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  • Active
  • Severity: High
  • Stealing programs
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Jan 2017

How to remove FunnySite123.com virus

A step-by-step removal guide for affected devices. Follow the verified procedure below — most readers complete it in under 10 minutes.

Lucia Danes · Virus researcher

Why FunnySite123.com hijack is not funny:

FunnySite123.com virus might initially seem like nothing much to worry about, but it is a potentially unwanted program that possesses typical features of a browser hijacker [1]. Unfortunately, the practice shows that browser hijackers are quite annoying programs which burden the browsing experience with redirects, sponsored search results, and intrusive pop-ups [2]. FunnySite123.com does exactly that after it infects computers by stealth. Of course, in order to be able to carry out all of this activity, the virus replaces default search engines with the predetermined FunnySite123 website. In a way, it is quite a “convenient” virus since you can immediately tell when it infects the computer and take steps to prevent its further actions. The problem is that most computer users simply ignore the changes in their browsers and continue to use use the search engine brought by the FunnySite123.com hijack. That is why so many of them struggle to eliminate the virus from their computer later on. We suggest you not to hesitate for a second and remove FunnySite123.com from the infected device once the initial signs of the hijack begin showing up. Ideally, you should scan your device with some anti-malware solution, such as FortectIntego.

FunnySite123.com redirect virus 

An interesting thing worth noting is that in the past couple of months, there was a noticeable boost in browser hijacker creation and distribution [3]. FunnySite123.com malware is a member of the clone virus family that features the same template for all of its viruses, including the recently discovered Luckypageing123.com, LuckySearch123.com and other identical viruses. There is some significant proof that all of these questionable search sites have actually been created to bring their developers a fortune out of web advertising [4] and that their only goal is to promote sponsored content rather than offer users some worthy search results. In fact, we have found some hints to back up this theory in the site’s Privacy Policy where the developers agree collect personal information about the users (including their name, gender, country and date of birth) and use it to contact them with various marketing propositions, newsletters, etc. FunnySite123 developers continue to inform that in case the site is sold, the new owners will inherit all of the user databases along with the users’ personally-identifiable information. It does not only sound like an unfair data management but also a serious threat to the users’ privacy. Since you can never know where the collected information will eventually end up, it would not be smart to delay FunnySite123.com removal and allow more of your sensitive information to leak to some untrusted sources. Get rid of the virus now and prevent the unpleasant consequences it may induce.

Hijacker transfer strategies:

FunnySite123.com travels from PC to PC rather easily. In fact, the users may spread the virus themselves, unknowingly share some infected software packages via various sharing platforms. Such packages may not only be bundled with hijackers but also carry some more serious infections around. If you are infected with FunnySite123.com, you can successfully remove it, but if your device gets affected by some obfuscated ransomware [5], consequences may not be as pleasant. Thus, when you download content from the web sources, make sure these sources are reputable and secure. Even with the reputable sites, you have to be very careful and always opt for the “Advanced” installation mode to check the software for some additionally bundled components.

What are the main requirements for FunnySite123.com removal?

If you decide to remove FunnySite123.com virus manually, there are no special requirements for that. The only condition of a successful virus removal is to follow the removal guidelines attentively. You will find these step-by-step instructions below. Nevertheless, for the automatic FunnySite123.com removal, you may need to take care your system meets some requirements necessary for an antivirus software to be able to run on it smoothly. However, there are numerous security programs of various types, so we have no doubt that you will definitely find one that suits your system best. Just do a little research before you obtain one!

Uninstall from Windows

Uninstall from Windows 10/8:

  1. Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
  2. Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.Uninstall from Windows 10/8

Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:

  1. Click on Windows Start > Control Panel (Windows XP users should click on Add/Remove Programs).
  2. In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.Uninstall from Windows 7/XP

Remove the unwanted program:

  1. In the Programs and Features window, look for any recently installed suspicious entries, select them, and click Uninstall.
  2. If User Account Control appears, click Yes to confirm, then complete the removal.Uninstall the unwanted program from Windows

Delete from macOS

Remove the unwanted application:

  1. From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
  2. In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).Uninstall from Mac

Delete leftover files and folders:

  1. Select Go > Go to Folder.
  2. Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
  3. Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.Delete leftover files from Mac
  4. Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.

Reset Internet Explorer

Remove dangerous add-ons:

  1. Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
  2. Pick Manage Add-ons.
  3. You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.Remove add-ons from Internet Explorer

Change your homepage if it was altered:

  1. Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
  2. Select Internet Options.
  3. In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
  4. Click Apply and then select OK.Reset IE homepage

Delete temporary files:

  1. Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
  2. Under Browsing history, click Delete...
  3. Select relevant fields and press Delete.Clear temporary files from Internet Explorer

Reset Internet Explorer:

  1. Click on Gear icon > Internet options and select Advanced tab.
  2. Select Reset.
  3. In the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset.Reset Internet Explorer

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)

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

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

Remove dangerous extensions:

  1. Open Safari, click Safari in the menu at the top-left of the screen, and select Preferences.
  2. Go to the Extensions tab, look for any suspicious entries, and click Uninstall to remove them.Remove extensions from Safari

Clear history and website data:

  1. Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
  2. Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.Clear history from Safari

Reset Safari:

  1. Click Safari in the menu and select Preferences > Advanced.
  2. Enable Show Develop menu in menu bar.
  3. From the menu bar, click Develop and select Empty Caches.Reset Safari

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