Remove Search Protection (Free Guide)

Search Protection is the browser hijacker that changes homepage and default search engine settings on the web browser

Search Protection virus is a potentially unwanted program that should improve your time online and online searches. This Spigot Inc. product belongs to applications that often get bundled, and it protects those programs, so third-party applications are not changing particular settings on the web browser that browser-based threat focuses on. Since the online traffic is important and the list of sites the person visits, the main aim of the intruder is to redirect every session to affiliated and sponsored material online that can make a profit from views and visits.^[1] This is why once the PUP gets on the system, it starts rerouting you to commercial sites with the help of pop-up ads banners and links injected on the list of every online search results. Unfortunately, default settings get changed, and your search attempts automatically go to this engine instead of your default or preferred one. The browser hijacker can affect various processes on your device until all the leftover files get removed, and settings reversed back to default.

Name	Search Protection
Type	Browser hijacker
Symptoms	The program interferes with online searches and other processes involving browsing online. It focuses on redirecting the user to affiliated pages and commercial content because such websites can generate revenue for the publisher. Browser hijacker changes various settings and preferences on web browsers so it can control where the user is redirected
Distribution	Freeware installations, in most cases, include cush programs as additional content which gets installed automatically by skipping through important steps. Also, people often download these intruders from misleading advertisements and gets disappointed
Danger	Any potentially unwanted program that is related to advertisers can be considered dangerous due to the ad-tracking function that is included on the commercial sites that show up on the screen due to the hijacking. This behavior can potentially lead to privacy issues because users' information gets tracked and collected or even misused in malvertising campaigns^[2]
Elimination	Search Protection removal requires anti-malware tools no matter if you installed the tool yourself or got the PUP out of nowhere. These programs can clean all related files and applications, so the machine is clear from intruders
Repair	Potentially unwanted programs alter browser settings and install files, applications on the system to affect the performance and persistence of the intruder. Get a tool like Fortect Intego to fix issues with the system and repair registry or startup entries damaged by the hijack

Spigot Search Protection is related to fake search engines and can reroute every search through any of them, so when you notice any suspicious pages, redirects in addition to intrusive advertisements, you should pay close attention to programs that you already have installed on the machine or applications that appear out of nowhere. It is the most common way to get such PUPs with other freeware.

You should remove Search Protection as soon as you notice any suspicious symptoms, especially when the following message starts appearing on the screen:

Search Settings Change Notification
Search Protection has blocked an attempt by another program to change your default search settings.

This Search Protection pop-up states about the program that got blocked because it tried to interfere with the Spigot product. That may happen a lot, and such behavior either damages your computer, programs, or diminishes the general performance of the device. This is why it gets extremely annoying and difficult to get rid of the shady browser hijacker – all the setting changes interfere with normal functions.

Since Search Protection is related to other Spigot or Conduit products, even anti-malware engines detect this fake search engine as possibly malicious or at least suspicious, so you need to take that into consideration. It is possible that you installed the tool yourself when the misleading ad redirected you to the promotional content. You can still uninstall it, and the sooner you delete this PUP, the better. Search Protection, also known as Search Protect, is a program that was created and developed by a well-known company Spigot. It is already known for such questionable programs as Spigot Toolbar, Conduit virus, Search Protect, etc. If this program enters the computer, it drops its own registry entry and starts its work as soon as the victim reboots the computer.

In addition, it may affect all of your web browsers and then start interrupting each of your search sessions. If you noticed Search Protection redirects, suspicious pop-up ads, and even slowdowns every time after you open your Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, or Mozilla Firefox browser, you should be careful.

Additional Search Protection hijack symptoms may be:

suspicious processes running in Task Manager;
other products installed on the machine or the web browser without your permission;
random pop-ups promote programs or updates of the OS.

The most dangerous thing that could happen is that you may be redirected to a dangerous site that may be filled with suspicious content or even malware.^[3] Such questionable programs have also been actively used for displaying various pop-up ads and similar activities that can hardly be ignored. Please, check your computer with reputable anti-spyware if you have the slightest thought that the Search Protection virus is hiding on your computer!

For that, we highly recommend using professional software and getting that from official sources. This Search Protection removal method will help you to make sure that all suspicious files and folders are gone, and you will never see annoying ads during your browsing. Also, remember about the Windows registry and other places that the hijacker enters behind your back. Get a program like a system optimizer or a cleaner tool Fortect Intego and repair that damage.

Deceptive techniques used to spread potentially unwanted programs

Potentially unwanted programs get spread around with a help of freeware and shareware providers. The most popular method that is used for spreading this hijacker is closely related to freeware and shareware installations, which is usually filled with optional components.

If you like to choose Quick, Basic, or Recommended installation methods when downloading free programs to your computer, you can easily fall for downloading questionable browser add-ons, extensions, plugins, toolbars, etc. That's why you should always avoid these installation options.

If you want to protect yourself from any computer virus, make sure you choose Custom or Advanced installation when downloading such programs as download managers, PDF creators, and similar applications. In addition, you should always avoid clicking the Next button all the time because you may easily leave the checkmark that allows all the setting changes

Ways to get rid of Search Protection virus

Search Protection removal is the process that has a few stages because since this is a PUP, it can add other programs on the machine or install browser-based applications, change settings of the web browsing tools, and the system itself. You can get rid of the browser hijacker or the potentially unwanted program manually, but any trace of the intruder can still fill the screen with intrusive advertisements.

This is why we recommend terminating the Search Protection virus with automatic tools designed to fight threats and malware. Even though this is an unwanted program, not a virus anti-malware tools can clean the machine fully and make sure that all suspicious programs get deleted off of the device.

In order to remove Search Protection or other browser hijackers from your computer manually, use the guide which is given below. There are guides for each browser that shows the resetting to default instructions. Getting back to normal settings improves performance and time online significantly.

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.

How to remove Search Protection

Search Protection is the browser hijacker that changes homepage and default search engine settings on the web browser

Deceptive techniques used to spread potentially unwanted programs