Search.bittsearch.com (Free Instructions) - Simple Removal Guide
Search.bittsearch.com Removal Guide
What is Search.bittsearch.com?
Search.bittsearch.com – a browser hijacker that is aggressively promoting MacKeeper app
Search.bittsearch.com is a browser-hijacking application which promises to improve people's browsing experience. Unfortunately, all it does is promoting MacKeeper and other suspicious software.
Search.bittsearch.com is a fake search engine which is promoted via a BittsearchDS browser extension. When this browser hijacker enters the computer system, it starts modifying web browsers and redirects its victims to sponsored websites. In most of the cases, the hijacker is affecting Mac OS X, so the main app it has been promoting is MacKeeper. No matter how professional this program appears, it aims to trick users into buying its full version. If your main page, search engine, and the new tab URL have been changed to search.bittsearch.com, make sure you take care of virus removal because it cannot only redirect you to the browser hijacker-supported pages but can also start collecting various non-personal details about its victims.
Name | Search.bittsearch.com |
---|---|
Type | Browser hijacker |
Danger level | Low. Harms only browsers but does not touch any other systems. |
Affected OS | Mac OS X, Windows OS |
Browsers infected | Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Microsoft Edge, etc. |
Distribution | Freeware, shareware, dubious sites, P2P networks, links on questionable websites. |
Eliminate it | Use FortectIntego and delete the hijack just in a couple of minutes. |
To continue, search.bittsearch.com gathers information such as:
- Various search queries;
- Saved bookmarks;
- IP addresses;
- Sites and links you have visited;
- etc.
In some cases, the browser-hijacking application might even collect some personal data, which is rare but does happen sometimes. The loss of such data can lead you to identity theft, so we highly recommend avoiding programs having the ability to track their users.
Furthermore, when browsers such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, Opera, or Safari are affected, this redirect virus starts rerouting its victims to various dubious sites and might even show misleading search query results. In most of the cases, changing back to your normal search engine is hard, unless you remove search.bittsearch.com from your infected browser. For that, we recommend using FortectIntego.
Also, numerous intrusive ads might also interrupt you. The appearance of MacKeeper ads is one of the signs showing that you have caught search.bittsearch.com virus. If you happen to overcome various pop-ups, pop-unders, banners, coupons, and similar content while browsing, that might also be a sign of a browser hijacker infiltration. Such advertisements typically interrupt people's browsing activity and might even cause regular crashes.
To avoid various harmful consequences which can be brought by a browser hijacker, you should perform search.bittsearch.com removal as soon as you spot the symptoms mentioned previously. This PUP is not as harmful as a ransomware infection or a Trojan horse[1], but it still does cause damage to you and your computer by affecting certain browsers.
Search.bittsearch.com - a PUP which has a purpose to gain income for the developers. Browser hijackers spread around in many ways
According to tech professionals[2], hijackers can spread around with the help of various techniques. The most common way is through bundled software or third-party installers. These kinds of sources might be improperly disclosed and include damaging content as they are provided from secondary hands. Furthermore, you might accidentally download or install a browser-hijacking app by clicking on dubious sites and links, or even skipping recommended updates and provided downloading steps.
Notice, that your PC safety is all up to you. Pay attention while browsing the web to keep your systems safe and clean. Avoid using third-party sources for downloading software but if you still do that – check the Custom/Advanced section for any unwanted components and opt-out them from the downloading process. A big recommendation is to download and install an antivirus[3]. If you already have one running on your computer – make sure that it is always updated. If it is – the program will do regular system scans and protect your PC from various cyber threats.
Get rid of search.bittsearch.com easily
To remove search.bittsearch.com hijack by using a manual removal option, you should consider eliminating all unnecessary browser extensions, various applications and other familiar plug-ins that might be the infection source. This method will help you get rid of the cyber threat from browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, IE, Microsoft Edge, Opera, Safari. The instructions for the deletion are shown below this article.
Moreover, if you want to do the search.bittsearch.com removal a little bit faster, you need to download an anti-malware program. It will give you quick guidance thru the whole process and let you delete the hijack just in a few minutes duration period.
When a PUP such as a browser hijacker infiltrates the system it might leave lots of damaging content in your web browser. After you deal with the search.bittsearch.com virus, do some browser refreshings and system backups just to make sure that everything is properly cleaned and back to its starter positions.
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 Search.bittsearch.com. Follow these steps
Uninstall from Windows
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
Remove Search.bittsearch.com from Mac OS X:
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 the browser-hijacking app from 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)
Get rid of the cyber threat:
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
Follow the instructions in order to eliminate the PUP from your Google Chrome browser:
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 Search.bittsearch.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 stealing programs
Choose a proper web browser and improve your safety with a VPN tool
Online spying has got momentum in recent years and people are getting more and more interested in how to protect their privacy online. One of the basic means to add a layer of security – choose the most private and secure web browser. Although web browsers can't grant full privacy protection and security, some of them are much better at sandboxing, HTTPS upgrading, active content blocking, tracking blocking, phishing protection, and similar privacy-oriented features. However, if you want true anonymity, we suggest you employ a powerful Private Internet Access VPN – it can encrypt all the traffic that comes and goes out of your computer, preventing tracking completely.
Lost your files? Use data recovery software
While some files located on any computer are replaceable or useless, others can be extremely valuable. Family photos, work documents, school projects – these are types of files that we don't want to lose. Unfortunately, there are many ways how unexpected data loss can occur: power cuts, Blue Screen of Death errors, hardware failures, crypto-malware attack, or even accidental deletion.
To ensure that all the files remain intact, you should prepare regular data backups. You can choose cloud-based or physical copies you could restore from later in case of a disaster. If your backups were lost as well or you never bothered to prepare any, Data Recovery Pro can be your only hope to retrieve your invaluable files.
- ^ What is a Trojan? . Norton by Symantec.
- ^ Viruset NO. Latest tech news .
- ^ How to Prevent Browser Hijacking. Lifewire. Solutions for all situations.