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  • Active
  • Severity: High
  • Stealing programs
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Jun 2016

How to remove Us.Hao123.com virus

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

Olivia Morelli · Ransomware analyst

What is known about Us.Hao123.com virus?

Us.Hao123.com is a browser hijacker and a potentially unwanted program (PUP), malware researchers say. Users should be aware of this computer parasite as it can infiltrate the system silently and start changing PC settings in its favor. Us.Hao123.com browser hijacker seems to be targeted to residents of United States, and it is also a variant of the infamous Hao123 search. This PUP can enter the computer system by getting user’s permission in a considerably deceptive yet legitimate way. It spreads in conjunction with other applications, which can be downloaded from various Internet websites absolutely for free. Once installed, this suspicious program adds Hao123Tab to every web browser to change browser’s homepage and new tab page settings. What is more, it also sets Hao123 as default search engine, to ultimately convince the user to use this questionable website and its search engine. However, we highly recommend you not to use it and stay away from it, since there are plenty of security-related hazards behind this questionable program.

A more attentive user can immediately notice that the aforementioned web page is filled with suspicious ads. We have discovered that it suggests installing infamous Safer Browser products, which are mainly useless browser hijackers. We have also noticed some ads that offer rogue computer security programs by claiming that user needs to fix computer errors without a delay. It is highly advisable not to click on these ads or agree to install unknown programs because you can be redirected to questionable or even rogue websites or end up installing additional PUPs or even malicious programs. The same can be said about Us.Hao123.com search, which is also unreliable. Users claim that it causes redirects and opens highly suspicious Internet sites instead of ones that they originally wanted to visit. We assume that Us.Hao123.com redirects are just a method to lead users to certain Internet websites and generate pay-per-click advertising revenue. However, you should consider if you want to use such untrustworthy search engine and receive misleading results. Unfortunately, there is one more thing that we want to warn you about. Us.Hao123.com virus

Us.Hao123.com collects some information about your browsing sessions, including your browsing history, downloads, search queries, clicks without your knowledge or permission, since it supposes that you agree to provide such information by installing it. Besides, it can also collect personally identifiable information in case you provide it willingly. You should think twice if you want to provide this kind of information to developers of this PUP, especially because you can never know what it might decide to use it for. Therefore, we highly recommend you to remove Us.Hao123.com from IE or any other web browser that you are using. You need to uninstall this program from your computer, and the easiest way to do it is to let an automatic spyware detection tool find it and delete it. You can use FortectIntego software for that.

How do such programs spread?

Typically, Us.Hao123.com hijack happens when the computer user chooses Default or Standard settings for software installation process. You should never forget that PUPs spread using bundling technique, which means they travel alongside other applications. To avoid installing unwanted components, the user has to expand installation settings panel by choosing Advanced/Custom option and then deselect all unknown components one by one. This way, you will avoid installing questionable programs unconsciously. Our advice for you is never to rush when installing a computer program!

How to remove Us.Hao123.com homepage?

Us.Hao123.com removal can be quite a complicated process if you are not an advanced spyware or malware expert and if you do not know how such programs work. Commonly, they spread their components in several places on the computer and in order to eliminate it, you “como remover Us.Hao123.com,” “how to remove Hao123 from Chrome” and similar ones, we have prepared these instructions for you. Use them to delete this computer parasite manually. Remember – if you want, you can use an automatic spyware removal program, too.

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.

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

Did this guide help?

4 comments

  1. Wilson

    Thanks! I was wondering how to delete it :)

  2. Bee80

    found Hao123-Client application in my computer, just uninstalled, look for it, guys

  3. minnie

    hao123 games are so stupid i dont like playing them

  4. Silvester

    I tried to block Us.Hao123.com manually, but for some reason it didnt go away from my browser. I will install Reimage and try to remove it automatically

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