Private surfing by Safely is a browser hijacker that may disclose your personal information to its affiliates and other parties
Private surfing by Safely is a potentially unwanted program that attaches itself to Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, or another browser. While the extension can be installed intentionally via official sources like Chrome web store,[1] users notice the changes on their browsers after the installation of freeware or shareware (bundled software contains optional components that are hidden inside the installation wizards).
As soon as Private surfing by Safely hijack occurs, it sets the new tab address, homepage and the search engine to a predetermined one and redirects all the searches to Yahoo. However, unlike organic search results that the original search engine would bring, users will see various sponsored links and promotions.
While Private surfing by Safely claims it can help you to surf the internet safer and protect from various information gathering, its developers track plenty of data which also includes personally identifiable information. Additionally, this data is later shared with affiliates and other parties, making it a hardly reliable application when it comes to online privacy.
| Name | Private surfing by Safely |
| Type | Browser hijacker |
| Category | Potentially unwanted program |
| Installation | Software bundles, official sites, third-party sites |
| Symptoms | Altered homepage, search engine, and new tab functionality; search results filled with sponsored links, redirects to suspicious sites, etc. |
| Termination | To delete a potentially unwanted program scan your device with anti-malware software and FortectIntego, or use our manual guide below |
There are plenty of similar applications that claim to protect your privacy, but in reality, harvest and share it themselves, which is quite hypocritical. Unfortunately, users rarely check the Privacy Policy of such programs and never know that unknown parties know a lot about them. For example, Private surfing by Safely explains the following in its Privacy Policy:[2]
Usage Information is generally non-identifying, but to the extent Usage Information may be associated with you as a specific and identifiable person (for example, because you have registered for the Service) and thereby provided us with personal information (such as name, e-mail address, telephone number or home address) we treat such information as “Personal Information” and will only use it for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.
In order to collect the data, Private surfing by Safely can use a variety of technologies:
- Cookies
- Log files
- Pixels
- Analytics[3] services
Information gathering has become one of the most vital factors when it comes to lucrative advertisement business. However, you should be aware that their data is being stored by third parties and should take adequate steps to remove Private surfing by Safely and similar search engines that pretend to care about online safety.
If you struggle with Private surfing by Safely removal (which might be the case, as some potentially unwanted programs might persistent and return with the intrusive content), you should scan your computer with anti-malware software and FortectIntego – this will ensure that you eliminate all the unwanted apps thoroughly.
Be aware that unwanted programs can enter your computer during the installation of free apps
As we previously mentioned, PUPs might be installed intentionally when users are not sure about their full functionality. To avoid that, you should always check reviews online – they can often indicate if the app undertakes some fishy activities. Additionally, some of the apps might be installed from third-party sites that use deception (“your computer is infected” scams often prompt the installation of bogus programs)
Nevertheless, the most popular browser hijacker distribution technique is software bundling. The developers pack their installers together with optional components that might not always be useful or even safe. Therefore, you should always be careful when installing new apps on your computer and never rush the process.
You should always check if the important documents are provided (such as Privacy Policy) and never skip steps. When prompted, always opt-out of various deals and offers, and pick Advanced/Custom installation settings in order to remove browser extensions, media players, system optimizers and other suspicious software.
Delete Private surfing by Safely, as it will not protect your online privacy
While “Private surfing by Safely virus” term is not entirely correct (browser hijackers are considered to be lesser security threats), some users may struggle with its termination. In order to make sure that all the elements of the PUP are terminated, you should also make sure to reset each of the installed browsers, including Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Safari, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, and others.
However, you need to remove Private surfing by Safely application first. To do that, you can either employ security software or make use of our manual guide that you will find below. Both methods can be effective, but we highly recommend the former, as it will make sure that not only Private surfing by Safely removal is complete but also check your computer for more severe infections, such as trojans, rootkits, and other malware.
Uninstall from Windows
Uninstall from Windows 10/8:
- Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
- Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.
Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:
- Click on Windows Start > Control Panel (Windows XP users should click on Add/Remove Programs).
- In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.
Remove the unwanted program:
- In the Programs and Features window, look for any recently installed suspicious entries, select them, and click Uninstall.
- If User Account Control appears, click Yes to confirm, then complete the removal.
Delete from macOS
Remove the unwanted application:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).
Delete leftover files and folders:
- Select Go > Go to Folder.
- Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
- Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.
- Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.
Reset Internet Explorer
Remove dangerous add-ons:
- Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
- Pick Manage Add-ons.
- You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.
Change your homepage if it was altered:
- Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
- Select Internet Options.
- In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
- Click Apply and then select OK.
Delete temporary files:
- Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
- Under Browsing history, click Delete...
- Select relevant fields and press Delete.
Reset Internet Explorer:
- Click on Gear icon > Internet options and select Advanced tab.
- Select Reset.
- In the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset.
Remove from Microsoft Edge
Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:
- Select Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and pick Extensions.
- From the list, pick the extension and click on the Gear icon.
- Click Remove.
Clear cookies and other browser data:
- Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- 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.
Restore new tab and homepage settings:
- Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
- Then find On startup section.
- Click Remove next to any suspicious startup page.
Reset MS Edge if the above steps did not work:
- Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
- Select Details tab.
- 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.
Instructions for Chromium-based Edge
Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):
- Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
- Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.
Clear cache and site data:
- Click on Menu and go to Settings.
- Select Privacy, search and services.
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Under Time range, pick All time.
- Select Clear now.
Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- On the left side, pick Reset settings.
- Select Restore settings to their default values.
- Confirm with Reset.
- This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.
Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
Remove dangerous extensions:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click on the Menu (three horizontal lines at the top-right of the window).
- Select Add-ons.
- In here, select the unwanted extension and click Remove.
Reset the homepage:
- Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
- Choose Settings.
- Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.
Clear cookies and site data:
- Click Menu and pick Settings.
- Go to Privacy & Security section.
- Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
- Click on Clear Data...
- Select Cookies and Site Data and Temporary cached files and pages, then click Clear.
Reset Mozilla Firefox
If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
- Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.
- Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox...
- Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox.
Remove from Google Chrome
Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:
- Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
- In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all suspicious extensions related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove.
Clear cache and web data from Chrome:
- Click on Menu and pick Settings.
- Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
- Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
- Click Clear data.
Change your homepage:
- Click menu and choose Settings.
- Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
- 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:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
- Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
- Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
- Confirm with Reset settings.
Delete from Safari
Remove dangerous extensions:
- Open Safari, click Safari in the menu at the top-left of the screen, and select Preferences.
- Go to the Extensions tab, look for any suspicious entries, and click Uninstall to remove them.
Clear history and website data:
- Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
- Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.
Reset Safari:
- Click Safari in the menu and select Preferences > Advanced.
- Enable Show Develop menu in menu bar.
- From the menu bar, click Develop and select Empty Caches.
Did this guide help?
Be the first to comment