| Name | Safesear.ch |
| Type | Browser Hijacker |
| Short Description | Safesear.ch hijacker may be ad-supported. |
| Symptoms | Displaying of advertised content. Changed home page. |
| Distribution Method | Bundling, redirects, etc. |
| Detection tool | Download Malware Removal Tool, to See If Your System Has Been Affected By Safesear.ch |
Safesear.ch may be brought by yet another browser hijacker that is meant to take over your computer and display annoying adverts based on tracking technologies on your computer. More so, it is believed to slow the computer down and situate objects in the Microsoft Windows Registry Editor that may make it harder to uninstall manually. Experts strongly advise taking advantage of reputable and updated anti-malware programs to remove this threat thoroughly from your computer.
Safesear.ch – How Did I Become Affected?
One way to be affected by this hijacker is by downloading a free program from a third-party software providing the website. Some sites offer application bundling as a marketing service and provide them with free ‘extras’. More to it than that, this particular search engine may become your new tab and home page if you have been redirected to a suspicious site, promising to improve your browsing experience. You may have also had the option to download it in the form of a plugin to watch an online video. This is very common for social network spam bots who advertise such suspicious extensions via posts.
Safesear.ch – What Does It Do?
As far as we have discovered, this particular search engine provides results from search.yahoo.com, i.e. it does not have its search database. It does not insert cookies on your computer, but there is a possibility that the browser hijacker that may have set it as your homepage does. One of the clues that point out to this is that the connection to the search engine is not encrypted:
Experts believe that this particular search engine is used by browser hijackers to induce ad-supported search results or for black SEO. I may also track the user’s search keystrokes to display targeted ads.
All of the advertisements and redirects caused by a safesear.ch browser hijacker lead to other third-party sites. They also mention sharing user information with certain trusted ones in their privacy policy:
The reason this app is unsafe is those very third parties and the damages they can cause to the user PC. They may infect it with malware using different methods and strategies to download it onto a device, making it utterly defenceless. Also, such sites are strongly believed to have the possibility to scam users out of their money by obtaining financial data, or subscribing users to expensive SMS services and expensive customer support calls.
Removing Safesear.ch
To remove Safesear.ch browser hijacker by hand, make sure that you follow the step-by-step removal manual below. It is an advisable mean for manual removal. Also, another important advice is to ensure you have the necessary equipment for removal. This includes a reliable anti-malware tool that is regularly updated and won’t let you down when there are new possible intrusions in your systems. And it is advisable always to keep up to date with the latest methods of infection from malware since this environment is constantly changing.
Step 1: Remove/Uninstall Safesear.ch in Windows
Here is a method in few easy steps to remove that program. No matter if you are using Windows 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 get left behind, and that can lead to unstable work of your PC, mistakes 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:
Select the program that you want to remove, and press “Uninstall” (fig.3).
Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall Safesear.ch.
Step 2: Remove Safesear.ch from your browser
Remove a toolbar from Mozilla Firefox
Remove a toolbar from Google Chrome
Remove a toolbar from Internet Explorer
Remove a toolbar from Safari
Select the “Add-ons” icon from the menu
Select Safesear.ch and click “Remove”
After Safesear.ch is removed, restart Mozilla Firefox by closing it from the red “X” in the top right corner and start it again.
Select Safesear.ch to remove, and then click ‘Disable’. A pop-up window will appear to inform you that you are about to disable the selected toolbar, and some additional toolbars might be disabled as well. Leave all the boxes checked, and click ‘Disable’.
After Safesear.ch has been removed, restart Internet Explorer by closing it from the red ‘X’ in the top right corner and start it again.
Open the drop menu by clicking on the sprocket icon in the top right corner.
From the drop menu select ‘Preferences’
In the new window select ‘Extensions’
Click once on Safesear.ch
Click ‘Uninstall’
A pop-up window will appear asking for confirmation to uninstall Safesear.ch. Select ‘Uninstall’ again, and the Safesear.ch will be removed.
In order to remove any associated objects that are left after uninstall and detect any other threats, you should:
Step 3: Start Your PC in Safe Mode to Remove Safesear.ch.
Removing Safesear.ch from Windows XP, Vista, 7 systems:
1. Remove all CDs and DVDs, and then Restart your PC from the “Start” menu.
2. Select one of the two options provided below:
– For PCs with a single operating system: Press “F8” repeatedly after the first boot screen shows up during the restart of your computer. In case the Windows logo appears on the screen, you have to repeat the same task again.
– For PCs with multiple operating systems: Тhe arrow keys will help you select the operating system you prefer to start in Safe Mode. Press “F8” just as described for a single operating system.
3. As the “Advanced Boot Options” screen appears, select the Safe Mode option you want using the arrow keys. As you make your selection, press “Enter“.
4. Log on to your computer using your administrator account
While your computer is in Safe Mode, the words “Safe Mode” will appear in all four corners of your screen.
Removing Safesear.ch from Windows 8, 8.1 and 10 systems:
Substep 1:
Open the Start Menu
Substep 2:
Whilst holding down Shift button, click on Power and then click on Restart.
Substep 3:
After reboot, the aftermentioned menu will appear. From there you should choose Troubleshoot.
Substep 4:
You will see the Troubleshoot menu. From this menu you can choose Advanced Options.
Substep 5:
After the Advanced Options menu appears, click on Startup Settings.
Substep 6:
Click on Restart.
Substep 7:
A menu will appear upon reboot. You should choose Safe Mode by pressing its corresponding number and the machine will restart and boot into Safe Mode so you can scan for and remove Safesear.ch.
Step 4: Remove Safesear.ch automatically by downloading an advanced anti-malware program.
To clean your computer you should download an updated anti-malware program on a safe PC and then install it on the affected computer in offline mode. After that you should boot into safe mode and scan your computer to remove all Safesear.ch associated objects.
