Search.searchcounn.com virus. How to remove? (Uninstall guide)
Why shouldn’t you trust Search.searchcounn.com search engine?
Questions about Search.searchcounn.com virus
Search.searchcounn.com virus is an annoying browser hijacker[1] that might suddenly replace your current homepage address with an unknown search engine. This suspicious search tool might be installed along with other freeware or CouponUnity application. These two apps are closely related. The main page of the search engine includes a toolbar with links to various discount coupon providers and offers quick access to the email services, and other websites. However, neither these links nor a search engine is worth using and relying on. Search.searchcounn.com browser hijacker was developed and distributed by the two shady developers of potentially unwanted programs – Eightpoint Technologies Ltd and Polarity Technologies Ltd. Similar search tools have already hijacked thousands of web browsers and forced users to browse through insecure commercial content. Thus, if you do not want to be redirected to the infected website, click on a malware-laden ad[2] or tricked into installing rough software, remove Search.searchcounn.com immediately. If this program sneaked inside your device unnoticed, please run a full system scan with Reimage or another anti-malware tool.
Click 'Start -> Control Panel -> Programs and Features' (if you are 'Windows XP' user, click on 'Add/Remove Programs').
If you are 'Windows 10 / Windows 8' user, then right-click in the lower left corner of the screen. Once 'Quick Access Menu' shows up, select 'Control Panel' and 'Uninstall a Program'.
Right click on each of suspicious entries and select 'Uninstall'
Right click on browsers' icon and select 'Properties'
Select 'Shortcut' tab and delete 'http://isearch.babylon.com...' or other suspicious URL
Cick 'Go' and select 'Applications'
Click on every malicious entry and select 'Move to Trash'
Click on menu icon and select 'Manage add-ons'
Right click on each of malicious entries and select 'Disable'
Delete malicious URL, enter your desired domain name and click 'Apply' to save changes
Go to 'Advanced' tab and click on 'Reset' button. Now select 'Delete personal settings' and click on 'Reset' button again
Go to Settings and select 'Choose what to clear'
Select 'Clear' button
Open the start menu and select 'Task Manager'
Right-click 'Microsoft Edge' and select 'Go to details'
Select 'More details' if 'Go to details' option fails to show up
Find Microsoft Edge entries and select 'End Task'
Go to Microsoft Edge folder on your computer, right-click every entry and click 'Delete'
Find Windows PowerShell, right-click it and select 'Run as administrator'
Copy and paste a required command and press 'Enter'
Click on menu icon and select 'Add-ons'
Select 'Extensions' and look for malicious entries. Click 'Remove' to get rid of each of them
When in 'General' tab, delete malicious URL from 'Home Page' section or click on 'Restore to Default' button. Click 'OK' to save changes
Click on menu icon and then on '?'. Select 'Troubleshooting Information'
Click on 'Reset Firefox' button for a couple of times
Click on menu icon. Select 'Tools' and 'Extensions'
Look for malicious entries and delete each of them by clicking on the Trash bin icon
After clicking on menu and 'Settings', select 'Set pages'
Click 'X' to remove malicious URLs
When in 'Settings', select 'Manage search engines...'
Click 'X' to remove malicious URLs
When in 'Settings', scroll down to 'Reset browser settings' button and click on it
Click on 'Reset' button to complete your removal
Click on 'Safari' and select 'Preferences'
Go to 'Extensions' and uninstall malicious add-ons
When in 'General', delete malicious URL and enter your desired domain name
Click on 'Safari' and select 'Reset Safari...'
Select all options and click on 'Reset' button
After Search.searchcounn.com hijack, the affected browser’s settings are altered. This search tool might replace current homepage, default search engine, and new tab URL address. These modifications are needed to keep this search tool as long as possible on the affected PC. Browser hijackers are used as marketing tools. Thus, developers generate revenue from clicks on the ads and boosted traffic to the sponsored websites. We want to point out that developers do not take responsibility for third-party content and what might happen to you on affiliate’s website. One of the main Search.searchcounn.com redirect problems are related not to the inability to find useful information. Using this search tool you might enter an infected or misleading website where you can suffer from various cyber crimes.[3] Although redirects are quite a huge threat to your computer, this potentially unwanted program might also lead to privacy-related issues. In the Privacy Policy, developers inform about data collection and usage. They mostly track non-personally identifiable information with might be shared or sold to third-parties, business partners or advertising networks. There’s no doubt that aggregated data is used for marketing purposes,[4] you cannot be sure what might happen if details about you end up in a hands of cyber criminals. However, Search.searchcounn.com removal will protect you and your computer from all possible damage.
When did the hijack occur?
