Remove Search.hemailaccessonline.com virus (Removal Instructions)

Search.hemailaccessonline.com is a suspicious search engine that returns results filled with sponsored links

Search.hemailaccessonline.com is a browser hijacker that is associated with Email Access Online or another potentially unwanted program. PUPs usually travel in software bundle packages where optional components are often deliberately disguised, tricking users into installing them. Thus, once they open Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari or another browser, they can see that the Search.hemailaccessonline.com is set as their homepage, the new tab functionality is changes and a customized search engine added.

After the Search.hemailaccessonline.com hijack, users may revert these changes, considering they are using a modern browser that warns them about the new extension installed. Unfortunately, the warnings may sometimes be ignored, while others might not put much thought into changes and simply allow the PUP to take over.

Once Search.hemailaccessonline.com settles and users start to browse, they will notice that all the search queries are being redirected to Yahoo and the top results are filled with sponsored links. Besides, users may also notice increased amount of ads elsewhere while browsing. To regain control of the browser, users should uninstall associated browser extensions, such as Email Access Online.

Name	Search.hemailaccessonline.com
Type	Browser hijacker, potentially unwanted program
Related browser extension	Email Access Online
Developer	Eightpoint Technologies Ltd SEZC
Distribution	The app is usually downloaded and installed during the installation of freeware and shareware apps (software bundling), official web stores, or third-party sites
Symptoms	The hijacker changes the settings of the installed browsers by adding a customized search engine, appointing Search.hemailaccessonline.com as the homepage, and the new tab address. Users then are redirected to Yahoo after using the search engine, and top results are often not genuine/organic
Dangers	A browser hijacker is not considered to be dangerous as malware but is nevertheless a security and privacy threat. Hemailaccessonline also tracks personal and non-personal information provided by users and shares with affiliated parties
Termination	Delete potentially unwanted programs with the help of anti-malware software or use our manual removal guide below
Optimization	We recommend using Fortect Intego for the best results and ensure that the computer is in the best health after malware or PUP infections

Hemailaccessonline functions as another dubious browsing tool developed by the infamous Eightpoint Technologies Ltd SEZC. This company has released a series of identical browser hijackers. Thus, it is the first reason to remove HemailAccessOnline. Though it may be not an aggressive as other samples of the same category, this PUP contains enough negative aspects.

Search.hemailaccessonline.com virus alters homepage and default search settings to load http://search.hemailaccessonline.com site, which provides a dubious browsing engine. It serves dozens of SaferBrowser ads in-between search results that can confuse the user.

Sometimes, Search.hemailaccessonline.com banners and ads are not even related to the user’s search query; it can make the user nervous because he has to waste time scrolling through such irrelevant content when trying to find particular information online. This browser hijacker expects to lure the victim into visiting advertised websites and generate pay-per-click^[1] money this way.

Sadly, external sites that this hijacker promotes might not be of the best quality^[2], and we suggest you think twice before visiting them. Hemailaccessonline removal is required if you no longer want to use this shady search tool; you can eliminate it manually or using anti-malware programs. After the elimination, we also suggest checking the machine with repair software Fortect Intego for the best results.

However, what threats can Search.hemailaccessonline.com redirect pose? Firstly, the developers of this questionable search engine are well-known developers of browser-hijacking software, second, they collect information about user’s browsing preferences, including:

search queries
a list of visited sites and time spent on them
ads clicked
geolocation
IP address
technical details and device event information, etc.

Wondering why do they need such information? It is extremely useful when trying to determine the market’s interests and providing targeted advertisements, which help the developers to monetize on the activities. Be aware that this data is also shared with affiliates and advertising networks of Search.hemailaccessonline.com:^[3]

Your information may be shared with our parent company and our affiliates, which are entities under common
ownership or control of our ultimate parent company. <…>

We partner with advertisers and advertising networks to place ads on and through our
Services. These companies may also collect information, such as your computer's IP address, browser information,and search queries, in connection with your use our Services and any oft heir services incorporated into such Services

If you want to prevent these practices from happening, you should hurry to remove Search.hemailaccessonline.com from your machine as soon as possible. Be aware that your browsing is greatly influenced by the hijackers, and top results shown are the ones that are paid for and not the ones that would be generated organically by Google, Yahoo, or another reputable engine.

Expanding the network of browser hijackers

Browser hijackers, equally as adware and other shady programs, are mostly distributed via software bundling^[4]. It is a technique that allows spreading several programs together behind the name of the one that is the most popular of all of them. Therefore, when installing free software downloaded from the Internet, you should pay attention to data provided by the installation wizards.

Do not count on Standard or Default installation settings that seem to be trustworthy at first sight. Usually, these settings contain hidden permissions to install all recommended third-party software, including ad-supported ones.
To prevent installation of browser hijackers and other potentially unwanted software, select Custom or Advanced installation method and deselect suggested extra programs.

Eliminate Hemail Access Online efficiently

A quick way to remove Hemailaccessonline.com virus is to quickly check programs that you recently installed on your PC and uninstall the suspicious-looking ones. You should also eliminate browser extensions that were added to Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and the rest of web browsers without your knowledge or/and permission.

The Search.hemailaccessonline.com removal tutorial provided below should help you to complete the removal with ease. Note that whether you reside in Norway or Poland^[5], you may encounter this PUP. Thus, pay attention to the websites you visit.

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.

Get rid of Search.hemailaccessonline.com hijack

Search.hemailaccessonline.com is a suspicious search engine that returns results filled with sponsored links

Expanding the network of browser hijackers