uninstall malicious add-ons
  3. Reset Safari
    Open Safari browser and click on Safari in menu section at the top left of the screen. Here, select Reset Safari.... Click on 'Safari' and select 'Reset Safari...'
  4. Now you will see a detailed dialog window filled with reset options. All of those options are usually checked, but you can specify which of them you want to reset. Click the Reset button to complete BrowserSafeguard removal process. Select all options and click on 'Reset' button

After uninstalling this potentially unwanted program (PUP) and fixing each of your web browsers, we recommend you to scan your PC system with a reputable anti-spyware. This will help you to get rid of BrowserSafeguard registry traces and will also identify related parasites or possible malware infections on your computer. For that you can use our top-rated malware remover: FortectIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes.

How to prevent from getting adware

Protect your privacy – employ a VPN

There are several ways how to make your online time more private – you can access an incognito tab. However, there is no secret that even in this mode, you are tracked for advertising purposes. There is a way to add an extra layer of protection and create a completely anonymous web browsing practice with the help of Private Internet Access VPN. This software reroutes traffic through different servers, thus leaving your IP address and geolocation in disguise. Besides, it is based on a strict no-log policy, meaning that no data will be recorded, leaked, and available for both first and third parties. The combination of a secure web browser and Private Internet Access VPN will let you browse the Internet without a feeling of being spied or targeted by criminals. 

No backups? No problem. Use a data recovery tool

If you wonder how data loss can occur, you should not look any further for answers – human errors, malware attacks, hardware failures, power cuts, natural disasters, or even simple negligence. In some cases, lost files are extremely important, and many straight out panic when such an unfortunate course of events happen. Due to this, you should always ensure that you prepare proper data backups on a regular basis.

If you were caught by surprise and did not have any backups to restore your files from, not everything is lost. Data Recovery Pro is one of the leading file recovery solutions you can find on the market – it is likely to restore even lost emails or data located on an external device.

About the author
Alice Woods
Alice Woods - Likes to teach users about virus prevention

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