Search.searchcounn.com virus does not spread or attack computers alone. It belongs to the group of potentially unwanted programs (PUP) that need permission to enter the system. Just like regular software, PUPs cannot be installed without user’s approval. The tricky part here is that these apps can get indirect permission to enter the system. This browser hijacker is attached to the software packages.[5] Thus, when installing new programs downloaded from the Internet, you should always check whether you install a single program or a package. This can be done by using Advanced/Custom installation settings. This installation wizard reveals the list of third-party apps that are offered to download as well. Also, you might find a pre-selected statement agreeing to change your current search engine to Search.searchcounn.com or another unknown search tool. You need deselect all these offers without consideration. They are barely useful and might cause more problems in the future. Sadly, the majority of users opt for Quick or Standard settings, which do not disclose about additional downloads. As a result, all PUPs are installed secretly.
How can I delete Search.searchcounn.com virus from my browser entirely?
The quickest and most effective way to remove Search.searchcounn.com is to scan the computer with security software. Malware removal programs not only detects all hijacker related components but also might detect other suspicious entries hiding on the system. There’s a chance that other PUPs were installed on your device too. However, if you do not prefer using additional software, you can follow our prepared manual Search.searchcounn.com removal instructions. Please be vigilant. If you leave some suspicious files or apps installed, you might soon experience another hijack.
You can remove virus damage automatically with a help of one of these programs: Reimage, SpyHunterCombo Cleaner, Malwarebytes Malwarebytes. We recommend these applications because they detect potentially unwanted programs and viruses with all their files and registry entries that are related to them.
To remove Search.searchcounn.com virus, follow these steps:
Remove Search.searchcounn.com from Windows systems
The guidelines below will help you to remove Search.searchcounn.com from the Windows device. From the list of installed programs, delete all suspicious applications that you do not remember installing. They might be related to the browser hijacker.
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Click Start → Control Panel → Programs and Features (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
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If you are Windows 10 / Windows 8 user, then right-click in the lower left corner of the screen. Once Quick Access Menu shows up, select Control Panel and Uninstall a Program.
- Uninstall Search.searchcounn.com and related programs
Here, look for Search.searchcounn.com or any other recently installed suspicious programs. -
Uninstall them and click OK to save these changes.
- Remove Search.searchcounn.com from Windows shortcuts
Right click on the shortcut of Mozilla Firefox and select Properties. -
Go to Shortcut tab and look at the Target field. Delete malicious URL that is related to your virus.
Repeat steps that are given above with all browsers' shortcuts, including Internet Explorer and Google Chrome. Make sure you check all locations of these shortcuts, including Desktop, Start Menu and taskbar.
WindowsMac OS XInternet ExplorerMicrosoft EdgeFirefoxGoogle ChromeSafariGet rid of Search.searchcounn.com from Mac OS X system
Search.searchcounn.com browser hijacker mostly aims at the Windows OS users. However, if your Mac has suffered from this pest, please follow the instructions carefully. You need to find and delete all hijacker-related components.
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If you are using OS X, click Go button at the top left of the screen and select Applications.
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Wait until you see Applications folder and look for Search.searchcounn.com or any other suspicious programs on it. Now right click on every of such entries and select Move to Trash.
Delete Search.searchcounn.com from Internet Explorer (IE)
From the list of add-ons you should remove all suspicious entries developed by Polarity Technologies or Eightpoint Technologies. Also, reset Internet Explorer as shown below.
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Remove dangerous add-ons
Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top right corner of the browser and choose Manage Add-ons. -
You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for Search.searchcounn.com and other suspicious plugins. Disable these entries by clicking Disable:
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Change your homepage if it was altered by virus:
Click on the gear icon (menu) on the top right corner of the browser and select Internet Options. Stay in General tab. -
Here, remove malicious URL and enter preferable domain name. Click Apply to save changes.
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Reset Internet Explorer
Click on the gear icon (menu) again and select Internet options. Go to Advanced tab. - Here, select Reset.
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When in the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset again to complete Search.searchcounn.com removal.
Uninstall Search.searchcounn.com virus from Microsoft Edge
Nevertheless, Microsoft Edge is quite new browser; it can still be hijacked. If Search.searchcounn.com became your homepage, please follow the instructions to get rid of this suspicious site.
Reset Microsoft Edge settings (Method 1):
- Launch Microsoft Edge app and click More (three dots at the top right corner of the screen).
- Click Settings to open more options.
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Once Settings window shows up, click Choose what to clear button under Clear browsing data option.
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Here, select all what you want to remove and click Clear.
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Now you should right-click on the Start button (Windows logo). Here, select Task Manager.
- When in Processes tab, search for Microsoft Edge.
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Right-click on it and choose Go to details option. If can’t see Go to details option, click More details and repeat previous steps.
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When Details tab shows up, find every entry with Microsoft Edge name in it. Right click on each of them and select End Task to end these entries.
