Name | LetsSearch.com Browser Hijacker |
Type | Browser Hijacker |
Short Description | The page may look like a regular search engine with links to well-known pages. |
Symptoms | The user may have the website set as his homepage without his approval. |
Distribution Method | Bundling or download. |
Detection tool | Download Malware Removal Tool, to See If Your System Has Been Affected By LetsSearch.com Browser Hijacker |
A new hijacker has been reported to take over users’ web browsers. It has been reported that LetsSearch may affect the most widely used web browsers, such as Google Chrome, Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. The PUP (Potentially Unwanted Program) may exhibit a behaviour that will slow down the overall performance of the user PC. What is more, LetsSearch claims to collect various identifiable user information and may share it with third-party sites. The reason experts recommend the removal of LetsSearch is that it may lead the user to malicious sites by displaying various types of advertisements.
LetsSearch.com Hijacker – How Did I Get It?
One way to receive this annoying hijacker on your PC is by directly downloading it via different sites, believing it is a useful application that will assist you with your everyday browsing. The most often reason however may be its installation unknowingly in a bundled setup. Bundling is most commonly met in sites that provide the download of different freeware in one place. Most users tend to miss applications such as LetsSearch in one place while fast-clicking their way through the installation process. Users should beware for any steps that may prompt the including of LetsSearch Hijacker as a free extra along with installing the app and always shoose ‘Custom’ or ‘Advanced’ install process if possible.
LetsSearch.com Hijacker – What Does It Do?
One thing that is very common for this browser hijacker is that it sets LetsSearch.com as the user’s website. This is a suspicious search engine, that does not have its own database and uses Ask.com search as a provider. Ask.com is used by many suspicious search engines that are set as home pages because of browser hijackers on user PCs.
What is more, the http connection to this search engine is not encrypted i.e. secure (https) and this is highly uncommon for a search engine. An unsecure http connection gives different programs opportunity to modify different content on a site (like advertisement administering), allow external domains to track users via cookies, pixels, beacons and other tracking technologies and even phish or deface the website.
What is more, the providers of the search engine may also collect the following user information, as mentioned in their privacy policy:
→ISP (Internet Service Provider).
Location.
IP Address (Internet Protocol).
Anonymous user identifiers.
Device configuration.
Advertising ID.
User configuration and settings.
When and how the users use the software and services as well as other software
Advertisements the user views.
Users’ name.
Home or work address.
Email address.
Telephone and fax numbers.
Birthdate.
Gender.
Any other voluntary submitted information.
What is more the company may use different third-party advertisers in order to advertise third-party content. According to their privacy policy these advertisers use cookies and other technologies to also collect different user information. What is more the company may also share PII (Personally Identifiable Information) and other info with third-parties:
The reason the app is considered unsafe is primarily due to third-party advertised content. Most ad-supported applications advertise respectful and well-known third-party sites. However, some may promote other unwanted websites along with the legitimate ones. Such may either user different ways to scam users out of their funds or employ various malware infections in user PCs.
Removing LetsSearch.com Hijacker Completely
In order to manually remove this browser hijacker, you should follow the step-by-step removal tutorial after mentioned here. Also, it is highly recommended to scan your computer with an advanced anti-malware program in order to discover any left-over files that are on your computer after manual uninstall and to check if your PC has been infected by a malicious site. By doing so you also make sure you ensure protection for yourself in the future.
- Windows
- Mac OS X
- Google Chrome
- Mozilla Firefox
- Microsoft Edge
- Safari
- Internet Explorer
- Stop Push Pop-ups
How to Remove LetsSearch.com Browser Hijacker from Windows.
Step 1: Scan for LetsSearch.com Browser Hijacker with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
Step 2: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode
Step 3: Uninstall LetsSearch.com Browser Hijacker and related software from Windows
Uninstall Steps for Windows 11
Uninstall Steps for Windows 10 and Older Versions
Here is a method in few easy steps that should be able to uninstall most programs. No matter if you are using Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista or XP, those steps will get the job done. Dragging the program or its folder to the recycle bin can be a very bad decision. If you do that, bits and pieces of the program are left behind, and that can lead to unstable work of your PC, errors with the file type associations and other unpleasant activities. The proper way to get a program off your computer is to Uninstall it. To do that:
Step 4: Clean Any registries, Created by LetsSearch.com Browser Hijacker on Your PC.
