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  • Active
  • Severity: High
  • Stealing programs
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Jan 2018

How to remove Gatmog.com

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

Julie Splinters · Anti-malware specialist

Gatmog Search – a fake search engine that pretends to be legitimate

Image of Gatmog.com search engine

Gatmog.com is a browser hijacker[1] which usually comes bundled with freeware you can get from the Internet. After the hijack, it alters browser’s settings, blocks user’s attempts to revert them, and starts controlling user’s browsing activities. Besides, it seems that it is closely related to another virus called GSearch.

Typically, Gatmog targets the most popular web browsers like Google Chrome, Edge, Internet Explorer, and Firefox. After installation, it sets your home page and search engine to https://gatmog.com/?q=. Initially, this search tool looks very similar to various popular search engines, like google.com, yahoo.com or bing.com, hence it might seem legitimate and useful.

Supposedly, its main aim is enhancing users’ browsing experience. However, gatmog.com virus is nothing but a dangerous search engine that brings no actual benefit for the user. This fake search tool is designed to generate advertising-based revenue for the developers.

Gatmog.com relies on a very simple scheme where, once the user clicks on a promoted search result, it leads him/her to a third-party website which generates profit. Beware that such generated links might lead you to websites asking you to provide personal details or prompting you to download malicious PUPs.

These Gatmog.com redirect tendencies might lead to infiltration of other malware.[2] Cyber criminals often take advantage of potentially unwanted programs and use them to reach potential victims. We do not say that this specific program works hand in hand with criminals, but you should consider that such action is possible.

Illustration of Gatmog.com virus

Furthermore, having Gatmog Search on your web browser, you can start suffering from constant redirects, intrusive ads, potential malware infections, and similar issues too. Additionally, this browser hijacker might use your computer’s resources to mine cryptocurrency and may steal sensitive personal information which may be sold to third parties for profit.

All activities that have been mentioned above can significantly compromise your computer’s safety and can even lead you to identity theft. To avoid this, make sure you remove Gatmog virus from the system.

If your web browser was hijacked and you want to get back control over it, you have two Gatmog.com removal options. The first and the most recommended one requires scanning the system with professional anti-malware tool, such as FortectIntego. The second option allows terminating the hijacker manually.

If you want to delete Gatmog.com manually, you should not hesitate and scroll down to the end of this article. Our team has prepared detailed and illustrated instructions that will guide you through this procedure.

The program gets into your PC without you realizing it

Typically, users have no idea that they were infected by a browser hijacker until they notice some suspicious behavior on their infected machine. Suddenly, desktop shortcuts can lead you to completely different links, a search engine can provide results that are far from satisfactory, and you may start noticing many intrusive ads and redirects.

Unfortunately, if you have noticed such issues on your computer, you should blame yourself only. In most cases, Gatmog hijack occurs while installing free software from the Internet.

Usually, users do not use “Advanced” mode when installing free software, and that is how dubious programs infiltrate their computers. It’s highly advised not to use “Recommended” settings (despite them seeming like the most convenient option) and carefully going through each step of the installation process.

Security experts from viruset.no[3] remind that correct installation of freeware or shareware saves your time. Indeed, it’s quicker to use Advanced installer and opt out “optional downloads” than investigate the system and delete them when unwanted activities occur.

Eliminate Gatmog and keep your privacy safe

If you think that your machine is infected with a PUP, we want to encourage you to remove Gatmog using authentic anti-virus software. A software package that brought this hijacker to the system may have included other suspicious components that should be erased as well. For this reason, scanning the system with security software can quickly wipe out all PUPs.

If you are not willing to do that automatically, please follow our step-by-step guide below which will help you to take care of Gatmog.com removal from the system.

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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