Srchnail.com browser hijacker (Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge) - spam
Srchnail.com browser hijacker Removal Guide
What is Srchnail.com browser hijacker?
Srchnail.com browser hijacker is the program that redirects to other sites to expose people to commercial content
Browser hijackers focus on redirecting URLs to spam pages
Srchnail.com is the search hijacker that redirects online searches through another site. The browser hijacker triggers reroute via Yahoo search engine that is considered reliable, but the content additionally displayed in the search results is not. The program gets installed behind your back, so these issues with redirects and changed homepage, new tab, search engine settings come out of nowhere.
The website is redirecting people to pages where spam content, fake warnings, and potentially harmful material can be found. Scamming pages and false claims about malware, programs out of date might cause issues with additional installs of PUPs and more serious threats.
The Srchnail.com browser hijacker itself is controlled by the potentially unwanted program that runs on the machine and causes additional changes in system folders and functions to keep users exposed to online material that is related to sponsors and third-party advertisers.[1]
Name | Srchnail.com |
---|---|
Type | Browser hijacker, search redirect |
Category | Potentially unwanted program[2] |
Issues | The site reroutes online traffic to particular commercial sites, alters the homepage, new tab, default search engine preferences |
Damage | These reroute and additional content can expose users to possibly dangerous material online or lead to PUP installations |
Distribution | Freeware installations, insecure sites, pirating platforms |
Elimination | Try to run an anti-malware tool, so these issues with intruders stop when the app is terminated |
Repair | Run FortectIntego for the virus damage repair |
Issues created by the browser hijacker
Srchnail.com search hijacker mainly is affecting web browsers and applications related to online traffic, but the speed issues and poor performance problems stem from the PUP that controls such intruders and runs in the background. The program is triggering startup processes, so each time the computer is rebooted, the app is also launched.
Those issues with browsing online and advertisements coming from shady sites create the issue that encourages people to call the program a virus. However, this is the search redirect, not a malicious virus. The PUP cannot cause major issues or permanent damage, but experts[3] always recommend removing these intruders as soon as it is possible to avoid further issues.
Srchnail.com might come out of nowhere and silently, but there are some symptoms that indicate unwanted program infiltration:
- search engine on the browser is set to Srchnail.com;
- searches get redirected via Yahoo or bing;
- additional browser extensions get installed without permission or your knowledge;
- speed issues and poor performance occurs;
- advertisements get included on the sites that should not have ads, banners, or links.
Search engine like this can be promoted as the useful feature and addition to your online tools
Removal of the unwanted program and stopping shady behavior related to the PUP
If you ever notice any issues with the performance and internet speed and you have installed something from the internet, note that this might be the reason why. Users often skip through steps during installations and allow such intruders like the Srchnail.com browser hijacker on the machine without knowledge.
It is recommended to react as soon as you notice any issues with the machine. Scanning the system using SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner, or any other security tool can help find all potential threats and remove them from your device. It is not a bad habit to have. Anti-malware tools can help avoid these installations in the first place.
Since Srchnail.com hijacks browsers, you might want to double-check, so rely on this guide for Chrome. It is the more commonly affected application, but below, we also provide instructions for all the other browsing tools too.
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.
Clearing the machine properly
Your browser redirects to shady sites because the shady program is installed on your computer. You might change those homepage, new tab, search engine preferences manually, but third-party content still comes to your screen because the main issue with the Srchnail.com browser hijacker is not taken care of.
It might seem difficult since people mainly are not tech-savvy of the search hijacker managed to find the way on the machine. Full browser reset can be a quick option and thoroughly clean all the unwanted factors from the browser, but the PUP still might trigger activities on the machine and affect the performance and speed.
Get rid of the PUP properly
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.
People are often puzzled about where the intruder came from, but in most cases, the infiltration happened with the user interaction one way or another. You might catch an infection like Srchnail.com search hijacker when installing other freeware. Pirating platforms and torrent sites are often include bundled PUPs.
You can find deceptive sites, misleading ads pushing these updates, improving tools and search engines with additional useful features. It is common for PUP developers to promote their creations as a great investment, and free offers mainly trick people into downloading these apps. It is possible to avoid the infiltration by relying on official sources and avoiding quick or recommended installation options. If you go for Advances installation, you can stop the distribution of threats like Srchnail.com browser hijacker.
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 Srchnail.com browser hijacker. Follow these steps
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)
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.
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 Srchnail.com browser hijacker 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 browser hijacker
Choose a proper web browser and improve your safety with a VPN tool
Online spying has got momentum in recent years and people are getting more and more interested in how to protect their privacy online. One of the basic means to add a layer of security – choose the most private and secure web browser. Although web browsers can't grant full privacy protection and security, some of them are much better at sandboxing, HTTPS upgrading, active content blocking, tracking blocking, phishing protection, and similar privacy-oriented features. However, if you want true anonymity, we suggest you employ a powerful Private Internet Access VPN – it can encrypt all the traffic that comes and goes out of your computer, preventing tracking completely.
Lost your files? Use data recovery software
While some files located on any computer are replaceable or useless, others can be extremely valuable. Family photos, work documents, school projects – these are types of files that we don't want to lose. Unfortunately, there are many ways how unexpected data loss can occur: power cuts, Blue Screen of Death errors, hardware failures, crypto-malware attack, or even accidental deletion.
To ensure that all the files remain intact, you should prepare regular data backups. You can choose cloud-based or physical copies you could restore from later in case of a disaster. If your backups were lost as well or you never bothered to prepare any, Data Recovery Pro can be your only hope to retrieve your invaluable files.
- ^ The danger of third parties: ads, pipelines, and plugins. Malwarebytes. Security research blog.
- ^ Potentially unwanted programs. Wikipedia. The free encyclopedia.
- ^ Dieviren. Dieviren. Spyware related news.