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SafeWeb adware (Removal Instructions) - updated Apr 2017

by Jake Doevan - - | Type: Adware

SafeWeb adware Removal Guide

What is SafeWeb adware?

Reasons why SafeWeb is not actually safe

SafeWeb virus might seem to be a useful application, but only if you tend to rely on software descriptions provided in their developers’ websites. Although this adware [1] presents itself as a useful tool that can easen your shopping routine, it is considered to be a potentially unwanted program (PUP), as well as ad-supported application that causes various problems to occur. Besides, sometimes this app manages to hijack user’s computer without his/hers knowledge. If this has happened to you, you should remove SafeWeb without a hesitation with FortectIntego or a similar anti-spyware software.

The most obvious sign of SafeWeb hijack is appearance of annoying pop-up ads [2] that are displayed as soon as the victim starts browsing the Internet. However, you may also notice such things as browser’s redirects to unknown websites, slow downs, changes of the start page and the default search engine and similar activities on your computer. If SafeWeb manages to enter the system, the first thing it does is change the web browser settings. Beware that this app may hijack Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and other web browsers without any permission asked.

SafeWeb adware screenshotSafeWeb adware initially looks like a reputable application. Only after installing it on the computer the problems, such as extensive advertising begin to emerge.

After doing so, this app may start manipulating your browsing experience and may cause additional pop-ups and other banner-type visual advertisements. Please, do NOT click them, because this may lead you to SafeWeb redirect [3] to some unknown website. Typically, people are redirected to harmless websites, but there is no guarantee that you won’t be rerouted to a malicious and insecure sites that are used for spreading other PUPs or initiating privacy-related issues. Finally, you should also remember that this potentially unwanted program may track and record your personally non-identifiable information, such as visited sites, search queries, data that was added by you when visiting these sites, etc. [4]

If you thought that this application useful and that it is capable of helping you to save the money, remember that such adware-type programs are created entirely for advertising purposes. They can easily cause redirects to various sponsored websites, the appearance of continuous pop-up ads and similar activities that can help generating money for their publishers. If user notices that he/she is getting large amount of pop-ups and banners (Brought to you by Safe Web, Ads by Safe-Web.tk and etc.) and unexpected redirects to various sites, there is a possibility that his/hers system was infected by SafeWeb virus. In this case, you should run a full system scan with FortectIntego or Malwarebytes.

How did this program hijack my PC?

Typically, SafeWeb hijacks system without user’s knowledge and permission. When it comes to distribution, similar ad-supported programs rely on questionable freeware and shareware [5]. In lots of cases, similar type of adware infiltrates systems in a bundle with free downloads. That’s why security experts often recommend taking precautions when downloading and installing free programs and selecting “Advanced” or a similar installation method. By doing so, users can easily follow each installation step and unmark all accessories that may come in a bundle with the free software. If your system is infected by SafeWeb adware, we recommend you to follow the guide below for a quick and safe removal of this plug-in:

Instructions on how to remove SafeWeb ads:

According to many people, SafeWeb ads look really tempting because they notify about discounts, coupons and other deals. However, we don’t recommend trusting them because they seek only to redirect people to specific websites and increase the number of their visitors. In order to remove SafeWeb virus from the system, computer owners should take care of proper anti-malware tools that would help complete the elimination. If automatic elimination is not a possible option in your case, you can alternatively use manual SafeWeb removal guidelines presented just below the article.

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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Different software has a different purpose. If you didn’t succeed in fixing corrupted files with Fortect, try running SpyHunter 5.
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Getting rid of SafeWeb adware. Follow these steps

Uninstall from Windows

If you want to get rid of SafeWeb from your computer manually, you will have to concentrate and carefully look through the list of recently installed programs in search of this or related applications. Aslo, make sure you locate and remove the virus executable YourApp.exe. This way, you will ensure that the malware will not bounce back to your browser.

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

SafeWeb is unlikely to show up on Mac OS X browsers, but in case it does, you should know how to get rid of it properly. The instructions below will explain how to accomplish the elimination

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

Microsoft Edge is one of the SafeWeb targets and it does not take a lot for this malware to infect it. Thus, you should be prepared and know how the malware can be removed from the computer safely. You will find comprehensive elimination guidelines below but before you start going through these steps, please make sure you delete all undesirable browser components, add-ons and extensions.

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)

If you have been infected with SafeWeb as a result of unfair software bundling, it might be that the program did not arrive alone and was accompanied by other components, such as toolbars, add-ons, etc. Thus, you should keep that in mind when resetting your browser and eliminating malware from your computer.

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

Google Chrome can be freed from SafeWeb by resetting the browser to its default settings and eliminating browser extensions, add-ons or toolbars it may have installed on the computer to fortify its place on your 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

While Safari is unlikely to be infected with SafeWeb. If it does, make sure you go through the steps indicated below. These will help remove the malware from your browser and roll back default browser settings.

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 SafeWeb 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 adware

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
Jake Doevan
Jake Doevan - Computer technology expert

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References
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