Utililab.mysearchguardian.com virus is another annoying browser hijacker
Utililab.mysearchguardian.com virus has been created by the UTILILAB GmbH company which is known for creating another annoying browser hijacker[1] Mysearchguardian.com. Analysis of this PUP revealed that it might also be related to another bogus search engine Search.utilitab.com. All these three browser hijackers pretend to be useful tools; however, they show up on the browsers’ out of nowhere and alters their settings. After Utililab.mysearchguardian.com hijack, affected browser’s homepage, default search engine, and sometimes, new tab’s URL address are set to this suspicious domain. This website has a quite ironic slogan “Your protection is our goal.” This search engine is supposed to protect users and their computers from various cyber threats. However, their services require collecting personally identifiable[2] and non-personally identifiable information[3]. There’s no doubt that this activity might lead to the serious privacy issues. According to the Privacy Policy, Utililab.mysearchguardian.com browser hijacker might collect contact information (for example, your name, email and home address, telephone number, etc.), credit card or bank account information. Also it might collect purchase information if you buy some products or services from UTILILAB GmbH, passwords, usernames, and other information that has been provided by the users while contacting the developers.
Browser hijacker might also modify search results, initiate unwanted redirects and deliver misleading advertisements on every visited website. However, Utililab.mysearchguardian.com redirect problems are the biggest issue. Some relevant links in the search results might be replaced with sponsored links that might even lead to potentially dangerous websites. Hence, looking for useful information using this search tool might lead not only to privacy-related problems[4] but might also infect your computer. To avoid all cyber threats, you have to remove Utililab.mysearchguardian.com from the computer. We recommend scanning the infected computer with FortectIntego or other reputable antivirus or anti-malware program. Don’t forget that you should invest in professional security tool because free programs might not be able to delete this browser hijacker. However, if you do not want to use any additional software, try manual Utililab.mysearchguardian.com removal and follow our prepared instructions at the end of the article.

Who is responsible for modified web browser?
Utililab.mysearchguardian.com virus cannot infiltrate the system itself. It needs assistance and permission to enter. It may be surprising, but you are in charge of letting browser hijacker to the computer. Hijack has probably occurred when you installed one of the recent programs using “Quick” or “Recommended” setup. Under these settings might hide lots of potentially unwanted programs[5], and when you install new programs, you give indirect permission to enter the system. Bear in mind that installation wizards do not disclose about additional downloads, so it’s important to install new programs using “Advanced” or “Custom” setup. It allows seeing the list of all optional programs that are waiting for your permission. One of the installation steps might include a pre-selected statement saying that you agree to make Utililab.mysearchguardian.com as your default homepage and search engine. If you quickly rush throw the installation, you might skip this step and make a huge mistake. It’s important to install programs carefully and deselect all suspicious entries.
Two methods for Utililab.mysearchguardian.com removal
Simply resetting browser’s settings and changing this suspicious domain to your preferred one don’t work. Probably, you have tried to do it several times. For Utililab.mysearchguardian.com removal you need to put more effort. If you are not willing to dedicate an hour or two for virus elimination, opt for automatic method – install and/or update powerful anti-malware/anti-spyware program and run a full system scan. Your chosen tool will do all the dirty job for you. Additionally, you can find and remove Utililab.mysearchguardian.com manually. Bear in mind that this task might take long because hijacker might have installed “helper objects,” various third-party apps or extensions that have to be deleted.
Uninstall from Windows
Uninstall from Windows 10/8:
- Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
- Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.

Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:
- Click on Windows Start > Control Panel (Windows XP users should click on Add/Remove Programs).
- In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.

Remove the unwanted program:
- In the Programs and Features window, look for any recently installed suspicious entries, select them, and click Uninstall.
- If User Account Control appears, click Yes to confirm, then complete the removal.

Delete from macOS
Remove the unwanted application:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).

Delete leftover files and folders:
- Select Go > Go to Folder.
- Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
- Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.

- Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.
Reset Internet Explorer
Remove dangerous add-ons:
- Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
- Pick Manage Add-ons.
- You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.

Change your homepage if it was altered:
- Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
- Select Internet Options.
- In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
- Click Apply and then select OK.

Delete temporary files:
- Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
- Under Browsing history, click Delete...
- Select relevant fields and press Delete.

Reset Internet Explorer:
- Click on Gear icon > Internet options and select Advanced tab.
- Select Reset.
- In the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset.

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 Remove.

Clear cookies and other browser data:
- Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- 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.

Restore new tab and homepage settings:
- Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
- Then find On startup section.
- Click Remove next to any suspicious startup page.
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.

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.
- This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.

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 the unwanted extension and click Remove.

Reset the homepage:
- Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
- Choose Settings.
- Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.
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 and Temporary cached files and pages, then click 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 suspicious extensions 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 dangerous extensions:
- Open Safari, click Safari in the menu at the top-left of the screen, and select Preferences.
- Go to the Extensions tab, look for any suspicious entries, and click Uninstall to remove them.

Clear history and website data:
- Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
- Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.

Reset Safari:
- Click Safari in the menu and select Preferences > Advanced.
- Enable Show Develop menu in menu bar.
- From the menu bar, click Develop and select Empty Caches.

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