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  • Active
  • Severity: High
  • Stealing programs
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Jul 2017

How to remove Search.heasyspeedtest.co virus

A step-by-step removal guide for affected devices. Follow the verified procedure below — most readers complete it in under 10 minutes.

Gabriel E. Hall · Passionate web researcher

Search.heasyspeedtest.co browser hijacker urges you to use a shady search engine

The picture illustrating Search.heasyspeedtest.co

Search.heasyspeedtest.co virus is yet another vague search tool created by the infamous company Polarity Technologies Ltd. The tool is promoted via software bundles that suggest adding Easy Speed Test V3.0 extension to Chrome and other web browsers. 

This browser extension is often called a potentially unwanted program (PUP) and a browser hijacker. It assigns hxxp://search.heasyspeedtest.co/ value to browser's home and default search provider settings. The search engine provided on that domain simply serves Yahoo search results modified by Safer Browser.

These search results are filled with ads pointing to external sites that might be insecure to visit. Because of the fact that Polarity Technologies company seeks to generate pay-per-click revenue without checking the reliability of advertised sites, we do not recommend using or visiting its search sites.

Due to privacy policy provisions stating that the site collects and may share your non-personal data with third parties, this domain has been categorized as suspicious. It tracks your:

  • Search queries;
  • URLs you visit;
  • Type of the operating system you use;
  • IP address;
  • Geographic location.

Remember that the listed pieces of data CAN contain personally identifiable information and it is going to be shared with third-parties, too, If you care about your privacy and computer's security, we believe that you should choose manual or automatic search.heasyspeedtest.co removal option and delete the hijacker ASAP. FortectIntego can do it faster for you, but you can also use manual junkware removal tutorial provided below the article.The example of Search.heasyspeedtest.co

Advantages and disadvantages of Easy Speed Test PUP

Finding your favorite website faster is truly practical. However, tools which are presented as almost perfect utilities without disadvantages often contain several of them and quite annoying. Thus, search.heasyspeedtest is no exception as well.

Even though it performs Easy Speed Test and identifies the rates of downloads and uploads capacity, it may also cram you with other seemingly “practical” features. It is no wonder as it is closely associated with third parties. As a result, you may be bombarded with other commercial offers. The hijacker also spies on your online activities[1]:

By Using the Services, You Are Consenting to Grant Polarity Permission to Collect Your Urls and Search Data, Including Search Queries That May Contain Personally Identifiable Information, Share Them With Third Parties, and Use Search-related Cookies.

On top of that, the search tool offers a list of news providers. However, some of them provide the annoying Revcontent ads. Though they are the part of a legitimate advertising network, they sure may get bothersome.

Excessive advertising[2] is never a pleasant phenomenon. While using this hijacker, you might get really frustrated with this phenomenon.

Due to this fact, you might also notice occasional search.heasyspeedtest.co redirect. It is likely that you may get directed to a sponsored domains that provide not the most trustworthy content. In the worst scenario, you can end up visiting a deceptive or phishing domain. To put it shortly, there are just too many cons outweighing pros. We suggest you think twice before deciding to keep this browser hijacker on your PC.

Sneaky methods used to trick users into installing browser hijackers

Since the search tool has developed a wide network of partners, there is a possibility to run into its advertisements while browsing shady third-party websites. You can also receive a suggestion to install it right after adding another untrustworthy extension to your browser. 

If you were looking for a tool to boost up your Internet speed, it is likely that you may have come across Easy Test Speed or another tool. Alternatively, it is likely that you may have accelerated search.heasyspeedtest.co hijack accidentally by installing a vague free program that advertises it. Software bundling is a common strategy that helps similar PUPs to cling onto free applications.

Since users tend to choose “Recommended” settings, they often overlook attached extras such as browser toolbars or other unreliable applications. Thus, in order not to repeat the same mistake again the future, opt for Advanced or Custom settings. Then, you should be able to detect optional attachments and remove the check marks from them.

Remove search.heasyspeedtest.co hijacker

You can successfully remove search.heasyspeedtest.co virus by using manual guidelines or opting for the automatic solution. If you choose the latter, a cyber security tool will not only come in handy in completing search.heasyspeedtest.co removal but also warding off more troublesome threats.

If you are fine with the manual method, then feel free to use the below guidelines. Carefully proceed to each step not to miss any crucial detail. Remove search.heasyspeedtest.co from browser settings and delete associated browser extensions as well. Czech users are likely to encounter this hijacker more often. If you are one of them, check the Czech version of 2-spyware.[3]

Uninstall from Windows

Uninstall from Windows 10/8:

  1. Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
  2. Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.Uninstall from Windows 10/8

Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:

  1. Click on Windows Start > Control Panel (Windows XP users should click on Add/Remove Programs).
  2. In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.Uninstall from Windows 7/XP

Remove the unwanted program:

  1. In the Programs and Features window, look for any recently installed suspicious entries, select them, and click Uninstall.
  2. If User Account Control appears, click Yes to confirm, then complete the removal.Uninstall the unwanted program from Windows

Delete from macOS

Remove the unwanted application:

  1. From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
  2. In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).Uninstall from Mac

Delete leftover files and folders:

  1. Select Go > Go to Folder.
  2. Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
  3. Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.Delete leftover files from Mac
  4. Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.

Reset Internet Explorer

Remove dangerous add-ons:

  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.Remove add-ons from Internet Explorer

Change your homepage if it was altered:

  1. Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
  2. Select Internet Options.
  3. In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
  4. Click Apply and then select OK.Reset IE homepage

Delete temporary files:

  1. Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
  2. Under Browsing history, click Delete...
  3. Select relevant fields and press Delete.Clear temporary files from Internet Explorer

Reset Internet Explorer:

  1. Click on Gear icon > Internet options and select Advanced tab.
  2. Select Reset.
  3. In the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset.Reset Internet Explorer

Remove from Microsoft Edge

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 Remove.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 Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
  2. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  3. 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.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 Remove next to any suspicious startup page.

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

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.
  5. This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.Reset Chromium Edge

Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)

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 the unwanted extension 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 Settings.
  3. Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.

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 and Temporary cached files and pages, then click 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

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 suspicious extensions 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

Remove dangerous extensions:

  1. Open Safari, click Safari in the menu at the top-left of the screen, and select Preferences.
  2. Go to the Extensions tab, look for any suspicious entries, and click Uninstall to remove them.Remove extensions from Safari

Clear history and website data:

  1. Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
  2. Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.Clear history from Safari

Reset Safari:

  1. Click Safari in the menu and select Preferences > Advanced.
  2. Enable Show Develop menu in menu bar.
  3. From the menu bar, click Develop and select Empty Caches.Reset Safari

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