Remove Safe Searching Search Hijacker

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

The Safe Searching Search app is not safe. This utility is classified as a browser hijacker. Once installed, the Safe Searching Search hijacker takes full control of your web browser. It replaces both your default search engine and preferable homepage. No matter how hard you try, you cannot undo these changes. The hijacker prevents you from doing so. This invasive behavior of the hijacker may not seem like a big deal. Yet, it is a clear warning that something bad is happening. The Safe Searching Search hijacker is never idle. It lurks in the shadows and collects information about your online behavior. What websites you visit, what search engines you use, what search inquiries you make. Everything you do online is recorded and analyzed. The collected data is kept on a remote server. Once the hijacker has a sufficient data about you, it initiates an ad bombardment. It uses the collected information as a base for ad-targeting and displays numerous custom selected ads. Thus, if you enter “sneakers” into some search engine, the hijacker will cover your screen with ads for sports shoes. Every website you open will be heavy on coupons and discounts for shoes and sports gear. Your online videos will be paused for commercial breaks. You will hate the experience. The bad news is that you cannot trust the ads. The Safe Searching Search hijacker has no verifying mechanism. It doesn’t check what is being advertised through its services. All sorts of crooks use this hijacker to spread misleading content. With the hijacker on board, you are more likely to be redirected to scam and infected websites than to legitimate ones. This intruder is jeopardizing your security. You should not tolerate it on board. Take action against this parasite as soon as possible.

How did I get infected with?

The Safe Searching Search hijacker did not appear by itself. Neither did it hack your computer. To enter your device, it needs your approval. What it doesn’t need is to ask you openly. The nasty application uses a lot of tricks to steal your approval. It usually hitches a ride with other software. This method is called software bundling. If you are cautious, you can prevent it from succeeding. All you should do is to be vigilant. When you start the installation process of a program, opt for the Advanced option in the Setup Wizard. Under it, you will be presented with a list of additional programs that are about to be installed. These third-party programs, more often than not, are malicious. Deselect all suspicious apps. Read the Terms and Conditions/End User License Agreement (EULA). If you spot anything out of the ordinary, abort the installation immediately. Make sure you have trustworthy programs on board. This is your computer, after all. It is up to you to keep it virus-free. So, don’t be lazy. Always do your due diligence! Other malware distribution methods you should keep an eye out for are the good old spam emails, torrents, and fake updates. Your vigilance can prevent these techniques from succeeding.

Why is this dangerous?

The Safe Searching Search hijacker should be removed upon discovery. It is intrusive and irritating. It is also quite dangerous. This parasite collects information about you. What is worse, it sells access to the data. It may not seem too dangerous, but a capable trickster can use this information to target you. One click is all it takes for a virus to be downloaded. All the crooks have to do is to lure you into clicking. Since they know what you are looking for, luring you won’t be that hard. The Safe Searching Search hijacker has no verifying mechanism. Anyone can promote anything. This furtive parasite is often used by the crooks. They spread misleading and false advertisements. They also redirect web traffic to questionable web pages. With the Safe Searching Search hijacker on board, you will eventually end up on a scam website. So, be very careful what you do while your computer remains infected. Don’t disclose personal and financial information. It is also advisable to refrain yourself from online purchases. The nasty Safe Searching Search hijacker is preventing you from using your web browser normally. Luckily, you don’t need to put up with this situation. We have prepared a manual removal guide below this article. You can also use a trustworthy anti-virus application. You have options. Remove this intruder for good!

How to Remove Safe Searching Search virus

The Safe Searching 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 Safe Searching 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 Safe Searching Search related processes in the computer memory

STEP 2: Locate Safe Searching Search startup location

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

STEP 4: Undo the damage done by the virus

STEP 1: Track down Safe Searching 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 Safe Searching 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 Safe Searching 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 Safe Searching Search traces from Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer

• Open Google Chrome

• In the Main Menu, select Tools then Extensions
• Remove the Safe Searching 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 Safe Searching 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 Safe Searching 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 Safe Searching 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 Safe Searching 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.