The usually targeted registries of Windows machines are the following:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
You can access them by opening the Windows registry editor and deleting any values, created by LetsSearch.com Browser Hijacker there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:
Tip: To find a virus-created value, you can right-click on it and click "Modify" to see which file it is set to run. If this is the virus file location, remove the value.
Video Removal Guide for LetsSearch.com Browser Hijacker (Windows).
Get rid of LetsSearch.com Browser Hijacker from Mac OS X.
Step 1: Uninstall LetsSearch.com Browser Hijacker and remove related files and objects
Your Mac will then show you a list of items that start automatically when you log in. Look for any suspicious apps identical or similar to LetsSearch.com Browser Hijacker. Check the app you want to stop from running automatically and then select on the Minus (“-“) icon to hide it.
- Go to Finder.
- In the search bar type the name of the app that you want to remove.
- Above the search bar change the two drop down menus to “System Files” and “Are Included” so that you can see all of the files associated with the application you want to remove. Bear in mind that some of the files may not be related to the app so be very careful which files you delete.
- If all of the files are related, hold the ⌘+A buttons to select them and then drive them to “Trash”.
In case you cannot remove LetsSearch.com Browser Hijacker via Step 1 above:
In case you cannot find the virus files and objects in your Applications or other places we have shown above, you can manually look for them in the Libraries of your Mac. But before doing this, please read the disclaimer below:
You can repeat the same procedure with the following other Library directories:
→ ~/Library/LaunchAgents
/Library/LaunchDaemons
Tip: ~ is there on purpose, because it leads to more LaunchAgents.
Step 2: Scan for and remove LetsSearch.com Browser Hijacker files from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as LetsSearch.com Browser Hijacker, the recommended way of eliminating the threat is by using an anti-malware program. SpyHunter for Mac offers advanced security features along with other modules that will improve your Mac’s security and protect it in the future.
Video Removal Guide for LetsSearch.com Browser Hijacker (Mac)
Remove LetsSearch.com Browser Hijacker from Google Chrome.
Step 1: Start Google Chrome and open the drop menu
Step 2: Move the cursor over "Tools" and then from the extended menu choose "Extensions"
Step 3: From the opened "Extensions" menu locate the unwanted extension and click on its "Remove" button.
Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Google Chrome by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.
Erase LetsSearch.com Browser Hijacker from Mozilla Firefox.
Step 1: Start Mozilla Firefox. Open the menu window:
Step 2: Select the "Add-ons" icon from the menu.
Step 3: Select the unwanted extension and click "Remove"
Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Mozilla Firefox by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.
Uninstall LetsSearch.com Browser Hijacker from Microsoft Edge.
Step 1: Start Edge browser.
Step 2: Open the drop menu by clicking on the icon at the top right corner.
Step 3: From the drop menu select "Extensions".
Step 4: Choose the suspected malicious extension you want to remove and then click on the gear icon.
Step 5: Remove the malicious extension by scrolling down and then clicking on Uninstall.
Remove LetsSearch.com Browser Hijacker from Safari
Step 1: Start the Safari app.
Step 2: After hovering your mouse cursor to the top of the screen, click on the Safari text to open its drop down menu.
Step 3: From the menu, click on "Preferences".
Step 4: After that, select the 'Extensions' Tab.
Step 5: Click once on the extension you want to remove.
Step 6: Click 'Uninstall'.
A pop-up window will appear asking for confirmation to uninstall the extension. Select 'Uninstall' again, and the LetsSearch.com Browser Hijacker will be removed.
Eliminate LetsSearch.com Browser Hijacker from Internet Explorer.
Step 1: Start Internet Explorer.
Step 2: Click on the gear icon labeled 'Tools' to open the drop menu and select 'Manage Add-ons'
Step 3: In the 'Manage Add-ons' window.
Step 4: Select the extension you want to remove and then click 'Disable'. A pop-up window will appear to inform you that you are about to disable the selected extension, and some more add-ons might be disabled as well. Leave all the boxes checked, and click 'Disable'.
Step 5: After the unwanted extension has been removed, restart Internet Explorer by closing it from the red 'X' button located at the top right corner and start it again.
Remove Push Notifications from Your Browsers
Turn Off Push Notifications from Google Chrome
To disable any Push Notices from Google Chrome browser, please follow the steps below:
Step 1: Go to Settings in Chrome.
Step 2: In Settings, select “Advanced Settings”:
Step 3: Click “Content Settings”:
Step 4: Open “Notifications”:
Step 5: Click the three dots and choose Block, Edit or Remove options:
Remove Push Notifications on Firefox
Step 1: Go to Firefox Options.
