GetTab virus (Virus Removal Guide) - updated Sep 2019

GetTab virus Removal Guide

What is GetTab virus?

GetTab virus – a web browser extension that might negatively impact your browsing habits

GetTab virusGetTab - a browser hijacker that is promoted on the official Google Chrome online store

GetTab virus, also known as GetTab New Tab by Nevada Enterprise Ltd, is a suspicious extension that operates as a browser hijacker[1] and is available on the Google Chrome web store. If you ever encounter it on the web store, you see that it includes many attractive features such as free setting customization, viewing weather and news within one click, easily accessing to-do lists, managing background images, etc. However, the main goal of this potentially unwanted program is to modify the main engine and homepage to http://gettab.info. After, the hijack happens, be prepared to face unexpected changes in your browsing speed, experience unwanted adverts, and similar.

Name GetTab
Alternative name GetTab New Tab
Creator/developer Nevada Enterprise Ltd
Available on Google Chrome store, can also be installed via bundling
Search engine http://gettab.info
Main activities Modifying browser settings, forcing redirects to affiliate sources, loading intrusive advertising posts, tracking non-personal information
Distribution techniques Online store, software bundling, on unprotected networks
Prevention tips Reading users' reviews about particular programs before downloading them to the system, opting for th Custom/Advanced installation mode, preventing entering bogus websites
Elimination tool Use FortectIntego that should help you to investigate suspicious content on your computer system. Afterward, use automatical or manual removal guidelines to get rid of the cyber threat completely

Once inside the computer, GetTab virus might alter Windows Registry,[2] the Task Manager section, and browser’s settings in order to become default startup page and prevent users from the elimination. Thus, once it is installed, users see the new search engine as soon as they launch the browser and are forced to use it every time while completing browsing sessions.

However, GetTab extension is not that useful as it might seem for a number of users from the first view. The main thing it does is providing search results from a well-known browser engine – Bing.[3] So, why not use just Bing instead and prevent other potentially suspicious activities from interrupting your computing work and slowing you down?

The application is presented as a tool that allows customizing Chrome web browser with nature pictures. It also offers quick access to popular websites, apps, and bookmarks, as well as many other features. However, in exchange for that, the app wants:

  • Read and change your data on all gettab.info sites
  • Replace the page you see when opening a new tab
  • Read your browsing history
  • Communicate with cooperating native applications

All these activities mean one major thing – GetTab New Tab virus might control your browsing experience and the content you see on websites. However, most of the time these activities are related to marketing. The hijacker is most likely to be used for generating pay-per-click revenue or collecting income from gathered data. GetTab New Tab virusGetTab - a browser extension that might take control over the browser and control user's browsing habits.

According to the Privacy Policy that is provided by GetTab developers, the plug-in is capable of collecting different types of data after it is installed on the browser application. This information usually refers to content found on particular websites visited, users' reviews on pages and networks, hyperlinks clicked, and similar details:

When you use GetTab plugin, we may collect information about the websites you visit and the advertisements that you see on those websites, the searches you perform using search engines, the ways in which you use various features, and the pages you view (especially social media pages). For example, we may collect information about page views, impressions and clicks, as well as similar web usage information.

Nevertheless, GetTab virus might place third-party ads on each website you visit some of which might promote unreliable security services, etc. Additionally, it might redirect you to commercial sites from the search results page. The biggest problem is that you can never be sure of what websites you might land. Some of them are shady and might be infected with dangerous malware forms.

To avoid privacy-related issues, intrusive advertising moves during your browsing activities, or decrease the risk of unintentional installations of malicious programs, you should remove GetTab from the browser. However, some hijacker-related entries might be left on the system. Thus, you have to delete them as well.

The quickest and simplest GetTab removal solution is system scan with anti-malware, for instance, FortectIntego. However, you can uninstall the extension manually by following our prepared guide at the end of the article. These instructions are here to help you to clean web browsers such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, and Safari from potentially unwanted content.

GetTab hijackGetTab is a potentially unwanted program that provides search results straightly from Bing

Explaining how the hijacker can get installed silently

Some browser-hijacking programs have official websites and can be found in the Chrome Web store[4] under Productivity category. Always check the reviews of an application that you are wanting to download to your computer system. If you doubt the usefulness or security of the program, do not download/install it.

