Search.hgetsports.net (Removal Instructions) - Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge

Search.hgetsports.net Removal Guide

What is Search.hgetsports.net?

Search.hgetsports.net tricks people into using its services by promising easy access to sports TV streaming sites

The image of Search.hgetsports.net hijack

Search.hgetsports.net is a potentially unwanted program (PUP) developed by Polarity Technologies Ltd. It operates as an unreliable search engine which aims to take over users' browsers and deliver sponsored advertisements. Note that there are similar browser hijackers, such as Search.seasytowatchtv.com, Search.easytowatchtv.com, Search.searchemailo.com, etc. Although, they have the same aims — increase the pay-per-click revenue of the contrivers by bringing traffic to the affiliate websites[1].

This browser hijacker spreads as GetSports extension which is offered on Google Chrome Store. Developers target naive computer users by promising help to watch live sports shows on TV streaming sites with only one click. Attractive description lures people into believing that its services are useful and manually installing the PUP. However, it might stealthily infiltrate together with third-party applications.

Following the installation, so-called GetSports virus starts modifying your browser parameters and assigning hxxp://search.hgetsports.net/ to your new tab, default search engine, and homepage. Unfortunately, people are unable to reverse those alterations without the help of a professional or malware removal software.

If you have noticed similar browser modifications as mentioned above, immediately remove Search.hgetsports.net since it might put your privacy in danger. It is worth to mention that this potentially unwanted program collects various details about its users which are the following:

  • Browser and computer details;
  • IP address and geolocation;
  • Your frequently visited websites;
  • Clicked ads;
  • Search queries on the fake search engine and other sites.

While this information is said to be non-personally identifiable, developers warn that you can unconsciously provide details that would personally identify you through search queries. Sadly, once you install GetSports hijacker, you permit its contrivers to not only gather this information but also share with third-party companies.

If that is not enough, after Search.hgetsports.net hijack, this information is processed and exploited to deliver ads on your frequently visited sites or ones which would correspond to your recent search queries. Unfortunately, rarely those advertisements offer trustworthy products or software. Likewise, clicking on them might get you involved in a scam or even expose system vulnerabilities to malware infections[2].

The illustration of Search.hgetsports.net browser hijackerSearch.hgetsports.net is a fake search engine which spreads as GetSports extension on Chrome Web Store.

Moreover, the search results generated by this potentially unwanted program are not reliable as well. They are filled with links to affiliate websites which help its developers to profit from Search.hgetsports.net redirect tendency. We strongly advise you to reconsider keeping this fake search engine since there is a high risk that you will end up on suspicious and potentially dangerous pages.

Performing Search.hgetsports.net removal is the best option if you want to protect your computer and privacy together. As it is already mentioned, this browser hijacker is hard to eliminate. Thus, you can get a security software to help you right away. Pick FortectIntego and let it do the job for you.

However, you can try to uninstall Search.hgetsports.net manually as well. We have prepared instructions on how to do it safely. Find them at the end of this article and make sure to follow every step.

Pay attention during the installation of third-party software

Unfortunately, contemporary computer users are reckless and tend to agree with everything during the installation of software. This is the reason why the developers of potentially unwanted programs employ bundling technique to distribute their unreliable products.

Software-bundles consist of two programs which are offered as one unless you carefully follow the steps of the installation process and identify such actions. Browser hijackers are hidden inside the installers of freeware and can only be detected if the person picks Custom or Advanced mode during the procedure.

Potentially unwanted programs come as additional downloads which are pre-selected without your direct permission. Likewise, you must un-tick those checkmarks to avoid the installation of PUP. Note that if you choose Quick or Recommended settings, you will not be able to detect them during the procedure.

Search.hgetsports.net virus removal techniques explained

Since browser hijackers come along with extra elements which are designed to reassign Search.hgetsports.net to the new tab, homepage, and default search engine once you try to change it, most of the users are unable to eliminate it from their systems.

For this reason, we suggest you remove Search.hgetsports.net automatically with a robust malware removal software. You can pick either the ones, recommended by our experts of any other security program of your choice. Install and run a full system scan.

Also, if you like challenges, manual Search.hgetsports.net removal might interest you. Experts from NoVirus.uk[3] say that you must take into account that it is far more time-consuming and requires your attention before you start. For that, follow the guide which is at the end of this 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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What to do if failed?
If you failed to fix virus damage using Fortect Intego, submit a question to our support team and provide as much details as possible.
Fortect Intego has a free limited scanner. Fortect Intego offers more through scan when you purchase its full version. When free scanner detects issues, you can fix them using free manual repairs or you can decide to purchase the full version in order to fix them automatically.
Alternative Software
Different software has a different purpose. If you didn’t succeed in fixing corrupted files with Fortect, try running SpyHunter 5.
Alternative Software
Different software has a different purpose. If you didn’t succeed in fixing corrupted files with Intego, try running Combo Cleaner.

Getting rid of Search.hgetsports.net. Follow these steps

Uninstall from Windows

If a potentially unwanted program has infiltrated your Windows system, you must immediately remove it with all its components. For that, follow the instructions below:

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

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

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 want to fix Mozilla after browser hijacker, search for suspicious plug-ins and extensions. You must uninstall them.

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

To successfully eliminate the browser hijacker, you should uninstall GetSports extension and other related entries from 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 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

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 Search.hgetsports.net 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

Do not let government spy on you

The government has many issues in regards to tracking users' data and spying on citizens, so you should take this into consideration and learn more about shady information gathering practices. Avoid any unwanted government tracking or spying by going totally anonymous on the internet. 

You can choose a different location when you go online and access any material you want without particular content restrictions. You can easily enjoy internet connection without any risks of being hacked by using Private Internet Access VPN.

Control the information that can be accessed by government any other unwanted party and surf online without being spied on. Even if you are not involved in illegal activities or trust your selection of services, platforms, be suspicious for your own security and take precautionary measures by using the VPN service.

Backup files for the later use, in case of the malware attack

Computer users can suffer from data losses due to cyber infections or their own faulty doings. Ransomware can encrypt and hold files hostage, while unforeseen power cuts might cause a loss of important documents. If you have proper up-to-date backups, you can easily recover after such an incident and get back to work. It is also equally important to update backups on a regular basis so that the newest information remains intact – you can set this process to be performed automatically.

When you have the previous version of every important document or project you can avoid frustration and breakdowns. It comes in handy when malware strikes out of nowhere. Use Data Recovery Pro for the data restoration process.

About the author
Lucia Danes
Lucia Danes - Virus researcher

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