Remove Keep Safe Search Malware

Can’t Remove Keep Safe Search hijacker virus? This page includes detailed Keep Safe Search Removal instructions!

There’s a browser hijacker on your computer. The display of the Search.playzonenow.com page is proof of the invasion. As soon as you spot the site show up on your screen, be wary. You’re in for a whirl of grievances. The Keep Safe Search program managed to invade your system undetected. Ass stated, it’s a representative of the hijacker family. And, it makes quite the mess. The tool is malicious, damaging, and quite the hazard. Not only to your system’s well-being, but also to your private information. That’s right. The infection takes aim at your privacy. It follows instructions to steal any and all information from you. And, then, expose it to the people behind it. Make no mistake! Given enough time, it WILL succeed! After Keep Safe Search settles in your system, it starts to spy on you. It keeps track of every online move you make, and records it. That gives it access to your personal and financial information. And, once the hijacker collects enough data from its espionage, it exposes it. The infection sends the stolen details to the cyber criminals, who unleashed it onto the web. Hardly people, you can trust with your most sensitive data, don’t you think? So, the question becomes, will you grant the hijacker, the time it needs to fulfill its objective? Or, would you rather, keep your privacy private? Do yourself a favor, and don’t put up with the nasty program. Get rid of Keep Safe Search the first chance you get.

How did I get infected with?

Keep Safe Search turns to the usual antics to invade. Freeware tends to be the most common method, it uses. That’s because, it offers the easiest entry point. For reasons unknown, users are pretty careless during freeware installs. They throw caution to the wind, and instead choose to rely on luck. They rush, and skip the terms and conditions. They agree to everything in haste, and hope for the best. That’s a colossal mistake, with immediate consequences. Don’t give into carelessness! It’s a one-way street to infections. Always take the time to be thorough, and do your due diligence. Even a little extra attention can save you a ton of troubles. Apart from freeware, hijackers often turn to spam emails as a way into your PC. Also, they lurk behind corrupted links or sites. As well as, pretend to be a system or program update. Like, Adobe Flash Player or Java. Remember to always do your research. Look for the fine print. Double-check everything before you say YES. Caution is crucial if you want a computer, free of infections.

Why is this dangerous?

Keep Safe Search is an utter plague on your system. After it slithers its way in, prepare for a plethora of problems to rain on your screen. It doesn’t take long before corruption ensues. You first notice the tool’s touch with your browsing. The entire experience turns hellish. Every time, you attempt to do anything online, you get interrupted. The infection throws you into quite the disarray. You suffer a full-on bombardment of advertisements. You get redirected to a myriad of suspicious-looking websites. And, the Search.playzonenow.com site is the one that bothers you most of all. The hijacker forces it on you so much that it becomes your online shadow. You even find it in place of your preferred homepage and search engine. No, you didn’t ask for the switch. No, you gave no consent. No, you had no clue of the implementation of the change. One day, you find it there, and that’s it. You’re stuck with it. Having a hijacker is a whirlwind of annoyance, headaches, and unpleasantness. Why not avoid it? Do what’s best for you, and your system’s well-being. Get rid of the hazardous cyber threat ASAP. Keep Safe Search has NO place on your PC. All, it offers you, is trouble. Keeping it leads to regret. So, delete it NOW!

How to Remove Keep Safe Search virus

The Keep Safe Search infection is specifically designed to make money to its creators one way or another. The specialists from various antivirus companies like Bitdefender, Kaspersky, Norton, Avast, ESET, etc. advise that there is no harmless virus.

If you perform exactly the steps below you should be able to remove the Keep Safe Search infection. Please, follow the procedures in the exact order. Please, consider to print this guide or have another computer at your disposal. You will NOT need any USB sticks or CDs.

STEP 1: Track down Keep Safe Search related processes in the computer memory

STEP 2: Locate Keep Safe Search startup location

STEP 3: Delete Keep Safe Search traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

STEP 4: Undo the damage done by the virus

STEP 1: Track down Keep Safe Search related processes in the computer memory

• Open your Task Manager by pressing CTRL+SHIFT+ESC keys simultaneously
• Carefully review all processes and stop the suspicious ones.

• Write down the file location for later reference.

Step 2: Locate Keep Safe Search startup location

Reveal Hidden Files

• Open any folder
• Click on “Organize” button
  
• Choose “Folder and Search Options”
• Select the “View” tab
• Select “Show hidden files and folders” option
• Uncheck “Hide protected operating system files”
• Click “Apply” and “OK” button

Clean Keep Safe Search virus from the windows registry

• Once the operating system loads press simultaneously the Windows Logo Button and the R key.

• A dialog box should open. Type “Regedit”

• WARNING! be very careful when editing the Microsoft Windows Registry as this may render the system broken.

Depending on your OS (x86 or x64) navigate to:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run] or
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run] or
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]

• and delete the display Name: [RANDOM]

• Then open your explorer and navigate to: %appdata% folder and delete the malicious executable.

Clean your HOSTS file to avoid unwanted browser redirection

Navigate to %windir%/system32/Drivers/etc/host

If you are hacked, there will be foreign IPs addresses connected to you at the bottom. Take a look below:

STEP 3 : Clean Keep Safe Search traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

• Open Google Chrome

• In the Main Menu, select Tools then Extensions
• Remove the Keep Safe Search by clicking on the little recycle bin
• Reset Google Chrome by Deleting the current user to make sure nothing is left behind

• Open Mozilla Firefox

• Press simultaneously Ctrl+Shift+A
• Disable the unwanted Extension
• Go to Help
• Then Troubleshoot information
• Click on Reset Firefox

• Open Internet Explorer

• On the Upper Right Corner Click on the Gear Icon
• Click on Internet options
• go to Toolbars and Extensions and disable the unknown extensions
• Select the Advanced tab and click on Reset

• Restart Internet Explorer

Step 4: Undo the damage done by Keep Safe Search

This particular Virus may alter your DNS settings.

Attention! this can break your internet connection. Before you change your DNS settings to use Google Public DNS for Keep Safe Search, be sure to write down the current server addresses on a piece of paper.

To fix the damage done by the virus you need to do the following.

• Click the Windows Start button to open the Start Menu, type control panel in the search box and select Control Panel in the results displayed above.
• go to Network and Internet
• then Network and Sharing Center
• then Change Adapter Settings
• Right-click on your active internet connection and click properties. Under the Networking tab, find Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4). Left click on it and then click on properties. Both options should be automatic! By default it should be set to “Obtain an IP address automatically” and the second one to “Obtain DNS server address automatically!” If they are not just change them, however if you are part of a domain network you should contact your Domain Administrator to set these settings, otherwise the internet connection will break!!!

You must clean all your browser shortcuts as well. To do that you need to

• Right click on the shortcut of your favorite browser and then select properties.

• in the target field remove Keep Safe Search argument and then apply the changes.
• Repeat that with the shortcuts of your other browsers.
• Check your scheduled tasks to make sure the virus will not download itself again.

How to Permanently Remove Keep Safe Search Virus (automatic) Removal Guide

Please, have in mind that once you are infected with a single virus, it compromises your whole system or network and let all doors wide open for many other infections. To make sure manual removal is successful, we recommend to use a free scanner of any professional antimalware program to identify possible registry leftovers or temporary files.