Step 2: Go to “Settings”, type “notifications” in the search bar and click "Settings":
Step 3: Click “Remove” on any site you wish notifications gone and click “Save Changes”
Stop Push Notifications on Opera
Step 1: In Opera, press ALT+P to go to Settings.
Step 2: In Setting search, type “Content” to go to Content Settings.
Step 3: Open Notifications:
Step 4: Do the same as you did with Google Chrome (explained below):
Eliminate Push Notifications on Safari
Step 1: Open Safari Preferences.
Step 2: Choose the domain from where you like push pop-ups gone and change to "Deny" from "Allow".
LetsSearch.com Browser Hijacker-FAQ
What Is LetsSearch.com Browser Hijacker?
The LetsSearch.com Browser Hijacker threat is adware or browser redirect virus.
It may slow your computer down significantly and display advertisements. The main idea is for your information to likely get stolen or more ads to appear on your device.
The creators of such unwanted apps work with pay-per-click schemes to get your computer to visit risky or different types of websites that may generate them funds. This is why they do not even care what types of websites show up on the ads. This makes their unwanted software indirectly risky for your OS.
What Are the Symptoms of LetsSearch.com Browser Hijacker?
There are several symptoms to look for when this particular threat and also unwanted apps in general are active:
Symptom #1: Your computer may become slow and have poor performance in general.
Symptom #2: You have toolbars, add-ons or extensions on your web browsers that you don't remember adding.
Symptom #3: You see all types of ads, like ad-supported search results, pop-ups and redirects to randomly appear.
Symptom #4: You see installed apps on your Mac running automatically and you do not remember installing them.
Symptom #5: You see suspicious processes running in your Task Manager.
If you see one or more of those symptoms, then security experts recommend that you check your computer for viruses.
What Types of Unwanted Programs Are There?
According to most malware researchers and cyber-security experts, the threats that can currently affect your device can be rogue antivirus software, adware, browser hijackers, clickers, fake optimizers and any forms of PUPs.
What to Do If I Have a "virus" like LetsSearch.com Browser Hijacker?
With few simple actions. First and foremost, it is imperative that you follow these steps:
Step 1: Find a safe computer and connect it to another network, not the one that your Mac was infected in.
Step 2: Change all of your passwords, starting from your email passwords.
Step 3: Enable two-factor authentication for protection of your important accounts.
Step 4: Call your bank to change your credit card details (secret code, etc.) if you have saved your credit card for online shopping or have done online activities with your card.
Step 5: Make sure to call your ISP (Internet provider or carrier) and ask them to change your IP address.
Step 6: Change your Wi-Fi password.
Step 7: (Optional): Make sure to scan all of the devices connected to your network for viruses and repeat these steps for them if they are affected.
Step 8: Install anti-malware software with real-time protection on every device you have.
Step 9: Try not to download software from sites you know nothing about and stay away from low-reputation websites in general.
If you follow these recommendations, your network and all devices will become significantly more secure against any threats or information invasive software and be virus free and protected in the future too.
How Does LetsSearch.com Browser Hijacker Work?
Once installed, LetsSearch.com Browser Hijacker can collect data using trackers. This data is about your web browsing habits, such as the websites you visit and the search terms you use. It is then used to target you with ads or to sell your information to third parties.
LetsSearch.com Browser Hijacker can also download other malicious software onto your computer, such as viruses and spyware, which can be used to steal your personal information and show risky ads, that may redirect to virus sites or scams.
Is LetsSearch.com Browser Hijacker Malware?
The truth is that PUPs (adware, browser hijackers) are not viruses, but may be just as dangerous since they may show you and redirect you to malware websites and scam pages.
Many security experts classify potentially unwanted programs as malware. This is because of the unwanted effects that PUPs can cause, such as displaying intrusive ads and collecting user data without the user’s knowledge or consent.
About the LetsSearch.com Browser Hijacker Research
The content we publish on SensorsTechForum.com, this LetsSearch.com Browser Hijacker how-to removal guide included, is the outcome of extensive research, hard work and our team’s devotion to help you remove the specific, adware-related problem, and restore your browser and computer system.
How did we conduct the research on LetsSearch.com Browser Hijacker?
Please note that our research is based on independent investigation. We are in contact with independent security researchers, thanks to which we receive daily updates on the latest malware, adware, and browser hijacker definitions.
Furthermore, the research behind the LetsSearch.com Browser Hijacker threat is backed with VirusTotal.
To better understand this online threat, please refer to the following articles which provide knowledgeable details.