How to remove MovieSearchHome browser hijacker

MovieSearchHome is not a beneficial extension to have

MovieSearchHome is not something you want to have on your browser. It is an extension or a potentially unwanted program^[1] installed in your system that acts as a hijacker. It changes the default homepage, new tab address and implements a fake search engine that is untrustworthy. This creates possibilities for people to fall for scams by visiting dangerous pages by accident. Sponsored links can lead to monetary losses or getting infected with more serious threats.

The hijacker can affect all browsers that have the ability to add extensions to it. Normally, browser extensions are meant to provide some kind of benefits for users, like blocking suspicious links, providing coupons, or blocking advertisements. But this one is not like that. It has some basic abilities that can be found on any browser. It is a desperate attempt to try to look current.

Also, users rarely add these on their own accord. The add-on is spread on unofficial pages that distribute freeware.^[2] These free versions of programs come bundled with additional useless programs that then perform unwanted tasks in the background. There is also a possibility that you clicked on a deceptive ad^[3] that tricked you into downloading it.

Hijacker family

MovieSearchHome is not the only add-on of this type. There are many clones that we have already written about, like TopGameSearch, GreatSearchSport, ProMusicSearch. They all have the same basic functions – a PDF file converter, calculator, currency converter, and the ability to bookmark websites which are useless because you can find these with a click of a button on any browser or even installed in your system.

The only noticeable difference between them is the name. All of them have the word “Search” in them and a word that describes some type of category. Even though the logos look professional and fun, They do not provide any special algorithms to be able to find movies, music, or games faster and easier. It is unknown who the developers are behind all these hijackers. They keep creating add-ons that generate revenue with pay-per-click advertising and do not seem to be stopping. 

Remove MovieSearchHome and clear your browser

In order to eliminate this application, you should visit the settings section of your web browser and uninstall it the same way as any other extension. If you need help with this, follow these steps:

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.

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.

MS Edge (Chromium)

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

Mozilla Firefox

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.

Safari

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

Internet Explorer:

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.

Your privacy is at risk if you keep using the fake search engine

MovieSearchHome changes the homepage to portal.moviesearchhome.com and redirects the search queries through feed.moviesearchhome.com to a fake search engine – nearbyme.io. This engine is filled with sponsored links, and you will have to scroll down to genuine results. But even then, they might not be what you were looking for.

Hijackers rarely create their own search engines, so they implement already existing ones just to make them functional. The engine can be filled with ads, links can lead to shady websites that could be using social engineering tactics^[4] to trick web surfers into providing their personal information which could result in identity theft or fraud. 

If you browse through portal.moviesearchhome.com, which is the homepage they add, they can track you. All of the things you search for, the links you click, what you purchase, and so on. You can read about it yourself in their Privacy Policy:

The Non-Personal Information which is being collected may include technical information automatically transmitted by the user's device (for example, type of browser, the type of the user's device and technical information pertaining to the user's device, language preferences, time stamps, clicks and visited pages, search logs, the operating system, utilized internet service provider and other similar information.

What is more, the creators can sell this information to third parties and not be responsible for what they do with it and how they use it. The authors collect this data with the help of cookies that are stored on your device, so the good thing is, you can delete them any time. This can be made easy with a repair tool FortectIntego that can clear cookies and cache automatically. Besides that, it can fix other system errors and damaged files so it has many more uses. If you prefer doing this yourself, we have provided step-by-step instructions below. Keep in mind, that you have to clear the browsers only after the removal is complete.

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.

MS Edge:

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.

Chromium-based:

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

Mozilla Firefox:

1. Click Menu and pick Options.
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.

Safari:

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

After you are done with all of this, you should not hesitate to scan your device with security software like SpyHunterCombo Cleaner or MalwarebytesMalwarebytes. Some anti-malware tools are capable of deleting PUPs as well, so they could do the job for you. Although, the most important thing is that it would check whether other potentially dangerous apps are present on your system and then delete them for you. You can also delete PUAs manually. We have provided step-by-step instructions for Windows and macOS systems at the bottom of this post.

To prevent yourself from downloading potentially unwanted programs like this one, avoid unofficial distributors and peer-to-peer file sharing platforms. They are filled with hidden downloads. You should be extra careful while downloading freeware and go through all the steps during the installation. Choose the “Custom” or “Advanced” method and inspect the files included. Untick the boxes next to those who look suspicious and unrelated.