Search.searchwatchyourtsn.com virus (Easy Removal Guide) - Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge
Search.searchwatchyourtsn.com virus Removal Guide
What is Search.searchwatchyourtsn.com virus?
Search.searchwatchyourtsn.com search results might redirect you to hazardous Internet pages
Search.searchwatchyourtsn.com virus is a nerve-racking computer program that changes homepage and default new tab page settings in victim’s web browsers. After taking control of the browser settings, the browser hijacker[1] replaces the previous value in homepage, default search and new tab page settings. As a consequence, browsers start redirecting the user to hxxp://Search.searchwatchyourtsn.com/ site on a daily basis. This is done in order to promote the search tool provided by that website. The search engine is known to be yet another bogus replica of infamous search tools developed by Polarity Technologies, Ltd. The company is a well-known developer of potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) that hijack browser’s settings without asking for user’s permission. The browser hijacker typically comes in the form of a browser extension called Watch Your TV Shows Now. Therefore, the victim sees this name whenever one of the infected browsers redirects him/her to the described web page.
If you’re wondering why would someone want to replace your browser’s homepage, the answer is because someone wants to force you to use a search engine that mainly provides ads instead of organic search results. At first, it seems that this search tool provides Yahoo search results; however, we suggest looking at the tab name then. It says “SaferBrowser Yahoo Search Results,” which means that search results aren’t genuinely from Yahoo. These results are likely to be filled with ads. Clicking on them can immediately redirect you to websites that might appear to be dangerous, and that is the reason why IT experts created the “Yahoo Redirect virus” category[2]. If you ever experience a redirect to such website without expressing an interest to do so, better quit it immediately. You should not trust websites that promote themselves via aggressive pop-up ads and banners, especially those generated by adware-type programs. If the described hijacker already infiltrated your computer system, remove Search.searchwatchyourtsn.com using anti-malware program, for instance, FortectIntego.
Search.searchwatchyourtsn.com virus attempts to force the computer user to use the search engine shown in the picture. However, this search engine generates results that are full of sponsored entries. Clicking on them can trigger redirects to dangerous websites.
However, annoying and dangerous redirects are not the only problems that this browser hijacker causes. It also collects some data about your browsing sessions. Although it promises not to collect personally identifiable information, you can never know whether it does or not. To collect browsing-related data, the hijacker employs such tracking technologies as cookies or web beacons. Collected data can be easily misused and reach people that are not supposed to get their hands on it. If you do not want to allow Polarity Technologies, Ltd. To collect browsing-related data, simply perform Search.searchwatchyourtsn.com removal.
Ways to reach target systems
Browser hijackers like Search.searchwatchyourtsn typically travel alongside popular freeware, so we suggest you be very careful when installing programs that you decide to download from suspicious Internet pages. They might be entirely legitimate programs, but their installers can suggest installing a couple of “recommended” programs that display annoying ads or change browser’s settings without providing any explanation. To opt-out unwanted additions, we recommend choosing Custom or Advanced settings during software installation procedure. This configuration will reveal the list of extra programs added to your desired software, and you will get a chance to deselect the ones that you do not need. Remember that Standard or Default option do not provide such possibility, so we suggest avoiding them if you do not want to allow installation of bundled programs without even realizing it.
Removing Search.searchwatchyourtsn.com redirect problem
Do not delay Search.searchwatchyourtsn.com removal any longer and use instructions prepared by our security experts in case you want to uninstall this browser hijacker manually. If you’re looking for a better and less time-consuming solution to this problem, we suggest installing an anti-spyware program and deleting all spyware/malware at once. You can find both manual, and automatic removal options explained below. If you decide to remove Search.searchwatchyourtsn.com virus manually, remember that a system scan using anti-spyware software can complete the task and wipe off all of the remaining components of spyware and malware.
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.
Getting rid of Search.searchwatchyourtsn.com virus. Follow these steps
Uninstall from Windows
First of all, you have to understand that usually it is not enough to uninstall a program via Control Panel to completely eliminate a browser hijacker or an adware program. You will need to find all programs developed by Polarity Technologies and then clean browser shortcuts as explained below.
