Safeservesearch.com (Simple Removal Guide) - Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge
Safeservesearch.com Removal Guide
What is Safeservesearch.com?
Safeservesearch.com – a browser hijacker which promises to protect your privacy
Safeservesearch is a shady search tool created by Plasko Interactive Ltd. It has been spotted spreading in software bundles as Privacy Switch Chrome extension. Once inside, it alters browser’s settings, sets new startup page, and display intrusive commercial content on the browser.
However, developers of the SafeSearch, or PrivacySwitch, present it as a legitimate search engine that promises to protect your privacy. Developers of Safeservesearch virus are trying to make you think that using this fake search engine has multiple benefits, including increased computer safety and privacy protection while using “Top of the line encryption.”
The fake search engine promotes the “Privacy Switch” which, when enabled helps to protect your privacy and enchants browsing experience. However, it is far from the truth. In case of continual use, safeservesearch.com does the complete opposite.
Despite the fact it promises to stop search tracking; this potentially unwanted program (PUP) collects non-personally identifiable information[1] itself in order to improve search results and display targeted ads. To achieve this goal, the hijacker might alter browser’s settings and take control over it.
Safeservesearch.com virus is not dangerous itself. However, it is the third-party content you get exposed to, while using this fake search engine, does. If the PUP sneaks into your system, it might perform the following:
- Make changes to the system. It can potentially add redirects to current desktop icons or create new ones.
- Alter browser settings (set your browser search engine, new tab URL, and homepage to http://www.safeservesearch.com) and prevent users from reverting them.
- Record non-personally identifiable data (IP addresses, URLs visited, search queries, etc.) The collected data might be sold to third parties for advertisement purposes.
- Display numerous suspicious ads. The affected browser might display many intrusive ads, even if the program is disabled. These ads can link to websites of dubious content or download and install malware/PUPs.
- Redirect to unknown third-party websites. Ironically, it is stated in Terms of Use, that using Safeservesearch might lead to third-party content which Plasko Interactive Ltd has no responsibility for and the company cannot be accountable for any damages caused
- Run background processes and slow down your machine. In some cases, developers of adware misuse systems’ resources for such activities as cryptocurrency mining.[2]
- Lead to browser crashes and slow response times.
Evidently, browser hijack can cause various problems to users. Therefore, we advise Safeservesearch.com removal as soon as it enters your system. The easiest way to achieve this is by using anti-malware/anti-spyware tool as FortectIntego or similar. Using security software is especially recommended if you haven’t downloaded this extension yourself, but it arrived on the system in the bundle.
However, if you do not want to proceed with the automatic removal of this PUP, you could follow our step-by-step guide at the end of this article. Our team has prepared instructions that will help you to remove Safeservesearch.com from the browser and set your preferred homepage.
Safeservesearch.com is a highly suspicious search tool that spreads as Privacy Switch browser extension.
Careless freeware installation may lead to hijacked web browser
Privacy Switch browser extension has an official website. However, the download button redirects to non-existent Chrome Web Store page. Thus, it’s impossible to download this add-on directly. Though, the PUP has other ways to sneak into the system unnoticed.
Safeservesearch hijack might occur when users download and install free programs. Inexperienced users often download free software from the internet and rush through steps while installing it.
Users tend to use Quick/Recommended settings (as advised by developers) as an easy way to skip lengthy processes. Therefore, many PUPs install into users machines without them knowing about it. It is highly recommended always to use Advanced/Custom settings, read through installation instructions carefully and opt out of any questionable programs.
Cyber security specialists from bedynet.ru[3] also advise staying away from questionable freeware download sources, P2P networks, torrents, and do not install any software from pop-ups or shady websites.
Eliminate Safeservesearch.com redirect virus from your computer
Safeservesearch removal is not complicated. We have written a step-by-step guide which will escort you with complete virus removal. Please follow every step carefully and in the correct order as browser hijack might reappear after improper removal.
The manual way of removing might be time-consuming and a bit confusing to inexperienced users. Hence we can offer you to remove Safeservesearch.com automatically. All you have to do is obtain an anti-malware software which will detect and remove any related components.
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.
Getting rid of Safeservesearch.com. Follow these steps
Uninstall from Windows
To remove Safeservesearch.com hijacker entirely from Windows OS, follow these steps:
Instructions for Windows 10/8 machines:
- Enter Control Panel into Windows search box and hit Enter or click on the search result.
- Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.
- From the list, find the entry of the suspicious program.
- Right-click on the application and select Uninstall.
- If User Account Control shows up, click Yes.
- Wait till uninstallation process is complete and click OK.
If you are Windows 7/XP user, proceed with the following instructions:
- Click on Windows Start > Control Panel located on the right pane (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
- In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.
- Pick the unwanted application by clicking on it once.
- At the top, click Uninstall/Change.
- In the confirmation prompt, pick Yes.
- Click OK once the removal process is finished.
Delete from macOS
To delete Privacy Switch extension and its related components, uninstall associated apps and then check the affected browser.
Remove items from Applications folder:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for all related entries.
- Click on the app and drag it to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash)
To fully remove an unwanted app, you need to access Application Support, LaunchAgents, and LaunchDaemons folders and delete relevant files:
- Select Go > Go to Folder.
- Enter /Library/Application Support and click Go or press Enter.
- In the Application Support folder, look for any dubious entries and then delete them.
- Now enter /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders the same way and terminate all the related .plist files.
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 on Uninstall at the bottom.
Clear cookies and other browser data:
- Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Privacy & security.
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Select everything (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 Disable if you found any suspicious domain.
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.
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.
- Find the following folder on your computer: C:\\Users\\%username%\\AppData\\Local\\Packages\\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe.
- Press Ctrl + A on your keyboard to select all folders.
- Right-click on them and pick Delete
- Now right-click on the Start button and pick Windows PowerShell (Admin).
- 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
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.
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 unwanted plugin and click Remove.
Reset the homepage:
- Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
- Choose Options.
- Under Home options, enter your preferred site that will open every time you newly open the Mozilla Firefox.
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, as well as Cached Web Content and press 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
Open Google Chrome's extensions. Carefully look through them and uninstall questionable entries. You should also reset the browser in order to make sure that all tracking cookies or invisible entries are eliminated. Also, after resetting the browser, you will be able to customize your startup page and set legit search provider.
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 the suspicious plugins that might be 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 unwanted extensions from Safari:
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- In the new window, pick Extensions.
- Select the unwanted extension and select Uninstall.
Clear cookies and other website data from Safari:
- Click Safari > Clear History…
- From the drop-down menu under Clear, pick all history.
- Confirm with Clear History.
Reset Safari if the above-mentioned steps did not help you:
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- Go to Advanced tab.
- Tick the Show Develop menu in menu bar.
- From the menu bar, click Develop, and then select Empty Caches.
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 Safeservesearch.com 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.
- ^ Michael Sweeney. [UPDATE] What Is PII, non-PII, and Personal Data?. Piwik PRO Blog. Web analytics and tag management posts.
- ^ Chris Mills. Oh great, even Chrome extensions are mining cryptocurrency now. BGR. Tech and entertainment news, reviews, opinions and insights.
- ^ Bedynet. Bedynet. Russian cyber security and malware news.