Trackpackagehome.com virus (Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge) - Improved Instructions
Trackpackagehome.com virus Removal Guide
What is Trackpackagehome.com virus?
Trackpackagehome.com is the search engine that can trigger unwanted activities
Trackpackagehome.com virus is a dishonest program that tries to convince the victim to use a different web search engine. Once installed, it meddles with the browser’s settings and sets Trackpackagehome page as default start and new tab site. The website doesn’t look suspicious, and it suggests tracking packages with an inbuilt package tracking tool. However, the search engine provided by that site will only bring you modified Yahoo search results filled with ads[1]. After entering the search query, we noticed that the tab name of the results page says “My Yahoo Search Results,” and the word “My” shouldn’t be there. It is simply a hint that search results are modified and likely filled with paid links that point to various external sites.
Name | Trackpackagehome.com |
---|---|
Type | Browser hijacker, potentially unwanted program |
Distribution | Software bundle packages, deceptive ads |
Symptoms | The homepage and new tab address are set to this or related site; a customized search engine is appended to the homepage; search results are filled with sponsored links and ads |
Risks | Installation of other potentially unwanted programs, privacy risks due to information gathering practices, financial losses |
Removal | You can uninstall potentially unwanted programs by scanning the computer with powerful anti-malware |
Optional steps | Computer infections can cause significant damage to system files or disrupt normal settings. To revert these changes and remediate the OS, perform a full system scan with FortectIntego repair software |
The Privacy Policy document provided by the page also confirms that. The developer of this search engine decided not to disclose any information about itself, however, the legal documents suggest that the search engine looks to include “quality, safe, and relevant external links,” however, “owners of the website cannot guarantee or verify the content of any externally linked website despite best efforts.” Let us paraphrase these statements to you.
The website simply integrates third-party as in the form of search results and seeks to drive traffic to these sites. As a result, the victim might click on such results and visit external websites that might be dangerous or contain critical downloads.
The owner of the search engine simply cares about the revenue more than he/she cares about the quality of the search results, so we suggest you use a different and more reliable search engine instead. To remove Trackpackagehome.com from your browser, use the instructions provided below the article.
On top of that, this search engine tracks what you search for and collects other pieces of data during your browsing sessions. It adds cookies to your browser and collects your search queries, writes down URLs of websites that you visit, watches what ads or links you click on and what do you download to your computer.
Finally, it finds out what is your IP. Collected information is likely to be used to provide you with targeted ads, which might look tempting. However, we suggest avoiding ads provided by Trackpackagehome because they can trigger redirects to highly hazardous Internet sites[2]. If you already started thinking about Trackpackagehome.com removal, we recommend using the tutorial we provided or simply delete the hijacker using anti-spyware software like SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner, Malwarebytes.
The virus provides altered Yahoo search results that contain a lot of sponsored links.
Browser hijackers are usually installed alongside other free programs
Browser hijackers, as well as the rest of potentially unwanted programs, are usually distributed with the help of software bundling. This method proved to be very efficient when trying to force computer users to install something they do not want or need to install.
Developers of potentially unwanted software simply make agreements with developers of other free programs and ask them to modify their software installers by adding suggestions to install “recommended” software. Such statements usually hide behind Default and Standard settings, so by choosing them, you simply agree to install all extra programs without even realizing it.
Therefore, we suggest you choose the Custom or Advanced option at all times. This way, you can see all additional programs added to your download and deselect the ones that you do not want to install. If the installer doesn’t provide any information about additional programs in the “Settings” stage, carefully read Privacy Policy and Terms of Use documents (the installer must contain them!).
Removing Trackpackagehome.com requires a full system check
Usually, all it takes to remove Trackpackagehome.com virus is simply to delete some suspicious computer programs and browser extensions that came with them. To do this the right way, we suggest reading the removal instructions provided below.
However, even if the hijacker disappears from your browser, it doesn’t mean that all of its components were removed. That is the reason why we suggest running a system check with the system repair software afterward.
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 Trackpackagehome.com virus. Follow these steps
Uninstall from Windows
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)
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
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 Trackpackagehome.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 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.
- ^ Search advertising. Wikipedia. The Free Encyclopedia.
- ^ Wendy Boswell. How do I avoid dangerous websites?. Lifewire. Tech Information Site.