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  • Active
  • Severity: High
  • Stealing programs
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Jan 2017

How to remove Search.searchpackaget.com virus

A step-by-step removal guide for affected devices. Follow the verified procedure below — most readers complete it in under 10 minutes.

Lucia Danes · Virus researcher

Overview of the Search.searchpackaget.com browser hijacker:

In this article, we are going to discuss the Search.searchpackaget.com virus — a browser hijacker [1] which pretends to be a legitimate search engine with an integrated parcel tracking option. For those of you hearing about browser hijackers the first time — it is a type of lightweight malware [2], which is too tame to be labeled as a virus but cannot be regarded as completely harmless program either. Virus analysts have a specific name for such parasites and call them potentially unwanted programs or simply PUPs [3]. Search.searchpackaget.com malware falls under this category of cyber infections for a variety of reasons. First, this program settles on the web browsers against the user’s will. The shady search engine replaces the regular search providers and tries to convince the user into using it for as long as possible with numerous “handy” features, such as quick access links to social media sites, email and weather websites. Some of these features might actually be useful but there are more concerning characteristics to this program which signal that Search.searchpackaget.com removal is necessary and should be carried out as soon as possible. If you are already familiar with all the reasons that make this virus a potentially unwanted program, we suggest you jump to the last paragraph where we talk about virus elimination options or simply initiate a full system scan with anti-malware programs, such as FortectIntego.

Search.searchpackaget.com

Apart from taking over computers by stealth, Search.searchpackaget.com hijack manifests through the web the mosts. With this virus on the computer, your browsing experience may become extremely unpleasant. On the most part, you may find it impossible to find relevant information via this new search engine: sponsored links [4] may fill the top pages of the search results, or you may find that you end up on some random sites after an unexpected Search.searchpackaget.com redirect. Besides, even the legitimate websites may now be filled with pop-up ads and banners [5] that make the page loading time painstakingly long. You should also be careful with the quick links that are indicated in the homepage of the Search Package site. For instance, we have found a suspicious phishing site under the “News” icon which is mostly filled with offers to earn easy money, accompanied with “success stories” of people from around your area. By all means, you should keep away from such domains and avoid websites that promote them. This means you have to remove Search.searchpackaget.com and replace it with another, more trustworhty search service.

How do you stop this hijacker from settling in on your browser?

The core thing that all IT-savvy users should do is obtain a trustworthy, legal and powerful security tool to protect their computers from initial malware attacks. Of course, the antivirus protection alone is not enough to fight back such sneaky viruses like Search.searchpackaget.com. Thus, you should also be at your most careful behaviour while you are browsing online or downloading content to your computer. Do not go mindlessly clicking on random download links or obtaining software that you have not investigated first. Also, avoid attachment files that come with spam emails sent from unfamiliar sources. You should keep Search.searchpackaget.com at bay if you follow these recommendations consistently.

Search.searchpackaget.com removal and browser restore recommendations:

The first thing we always suggest for the browser hijacker victims is to scan their devices with powerful malware-detection tool immediately. Search.searchpackaget.com virus should be stopped without delay, because it only grows stronger and more difficult to remove with time. Automatic anti-malware tools are perfect for this purpose. Apart from taking care of a quick Search.searchpackaget.com removal, these utilities often find other malware that has been installed while the hijacker roamed the PC unattended. Thus, they are especially useful if you want to perform a deep-clean of your system without spending much time on it. Nevertheless, you can also try out the manual option and remove Search.searchpackaget.com yourself. We explain how to do that in the guidelines below.

Uninstall from Windows

Uninstall from Windows 10/8:

  1. Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
  2. Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.Uninstall from Windows 10/8

Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:

  1. Click on Windows Start > Control Panel (Windows XP users should click on Add/Remove Programs).
  2. In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.Uninstall from Windows 7/XP

Remove the unwanted program:

  1. In the Programs and Features window, look for any recently installed suspicious entries, select them, and click Uninstall.
  2. If User Account Control appears, click Yes to confirm, then complete the removal.Uninstall the unwanted program from Windows

Delete from macOS

Remove the unwanted application:

  1. From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
  2. In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).Uninstall from Mac

Delete leftover files and folders:

  1. Select Go > Go to Folder.
  2. Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
  3. Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.Delete leftover files from Mac
  4. Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.

Reset Internet Explorer

Remove dangerous add-ons:

  1. Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
  2. Pick Manage Add-ons.
  3. You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.Remove add-ons from Internet Explorer

Change your homepage if it was altered:

  1. Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
  2. Select Internet Options.
  3. In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
  4. Click Apply and then select OK.Reset IE homepage

Delete temporary files:

  1. Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
  2. Under Browsing history, click Delete...
  3. Select relevant fields and press Delete.Clear temporary files from Internet Explorer

Reset Internet Explorer:

  1. Click on Gear icon > Internet options and select Advanced tab.
  2. Select Reset.
  3. In the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset.Reset Internet Explorer

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 Remove.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 Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
  2. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  3. 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.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 Remove next to any suspicious startup page.

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

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.
  5. This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.Reset Chromium Edge

Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)

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 the unwanted extension 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 Settings.
  3. Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.

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 and Temporary cached files and pages, then click 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

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 suspicious extensions 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 dangerous extensions:

  1. Open Safari, click Safari in the menu at the top-left of the screen, and select Preferences.
  2. Go to the Extensions tab, look for any suspicious entries, and click Uninstall to remove them.Remove extensions from Safari

Clear history and website data:

  1. Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
  2. Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.Clear history from Safari

Reset Safari:

  1. Click Safari in the menu and select Preferences > Advanced.
  2. Enable Show Develop menu in menu bar.
  3. From the menu bar, click Develop and select Empty Caches.Reset Safari

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