Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for three years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections. She believes that in times of constantly evolving dependency of network connected technologies, people should spread the word not the war.
Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for three years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections. She believes that in times of constantly evolving dependency of network connected technologies, people should spread the word not the war.
Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for three years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections. She believes that in times of constantly evolving dependency of network connected technologies, people should spread the word not the war.
Note! Your computer might be affected by Search.hmapsanddrivingdirection.com and other threats.
Threats such as Search.hmapsanddrivingdirection.com may be persistent on your system. They tend to re-appear if not fully deleted. A malware removal tool like SpyHunter will help you to remove malicious programs, saving you the time and the struggle of tracking down numerous malicious files. SpyHunter’s scanner is free but the paid version is needed to remove the malware threats. Read SpyHunter’s EULA and Privacy Policy
Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for three years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections. She believes that in times of constantly evolving dependency of network connected technologies, people should spread the word not the war.
This article aims to inform you about the issues that could occur after Search.hmapsanddrivingdirection.com hijacker accesses your system. It also provides help with the removal process of this potentially undesired program.
Search.hmapsanddrivingdirection.com is an invasive website that could hijack web browsers installed on your PC. Once started on your system this browser hijacker could alter the settings of the homepage, new tab page and default search engine. Then its main page starts to appear during your browsing sessions.
Threat Summary
Name
Search.hmapsanddrivingdirection.com
Type
Browser Hijacker, Redirect, PUP
Short Description
A questionable website that replaces basic brower destinations in order to provide deceptive search enigne and hoax services.
Symptoms
Homepage, new tab page and default search enigne of preferred web browser could dislay the main page of this hijacker. Browser slowdowns could occur due to increased number of online ads.
Distribution Method
Freeware Installations, Bundled Packages
Detection Tool
See If Your System Has Been Affected by Search.hmapsanddrivingdirection.com
Since Search.hmapsanddrivingdirection.com hijacker is considered to be a potentially unwanted program (PUP) it is likely to sneak into computer systems being part of shady techniques. Various free third-party apps available across the web are set to spread the configuration files of undesired programs like the discussed hijacker.
Usually, the PUP resides is in the installers of these supposedly useful third-party programs. However, the injected extras are rarely disclosed appropriately which often tricks users into installing them on their devices. In some cases, such an unwanted side effect may be avoided with the help of the “Advanced” or “Custom” configuration options presented in the setup. They may uncover more information and eventually help you to prevent affecting your device with hijackers like Search.hmapsanddrivingdirection.com.
Frequently used web browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari could be affected by Search.hmapsanddrivingdirection.com hijacker.
Search.hmapsanddrivingdirection.com – More About Its Impact
Search.hmapsanddrivingdirection.com also dubbed Maps and Driving Direction is a deceptive search engine that hijacks main destinations of commonly used web browsers. Due to its capability of performing browser settings modifications on the background, it is classified as a browser hijacker.
Once its domain address is set to appear as a start page, new tab page and default search engine, its main page becomes the first thing you see when you open a preferred web browser. The main page of Search.hmapsanddrivingdirection.com could be seen in the picture below:
In fact, the simplistic design of this hijacker could make you believe that it a secure website with a lot of features. It enables you to search different terms, access several websites with maps and driving directions, and open some of your favorite websites with a single click.
However, its unexpected and probably undesired appearance in the browser should mind you that there are some hidden aspects of using its services. One of them is related to sensitive details stored in your affected browser. As found in the policy of this hijacker it is configured to collect data which is mostly related to details about your browsing behavior. The list of collected data is quite long and all it includes is:
Visited URLs and websites
Browser’s home page
Search queries
Search queries on the visited web pages
Type of used browser
Operating system type
Internet protocol (IP) address
Geographic location
The domain name of current Internet service provider (ISP)
Diagnostic information which describes how their Services are operating on the system
The policy further reveals that the company owner of this browser hijacker – Polarity Technologies Ltd could use the data to:
Help advertisers and publishers connect to offer relevant advertising in their apps and websites.
As a result, you may start noticing an increased number of online advertisements that aggressively attempt to trick you into visiting the websites they promote. This, in turn, could cause browser slowdowns and what’s even worse put your system at risk of malware infections.
You need to be very careful with all ads that flood your affected browser because some of them may be configured to land you on compromised web pages. Once such a page loads in the browser its code may install severe malware directly on your PC.
How to Remove Search.hmapsanddrivingdirection.com Hijacker
In order to remove Search.hmapsanddrivingdirection.com hijacker and all associated files from your PC, you should complete all the steps listed in the removal that follows. It presents both manual and automatic removal instructions that combined could help you to secure your device and keep it safe from future attacks. In case that you have further questions or need additional help, don’t hesitate to leave a comment or contact us via email.
