Remove Goodworldsearch.com virus (Free Instructions) - Simple Removal Guide
Goodworldsearch.com hijack transforms your web browsing routine
Goodworldsearch.com is an extremely annoying and useless search site that provides more ads than actual search results[1]. It is clear that this bogus search engine was created to function as a tool that created profits for its developers. Unfortunately, the search tool is promoted with the help of browser hijackers, and that is a negative thing.
The browser hijacker that promotes this search engine belongs to the potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) category. It sets hxxp://Goodworldsearch.com/ as default home, new tab and search engine address. As a consequence, the victim has to run into this search site every time he opens a browser, new tab, or attempts to perform a web search.
Goodworldsearch fills results pages with search results that appear above and next to organic search results. However, even clicking on a legitimate-looking search result can bring you surprises. Be aware that this search engine might trigger unexpected redirects to external sites that are full of vague or even malicious content[2].
The developer of this shady search tool admits providing ads in the form of banners, videos and text links. According to it, the ads may be related to the content of websites the user recently visited.
This clearly shows that Good World Search redirect virus tracks user’s activity online, collecting search queries, browsing history, and other information. Although the shady search tool doesn’t present its Privacy Policy, such practices are common to the majority of browser hijackers.
Goodworldsearch.com virus delivers dozens of sponsored search results. Such search engine is definitely not a good one since it displays paid entries first, leaving organic search results at the bottom of the results' page.
If you care about your privacy and if you would like to receive relevant search results rather than sponsored ones, we suggest you remove Goodworldsearch.com right now. To complete this task, we suggest using anti-malware software. In our opinion, Reimage Reimage Cleaner Intego works best for this task.
You can also go for manual Goodworldsearch.com removal option – just make sure you follow instructions provided below the article. This hijacker mainly targets English-speaking users, so we suggest visiting NoVirus website[3] for additional information.
Methods that help to promote suspicious search tools
Browser hijackers usually get into computer systems after being installed in a bundle with other free programs. Almost all free programs available on the Internet today suggest installing extra programs alongside them to earn pay-per-install revenue. Be careful, because not all of these advertised programs are trustworthy.
To decompose a software bundle, we suggest using Custom or Advanced settings in software setup. These settings allow deselecting extra items, and that is exactly what you need to do. Keep in mind that Standard/Default settings aren’t that trustworthy as they can look from at first sight.
The right ways to remove Goodworldsearch.com
Browser hijackers are extremely annoying, and sometimes it can be hard to remove them. To remove Goodworldsearch.com virus, we suggest using a tutorial we provided right below the article. Carefully look through all the provided screenshots and find the required locations to find and delete components related to this potentially unwanted program (PUP).
If you want to finish Goodworldsearch.com removal professionally, we highly recommend running a system scan with anti-malware software. You can use the one you already have (update it first!) or one of the programs we recommend.
You may remove virus damage with a help of Reimage Reimage Cleaner Intego. 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.
To remove Goodworldsearch.com virus, follow these steps:
Get rid of Goodworldsearch.com from Windows systems
You need to carry out the given instructions very carefully and in order. Firstly, you must check what programs are currently installed on your PC. Make sure you remove all programs related to Good World Search. After removing the unwanted programs, clean browser shortcuts. Then proceed to the next part and start fixing your web browsers.
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Click Start → Control Panel → Programs and Features (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
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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.
- Uninstall Goodworldsearch.com and related programs
Here, look for Goodworldsearch.com or any other recently installed suspicious programs. -
Uninstall them and click OK to save these changes.
- Remove Goodworldsearch.com from Windows shortcuts
Right click on the shortcut of Mozilla Firefox and select Properties.
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Go to Shortcut tab and look at the Target field. Delete malicious URL that is related to your virus.
Repeat steps that are given above with all browsers' shortcuts, including Internet Explorer and Google Chrome. Make sure you check all locations of these shortcuts, including Desktop, Start Menu and taskbar.
Delete Goodworldsearch.com from Mac OS X system
Move all suspicious apps to Trash. Use the instructions given below to find and delete applications associated with the described hijacker.
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If you are using OS X, click Go button at the top left of the screen and select Applications.
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Wait until you see Applications folder and look for Goodworldsearch.com or any other suspicious programs on it. Now right click on every of such entries and select Move to Trash.
Remove Goodworldsearch.com from Internet Explorer (IE)
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Remove dangerous add-ons
Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top right corner of the browser and choose Manage Add-ons.
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You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for Goodworldsearch.com and other suspicious plugins. Disable these entries by clicking Disable:
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Change your homepage if it was altered by virus:
Click on the gear icon (menu) on the top right corner of the browser and select Internet Options. Stay in General tab. -
Here, remove malicious URL and enter preferable domain name. Click Apply to save changes.
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Reset Internet Explorer
Click on the gear icon (menu) again and select Internet options. Go to Advanced tab. - Here, select Reset.
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When in the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset again to complete Goodworldsearch.com removal.
Uninstall Goodworldsearch.com virus from Microsoft Edge
Reset Microsoft Edge settings (Method 1):
- Launch Microsoft Edge app and click More (three dots at the top right corner of the screen).