Resetting Microsoft Edge browser (Method 2):
If Method 1 failed to help you, you need to use an advanced Edge reset method.
- Note: you need to backup your data before using this method.
- Find this folder on your computer:
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe. -
Select every entry which is saved on it and right click with your mouse. Then Delete option.
- Click the Start button (Windows logo) and type in window power in Search my stuff line.
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Right-click the Windows PowerShell entry and choose Run as administrator.
- Once Administrator: Windows PowerShell window shows up, paste this command line after PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> and press Enter:
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register $($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml -Verbose}
Once these steps are finished, Search.searchcounn.com should be removed from your Microsoft Edge browser.
WindowsMac OS XInternet ExplorerMicrosoft EdgeFirefoxGoogle ChromeSafariErase Search.searchcounn.com from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
Make sure that the list of Mozilla extensions hasn’t been expanded. If you find CouponUnity or other add-ons developed by Polarity Technologies or Eightpoint Technologies, get rid of the immediately. Also, don’t forget to reset browser’s settings in order to set your preferred search engine.
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Remove dangerous extensions
Open Mozilla Firefox, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Add-ons → Extensions. -
Here, select Search.searchcounn.com and other questionable plugins. Click Remove to delete these entries.
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Change your homepage if it was altered by virus:
Click on the menu (top right corner), choose Options → General. - Here, delete malicious URL and enter preferable website or click Restore to default.
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Click OK to save these changes.
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Reset Mozilla Firefox
Click on the Firefox menu on the top left and click on the question mark. Here, choose Troubleshooting Information. -
Now you will see Reset Firefox to its default state message with Reset Firefox button. Click this button for several times and complete Search.searchcounn.com removal.
Eliminate Search.searchcounn.com from Google Chrome
Go to the list of extensions and uninstall all questionable entries from the Google Chrome. In order to remove Search.searchcounn.com hijacker from the browser entirely, reset the browser as shown below.
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Delete malicious plugins
Open Google Chrome, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Tools → Extensions. -
Here, select Search.searchcounn.com and other malicious plugins and select trash icon to delete these entries.
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Change your homepage and default search engine if it was altered by your virus
Click on menu icon and choose Settings. -
Here, look for the Open a specific page or set of pages under On startup option and click on Set pages.
- Now you should see another window. Here, delete malicious search sites and enter the one that you want to use as your homepage.
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Click on menu icon again and choose Settings → Manage Search engines under the Search section.
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When in Search Engines..., remove malicious search sites. You should leave only Google or your preferred domain name.
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Reset Google Chrome
Click on menu icon on the top right of your Google Chrome and select Settings. -
Scroll down to the end of the page and click on Reset browser settings.
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Click Reset to confirm this action and complete Search.searchcounn.com removal.
Remove Search.searchcounn.com from Safari
Follow the instructions to fix Safari after the Search.searchcounn.com hijack.
- Remove dangerous extensions
Open Safari web browser and click on Safari in menu at the top left of the screen. Once you do this, select Preferences. -
Here, select Extensions and look for Search.searchcounn.com or other suspicious entries. Click on the Uninstall button to get rid each of them.
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Change your homepage if it was altered by virus:
Open your Safari web browser and click on Safari in menu section. Here, select Preferences as it was displayed previously and select General. -
Here, look at the Homepage field. If it was altered by Search.searchcounn.com, remove unwanted link and enter the one that you want to use for your searches. Remember to include the "http://" before typing in the address of the page.
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Reset Safari
Open Safari browser and click on Safari in menu section at the top left of the screen. Here, select Reset Safari.... -
Now you will see a detailed dialog window filled with reset options. All of those options are usually checked, but you can specify which of them you want to reset. Click the Reset button to complete Search.searchcounn.com removal process.
About the author
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References
- ^ The Uninvited Guest. A Browser Hijacking Experience, Dissected. Anchor Intellingence. Traffic Quality Solutions.
- ^ Bart Pursel, Ph.D.. Malvertising, the growing problem of malware-laden ads. IST 110. Introduction to Information Sciences and Technology.
- ^ Dan Patterson. 2017 cybercrime trends: Expect a fresh wave of ransomware and IoT hacks. TechRepublic.News, Tips, and Advice for Technology Professionals.
- ^ Peter Eckersley. Online (and What Social Networks Are Doing to Help Them). Electronic Frontier Foundation. Defending Your Rights in the Digital World.
- ^ Bundled software. Webopedia. Online Tech Dictionary for IT Professionals.
April 7th, 2017 at 8:56 am
What a hell?! I have no clue how this search engine hijacked my browser. I am so angry about it! But thanks for the instructions, you did a great job.
April 7th, 2017 at 8:57 am
well, at least this infection is not dangerous.
April 7th, 2017 at 8:58 am
I scanned my computer with Reimage and it found more infections, not only search.searchcounn.com :/