How to remove SocialSearchConverter browser hijacker

SocialSearchConverter browser hijacker is the PUP that promotes suspicious tools and pages via its search engine

SocialSearchConverter hijacker is the application that makes various changes and manipulations on the browser, so Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, other browsers can behave as the intruder wants and sponsors require. The particular browser threat is focused on exposing users to material and advertisements that can provide views, visits, and purchases for related advertisers.

The program is considered intrusive because it manages to install itself and change web browser settings without additional permissions. SocialSearchConverter search hijacker offers features like calculator, pdf reader, currency converter, Bitcoin converter, and rate tracker to encourage people to use this program as the browser addition. Sometimes the app can be added by the person who falls for those tricks. However, these features are not needed for everyone, and many other platforms offer better service.

The page can be personalized with added links to sites you are interested in, but those additional redirections and commercial content delivery shouldn't be attractive for users. Especially when all the searches get redirected to the questionable Nearbyme.io engine and filled with ads and links to other sponsored pages.^[1] This useless application needs to be eliminated as soon as possible, so read through this article and rely on the instructions.

The program starts as the intruder that affects your browsing activities and mainly appears to trigger those redirects out of nowhere, but it is possible that SocialSearchConverter got installed on purpose, by the users themselves. It is due to promotional ads that can come on the screen and push this browser extension, other toolbars, or search engines.

This is not the most common way how PUPs get distributed, but it sometimes works, and people fall for the promotion, so adds the browser-based application on the machine believing it is going to provide useful features. There are more annoying features to this unwanted application than positive things. And one of them is the silent distribution that involves other freeware and deceptive online content.

This SocialSearchConverter PUP can be installed during the freeware installation when you choose the wrong option – Quick or Recommended. This means that all included applications get automatically downloaded and can freely run on the machine without any issues. If you properly assess these risks, you should choose Advanced or Custom installation options every time you install any program on the machine to control processes.

When you catch the intruder already, removing the program is possible with anti-malware programs like SpyHunterCombo Cleaner or MalwarebytesMalwarebytes because these apps can find various infections and pieces related to the cyber threat, so all processes that annoy you get stopped. The quick scan with the program can eliminate any threats, including serious viruses.

However, the browser hijacker mainly annoys people because it changes those important preferences on the browser. It is frustrating because the intruder can get removed, but those preferences remain changed. This is how you can reset those settings directly, and you should do that to clean the browser so the unwanted behavior is stopped for good.

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 plugin and click Remove.

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 Mozilla Firefox.

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.

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.

Remove unwanted extensions from Safari:

1. Click Safari > Preferences…
2. In the new window, pick Extensions.
3. Select the unwanted extension and select Uninstall.

Issues with the common PUP

Various experts^[3] always note that potentially unwanted programs are not only capable of manipulating these browser settings, but also can track information about your habits online. The SocialSearchConverter hijacker and other content creators related to the activities on a web browser can access and track various information about the user and his or her habits on the internet. 

These details mainly are not personally identifiable but can lead to privacy issues and other problems. The information includes:

• visited sites;
• IP addresses;
• pages viewed;
• ISP;
• location;
• search queries.

These details are mainly not personal and cannot expose any information about your identity. However, the advertising-related details can help scammers to access machines and systems with secondary scam campaigns. Such activities can redirect to malicious pages, expose users to, particularly dangerous material. SocialSearchConverter itself is not malicious, but the behavior is intrusive and annoying.

If you need help with the removal if this PUP, you can rely on anti-malware tools because finding the PUP manually is pretty difficult. But these guides can help you fix issues with the machine by eliminating unwanted apps. 

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.
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 the uninstallation process is complete and click OK.

If you are a 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.
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.

Generally, SocialSearchConverter browser hijacker and other search hijackers like it ( ProRadioSearch, MovieSearchHome, TopGameSearch, BestPDFConverterSearch) are nothing malicious, but the system is affected significantly if the program is not terminated in time. You may not notice the infiltration immediately, so speed and performance suffer when the program is running for a while on the machine. 

You need to keep all the issues regarding data-tracking in mind. Financial losses,  privacy issues, or even identity theft are serious consequences. It is not worth using the illegitimate search engine when it does not provide any value to your browsing. There are perfectly fine and secure search engines, browser extensions.

Besides being intrusive, SocialSearchConverter can also spread other threats, install browser-based programs like toolbars, add-ons, extensions to control more activities on the browser. This is a concerning feature that should encourage you to remove the PUP completely. Rely on these tips if you need a full browser reset after the elimination.