Instructions for Windows 10/8 machines:
- Enter Control Panel into Windows search box and hit Enter or click on the search result.
- Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.
- From the list, find the entry of the suspicious program.
- Right-click on the application and select Uninstall.
- If User Account Control shows up, click Yes.
- Wait till uninstallation process is complete and click OK.
If you are Windows 7/XP user, proceed with the following instructions:
- Click on Windows Start > Control Panel located on the right pane (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
- In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.
- Pick the unwanted application by clicking on it once.
- At the top, click Uninstall/Change.
- In the confirmation prompt, pick Yes.
- Click OK once the removal process is finished.
Delete from macOS
Remove items from Applications folder:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for all related entries.
- Click on the app and drag it to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash)
To fully remove an unwanted app, you need to access Application Support, LaunchAgents, and LaunchDaemons folders and delete relevant files:
- Select Go > Go to Folder.
- Enter /Library/Application Support and click Go or press Enter.
- In the Application Support folder, look for any dubious entries and then delete them.
- Now enter /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders the same way and terminate all the related .plist files.
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 on Uninstall at the bottom.
Clear cookies and other browser data:
- Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Privacy & security.
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Select everything (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 Disable if you found any suspicious domain.
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.
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.
- Find the following folder on your computer: C:\\Users\\%username%\\AppData\\Local\\Packages\\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe.
- Press Ctrl + A on your keyboard to select all folders.
- Right-click on them and pick Delete
- Now right-click on the Start button and pick Windows PowerShell (Admin).
- 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
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.
Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
Follow the provided guidelines to eliminate all shady Firefox add-ons. To complete the removal procedure, refresh Firefox.
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 unwanted plugin and click Remove.
Reset the homepage:
- Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
- Choose Options.
- Under Home options, enter your preferred site that will open every time you newly open the Mozilla Firefox.
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, as well as Cached Web Content and press 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
Check Chrome's Extensions panel to find Watch Your TV Shows Now extension. If you can find this extension in your browser, delete it without a hesitation.
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 the suspicious plugins that might be 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 unwanted extensions from Safari:
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- In the new window, pick Extensions.
- Select the unwanted extension and select Uninstall.
Clear cookies and other website data from Safari:
- Click Safari > Clear History…
- From the drop-down menu under Clear, pick all history.
- Confirm with Clear History.
Reset Safari if the above-mentioned steps did not help you:
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- Go to Advanced tab.
- Tick the Show Develop menu in menu bar.
- From the menu bar, click Develop, and then select Empty Caches.
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.searchwatchyourtsn.com 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
Access your website securely from any location
When you work on the domain, site, blog, or different project that requires constant management, content creation, or coding, you may need to connect to the server and content management service more often. The best solution for creating a tighter network could be a dedicated/fixed IP address.
If you make your IP address static and set to your device, you can connect to the CMS from any location and do not create any additional issues for the server or network manager that needs to monitor connections and activities. VPN software providers like Private Internet Access can help you with such settings and offer the option to control the online reputation and manage projects easily from any part of the world.
Recover files after data-affecting malware attacks
While much of the data can be accidentally deleted due to various reasons, malware is one of the main culprits that can cause loss of pictures, documents, videos, and other important files. More serious malware infections lead to significant data loss when your documents, system files, and images get encrypted. In particular, ransomware is is a type of malware that focuses on such functions, so your files become useless without an ability to access them.
Even though there is little to no possibility to recover after file-locking threats, some applications have features for data recovery in the system. In some cases, Data Recovery Pro can also help to recover at least some portion of your data after data-locking virus infection or general cyber infection.
- ^ How to prevent and repair browser hijacking. AV-Comparatives. IT Security Tips.
- ^ Yahoo Redirect virus. How to delete? (Removal tutorial). NoVirus. Information about the Latest Viruses and Malware Removal Guides.