Note! Your computer system may be affected by Search.hmapsanddrivingdirection.com or other threats. Scan Your PC with SpyHunter SpyHunter is a powerful malware removal tool designed to help users with in-depth system security analysis, detection and removal of threats such as Search.hmapsanddrivingdirection.com. Keep in mind, that SpyHunter’s scanner is only for malware detection. If SpyHunter detects malware on your PC, you will need to purchase SpyHunter’s malware removal tool to remove the malware threats. Read our SpyHunter 5 review. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria.
To remove Search.hmapsanddrivingdirection.com follow these steps:
1. Uninstall malicious programs from Windows
OFFER
Manual Removal Usually Takes Time and You Risk Damaging Your Files If Not Careful!
We Recommend To Scan Your PC with SpyHunter
Keep in mind, that SpyHunter’s scanner is only for malware detection. If SpyHunter detects malware on your PC, you will need to purchase SpyHunter’s malware removal tool to remove the malware threats. Read our SpyHunter 5 review. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria
How to Uninstall malicious programs from Windows:
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:
Hold the Windows Logo Button and “R” on your keyboard. A Pop-up window will appear (fig.1).
In the field type in “appwiz.cpl” and press ENTER (fig.2).
This will open a window with all the programs installed on the PC. Select the program that you want to remove, and press “Uninstall” (fig.3).
Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall most programs.
2. Clean your Browser and Registry from Search.hmapsanddrivingdirection.com
Remove Search.hmapsanddrivingdirection.com by cleaning your Browser and Registry.
Remove an extension from Mozilla FirefoxRemove an extension from Google Chrome Remove an extension from Internet Explorer Remove an extension from Microsoft Edge Fix registry entries created by Search.hmapsanddrivingdirection.com on your PC.
Start Mozilla Firefox. Open the menu window
Select the “Add-ons” icon from the menu.
Select the unwanted extension and click “Remove“
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.
Start Google Chrome and open the drop menu
Move the cursor over “Tools” and then from the extended menu choose “Extensions“
From the opened “Extensions” menu locate the unwanted extension and click on its “Remove” button.
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.
Start Internet Explorer:
Click on the gear icon labeled ‘Tools’ to open the drop menu and select ‘Manage Add-ons’
In the ‘Manage Add-ons’ window.
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’.
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.
Start Edge
Open the drop menu by clicking on the icon at the top right corner.
From the drop menu select “Extensions”.
Choose the suspected malicious extension you want to remove and then click on the gear icon.
Remove the malicious extension by scrolling down and then clicking on Uninstall.
Some malicious scripts may modify the registry entries on your computer to change different settings. This is why cleaning your Windows Registry Database is recommended. Since the tutorial on how to do this is a bit long and tampering with registries could damage your computer if not done properly you should refer and follow our instructive article about fixing registry entries, especially if you are unexperienced in that area.
Use SpyHunter to scan for malware and unwanted programs
3. Scan for malware and unwanted programs with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool
Scan your PC and Remove Search.hmapsanddrivingdirection.com with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool and back up your data
1. Install SpyHunter to scan for Search.hmapsanddrivingdirection.com and remove them.2. Scan with SpyHunter, Detect and Remove Search.hmapsanddrivingdirection.com. Back up your data to secure it from malware in the future.
Step 1: Click on the “Download” button to proceed to SpyHunter’s download page.
It is recommended to run a scan before purchasing the full version of the software to make sure that the current version of the malware can be detected by SpyHunter. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria.
Step 2: Guide yourself by the download instructions provided for each browser.
Step 3: After you have installed SpyHunter, wait for it to update automatically.
Step 1: After the update process has finished, click on the ‘Malware/PC Scan’ tab. A new window will appear. Click on ‘Start Scan’.
Step 2: After SpyHunter has finished scanning your PC for any files of the associated threat and found them, you can try to get them removed automatically and permanently by clicking on the ‘Next’ button.
Step 3: If any threats have been removed, it is highly recommended to restart your PC.
Back up your data to secure it against attacks in the future
IMPORTANT! Before reading the Windows backup instructions, we highly recommend to back up your data with a cloud backup solution and insure your files against any type of loss, even from the most severe threats. We recommend you to read more about it and to download SOS Online Backup.
Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for three years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections. She believes that in times of constantly evolving dependency of network connected technologies, people should spread the word not the war.
Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for three years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections. She believes that in times of constantly evolving dependency of network connected technologies, people should spread the word not the war.
Remove an extension from Mozilla Firefox
Remove an extension from Google Chrome
Remove an extension from Internet Explorer
Remove an extension from Microsoft Edge
Fix registry entries created by Search.hmapsanddrivingdirection.com on your PC.
1. Install SpyHunter to scan for Search.hmapsanddrivingdirection.com and remove them.
Back up your data to secure it from malware in the future.
