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Search.myprivacy.zone virus (Virus Removal Instructions) - Free Instructions

by Lucia Danes - - | Type: Stealing programs

Search.myprivacy.zone virus Removal Guide

What is Search.myprivacy.zone virus?

Most important facts about Search.myprivacy.zone search engine

Search.myprivacy.zone virus is one of those aggravating browser hijackers that supersede browser’s homepage address without letting the user know beforehand. It is a product of MonetizeAd Ltd, and it usually reaches user’s PC in the form of a browser extension[1] called Search Control. In fact, it does control your searches, as it manages what search results you are going to get. It starts redirecting to hxxp://search.myprivacy.zone page, which presents a search engine and allows changing the background of it. No matter what you search for, it will clutter results’ pages with sponsored entries. We have also discovered that this search tool looks identical to searchdimension.com, which is promoted with a help of similar browser hijacker that appears to be a product of Search Dimensions Ltd. Therefore, we assume that these companies can be potential partners. Search.myprivacy.zone virus

The myprivacy.zone search engine provides a Privacy Policy document, which explains how the service collects user data and what it is going to be used for. Besides, it discloses that “The MyPrivacy Search services may integrate, be integrated into, or be provided in connection with third-party services and content,” and that they do not control these services and content. Accordingly, the Privacy Policy suggests reading legal documents provided by these external websites. Let us explain to you what this statement means. To put it simply, the search engine suggests being careful when exploring sites accessed via search results. These can provide critical content[2], but the developers of the extension and search engine refuse to accept responsibility for anything that happens on these sites. It simply causes redirections to them in order to get paid. In fact, removing this search engine is an excellent idea because it seems that it focuses on other things than client satisfaction. Besides, the fact that it tends to stealthily enter computer systems instead of fairly advertising itself and convincing users to use it is also not an indicator of a trustworthy search engine. To help users to remove Search.myprivacy.zone, we have prepared a comprehensive removal tutorial. You can also speed up the process by running a full system scan with trustworthy malware removal tools[3] such as FortectIntego or SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner.

Search.myprivacy.zone browser hijackerSearch.myprivacy.zone browser hijacker alters homepage settings to convince the user try the MyPrivacy Zone search engine. We do not recommend using it as it delivers a lot of sponsored search results.

How did this hijacker slither into my computer?

Browser hijackers are distributed alongside other free programs and therefore can be installed with user’s permission only. These programs are not viruses, although the way they enter computer systems scare users and lead to thinking they’re malicious[4] and deceptive programs. They key factor that allows these programs enter computer systems unnoticed is user’s carelessness and a tendency to rush when installing new programs. For some reasons, many people believe that the best way to install computer programs is to choose settings that are already selected for them – Default or Standard ones. Sadly, these settings cannot be trusted. If the developer of selected software chooses to collaborate with developers of potentially unwanted programs, he might agree to bundle additional programs with his own product and present these additions as “recommended” ones. Hence, agreements to install them will be prepared for the user and included in Default installation settings. That is the reason everyone should choose Custom or Advanced settings and manually remove the checkmark next to these agreements.

Two ways to remove Search.myprivacy.zone redirect problem

To stop annoying redirects[5] and enjoy problem-free browsing experience, we suggest you remove Search.myprivacy.zone virus using one of the methods our team provides. The first one requires patience, but you won’t need to install anti-malware program if you don’t have it yet. Experts at 2-Spyware have prepared a detailed tutorial on how to uninstall the browser hijacker manually, so if you follow the steps carefully, you should eliminate the virtual parasite in less than 10 minutes. However, there’s an alternative removal method that requires having anti-malware or anti-spyware software. It, however, liberates your PC from all dangerous programs at once.

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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Alternative Software
Different software has a different purpose. If you didn’t succeed in fixing corrupted files with Intego, try running Combo Cleaner.
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Getting rid of Search.myprivacy.zone virus. Follow these steps

Uninstall from Windows

Before fixing web browsers, you have to uninstall all shady programs that are currently active on your computer system. Use this tutorial to find and eliminate them.

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)

Find and remove Search Control add-on from Firefox.

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

In Chrome, you will find Search Control Extension. Get rid of it without a hesitation – it is the program that causes those annoying redirects on a daily basis.

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.myprivacy.zone 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

Stream videos without limitations, no matter where you are

There are multiple parties that could find out almost anything about you by checking your online activity. While this is highly unlikely, advertisers and tech companies are constantly tracking you online. The first step to privacy should be a secure browser that focuses on tracker reduction to a minimum.

Even if you employ a secure browser, you will not be able to access websites that are restricted due to local government laws or other reasons. In other words, you may not be able to stream Disney+ or US-based Netflix in some countries. To bypass these restrictions, you can employ a powerful Private Internet Access VPN, which provides dedicated servers for torrenting and streaming, not slowing you down in the process.

Data backups are important – recover your lost files

Ransomware is one of the biggest threats to personal data. Once it is executed on a machine, it launches a sophisticated encryption algorithm that locks all your files, although it does not destroy them. The most common misconception is that anti-malware software can return files to their previous states. This is not true, however, and data remains locked after the malicious payload is deleted.

While regular data backups are the only secure method to recover your files after a ransomware attack, tools such as Data Recovery Pro can also be effective and restore at least some of your lost data.

About the author
Lucia Danes
Lucia Danes - Virus researcher

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