- Click Settings to open more options.
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Once Settings window shows up, click Choose what to clear button under Clear browsing data option.
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Here, select all what you want to remove and click Clear.
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Now you should right-click on the Start button (Windows logo). Here, select Task Manager.
- When in Processes tab, search for Microsoft Edge.
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Right-click on it and choose Go to details option. If can’t see Go to details option, click More details and repeat previous steps.
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When Details tab shows up, find every entry with Microsoft Edge name in it. Right click on each of them and select End Task to end these entries.
Resetting Microsoft Edge browser (Method 2):
If Method 1 failed to help you, you need to use an advanced Edge reset method.
- Note: you need to backup your data before using this method.
- Find this folder on your computer:
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe. -
Select every entry which is saved on it and right click with your mouse. Then Delete option.
- Click the Start button (Windows logo) and type in window power in Search my stuff line.
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Right-click the Windows PowerShell entry and choose Run as administrator.
- Once Administrator: Windows PowerShell window shows up, paste this command line after PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> and press Enter:
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register $($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml -Verbose}
Once these steps are finished, Goodworldsearch.com should be removed from your Microsoft Edge browser.
Erase Goodworldsearch.com from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
Your task is to set Firefox free from shady browser add-ons that may have been installed without your knowledge.
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Remove dangerous extensions
Open Mozilla Firefox, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Add-ons → Extensions.
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Here, select Goodworldsearch.com and other questionable plugins. Click Remove to delete these entries.
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Change your homepage if it was altered by virus:
Click on the menu (top right corner), choose Options → General. - Here, delete malicious URL and enter preferable website or click Restore to default.
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Click OK to save these changes.
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Reset Mozilla Firefox
Click on the Firefox menu on the top left and click on the question mark. Here, choose Troubleshooting Information.
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Now you will see Reset Firefox to its default state message with Reset Firefox button. Click this button for several times and complete Goodworldsearch.com removal.
Eliminate Goodworldsearch.com from Google Chrome
Delete Goodworldsearch extension from Chrome. For best results, finish the removal by running a full system check with an up-to-date anti-spyware or anti-malware application.
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Delete malicious plugins
Open Google Chrome, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Tools → Extensions.
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Here, select Goodworldsearch.com and other malicious plugins and select trash icon to delete these entries.
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Change your homepage and default search engine if it was altered by your virus
Click on menu icon and choose Settings. -
Here, look for the Open a specific page or set of pages under On startup option and click on Set pages.
- Now you should see another window. Here, delete malicious search sites and enter the one that you want to use as your homepage.
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Click on menu icon again and choose Settings → Manage Search engines under the Search section.
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When in Search Engines..., remove malicious search sites. You should leave only Google or your preferred domain name.
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Reset Google Chrome
Click on menu icon on the top right of your Google Chrome and select Settings. -
Scroll down to the end of the page and click on Reset browser settings.
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Click Reset to confirm this action and complete Goodworldsearch.com removal.
Get rid of Goodworldsearch.com from Safari
- 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.
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Here, select Extensions and look for Goodworldsearch.com or other suspicious entries. Click on the Uninstall button to get rid each of them.
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Change your homepage if it was altered by virus:
Open your Safari web browser and click on Safari in menu section. Here, select Preferences as it was displayed previously and select General. -
Here, look at the Homepage field. If it was altered by Goodworldsearch.com, remove unwanted link and enter the one that you want to use for your searches. Remember to include the "http://" before typing in the address of the page.
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Reset Safari
Open Safari browser and click on Safari in menu section at the top left of the screen. Here, select Reset Safari....
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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 Goodworldsearch.com removal process.
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. It is a hassle when your website is protected from suspicious connections and unauthorized IP addresses.
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 server or network manager that need to monitor connections and activities. This is how you bypass some of the authentications factors and can remotely use your banking accounts without triggering suspicious with each login.
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. It is better to clock the access to your website from different IP addresses. So you can keep the project safe and secure when you have the dedicated IP address VPN and protected access to the content management system.
Backup files for the later use, in case of the malware attack
Computer users can suffer various losses due to cyber infections or their own faulty doings. Software issues created by malware or direct data loss due to encryption can lead to problems with your device or permanent damage. When you have proper up-to-date backups, you can easily recover after such an incident and get back to work.
It is crucial to create updates to your backups after any changes on the device, so you can get back to the point you were working on when malware changes anything or issues with the device causes data or performance corruption. Rely on such behavior and make file backup your daily or weekly habit.
When you have the previous version of every important document or project you can avoid frustration and breakdowns. It comes in handy when malware occurs out of nowhere. Use Data Recovery Pro for the system restoring purpose.
About the author
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References
- ^ Alice Woods. Why you should avoid Delta Search and other fake search engines. 2-Spyware. Fighting against Spyware, Malware.
- ^ Website Uses “Add Extension To Leave” Popups to Infect Chrome Users. Information Security Newspaper. News About Computer Information Security, Hacking, Data Breach Incidents, Cyber Security, Malware, Vulnerabilities.
- ^ NoVirus. NoVirus. Virus Removal Tutorials, IT Security News.
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