However, browser hijackers and similar potentially unwanted programs can invade the system by using other stealth and secret techniques. For example, developers very often employ bundling – a software marketing method that allows spreading the app with the help of other free programs in one solid package.

You can find a bogus component offered to download in a software installer if you opt for Advanced/Custom installation and be able to prevent its downloading process from continuation or just deselect it from the list. Otherwise, if you rely on Quick/Recommended setup, the hijacker might be installed without your knowledge.

Security experts from Los Virus[5] warn that the latter settings do not openly disclose about third-party programs that are included in the software package. Thus, using them is not recommended. Besides, you need to be very careful while using third-party platforms and services as they might also include suspicious content in hyperlinks and similar locations.

GetTab browser hijackerGetTab - a browser hijacker that promotes redirecting and advertising activities Elimination of GetTab New Tab browser hijacker

Uninstalling the extension might not be enough to remove GetTab entirely. The application may have installed related components to the system as well. Sometimes, potentially unwanted content such as bogus registry keys and processes might come unexpected and be placed in the Windows Registry and Task Manager sections.

Our team has also provided manual GetTab removal guidelines at the end of the article. There you will find instructing steps available for different browser types, including Chrome, Firefox, Explorer, Edge, and Safari. However, if the instructions seem too complicated or you want a quicker solution, opt for the automatic elimination method.

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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Compatible with Microsoft Windows Compatible with macOS
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.

Getting rid of GetTab virus. Follow these steps

Uninstall from Windows

Browser hijackers often install additional components or helper objects to remain on the system as long as possible. Thus, in order to remove it entirely, you have to follow the guide and make sure that all these entries are terminated.

Instructions for Windows 10/8  machines:

  1. Enter Control Panel into Windows search box and hit Enter or click on the search result.
  2. Under Programs, select Uninstall a program. Uninstall from Windows 1
  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. Uninstall from Windows 2

If you are Windows 7/XP user, proceed with the following instructions:

  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. Uninstall from Windows 7/XP
  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.

Delete from macOS

If you found GetTab on Chrome, you should also investigate Mac OS X to look up for other hijacker-related entries. Then, remove them as shown below.

Remove items from Applications folder:

  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) Uninstall from Mac 1

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. Uninstall from Mac 2

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 on Uninstall at the bottom. 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 Privacy & security.
  2. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  3. 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

Restore new tab and homepage settings:

  1. Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
  2. Then find On startup section.
  3. Click Disable if you found any suspicious domain.

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

If this solution failed to help you, you need to use an advanced Edge reset method. Note that you need to backup your data before proceeding.

  1. Find the following folder on your computer: C:\\Users\\%username%\\AppData\\Local\\Packages\\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe.
  2. Press Ctrl + A on your keyboard to select all folders.
  3. Right-click on them and pick Delete Advanced MS Edge reset 1
  4. Now right-click on the Start button and pick Windows PowerShell (Admin).
  5. When the new window opens, copy and paste the following command, and then press Enter:

    Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\\AppXManifest.xml” -Verbose Advanced MS Edge reset 2

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. Reset Chromium Edge

Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)

You can clean your Mozilla Firefox web browser from unexpected content with the help of the below-provided guidelines. Complete all steps in order to reach the best results possible.

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 unwanted plugin 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 Options.
  3. Under Home options, enter your preferred site that will open every time you newly open the Mozilla Firefox.

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, as well as Cached Web Content and press 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

First of all, uninstall GetTab from Google Chrome. Then look up for other unknown plugins, add-ons or extensions. Finally, 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 the suspicious plugins that might be 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 unwanted extensions from Safari:

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

Clear cookies and other website data from Safari:

  1. Click Safari > Clear History…
  2. From the drop-down menu under Clear, pick all history.
  3. Confirm with Clear History. Clear cookies and website data from Safari

Reset Safari if the above-mentioned steps did not help you:

  1. Click Safari > Preferences…
  2. Go to Advanced tab.
  3. Tick the Show Develop menu in menu bar.
  4. From the menu bar, click Develop, and then select Empty Caches. Reset Safari

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 GetTab 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 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
Gabriel E. Hall
Gabriel E. Hall - Passionate web researcher

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