Remove Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com Browser Hijacker

by Gergana Ivanova | September 25, 2018 | 0 Comments browser hijacker, Polarity Technologies

Threat Summary Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com – Spread Techniques Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com – More About Its Impact How to Remove Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com Hijacker

This article aims to help you with the removal of Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com hijacker from affected browser and system. See a detailed guide that could help you to get rid of this annoying program in full.

Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com is a website that provides hoax search engine. It redirects all search queries to Yahoo search in order to mislead you of being a legitimate website. However, once it runs in a target browser or system it could replace browsers’ homepage, new tab page and default search engine with its domain address. That’s one of the reasons why it is considered to be a potentially unwanted program. Keep reading to learn more about the adverse effects that may be caused by this hijacker.

Threat Summary

Name	Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com
Type	Browser Hijacker, Redirect, PUP
Short Description	A website with questionable search enigne that hijacks browser homepage, new tab page and default search engine. All modifications happen on the background without users’ knowledge.
Symptoms	The homepage, new tab page and search enigne in preferred web browser are set to dislay the main page of Safesearchprotect.com hijacker. Browser slowdowns occur due to increased number of online ads.td>
Distribution Method	Freeware Installations, Bundled Packages
Detection Tool	See If Your System Has Been Affected by malware Download Malware Removal Tool
User Experience	Join Our Forum to Discuss Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com.

Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com – Spread Techniques

Undesired programs like Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com are primarily distributed via software bundles. So they often land on computer systems along with other desired free third-party apps. As of these apps, they are usually released on various online stores, torrent networks and websites of unknown origin.

How an unnoticed installation of an undesired program could happen is by following the regular installation steps presented in the setup of a desired app. So during the installation process of new apps, it is highly recommended to look for and choose Advanced or Custom configuration steps. When you read carefully all the details presented there you could be able to avoid the installation of any nasty extras that aim to invade your system.

Frequently used web browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari could be affected by Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com hijacker.

Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com – More About Its Impact

Once files associated with Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com hijacker are started on a computer system they initiate several modifications of main browser settings. All changes could happen without your permission. The moment you open your preferred web browser and see the main page of the hijacker is the one when you understand about applied changes.

As it gets clear from the main page of the hijacker its main function is to provide a searching service. Along with the search field displayed in the middle several icons for quick access to other websites could be seen on hijacker’s main page. Here is a picture of how it exactly looks like:

A side effect of using this hoax search engine is incomplete or misleading search results. Even though, Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com redirects all search queries to Yahoo search it is possible that among the displayed results you will always see many sponsored ones.

In addition, as long as this hijacker keeps appearing in your browser it could be able to inject many other online ads in an attempt to trick you to visit the web pages they promote. As a result, many browser slowdowns may occur and make the browser sluggish. Beware that some of the ads pose a great risk of your system due to the fact that they could be set to land you on corrupted web pages that download malicious directly on the device.

What’s more the privacy policy of the website its owners (Polarity Technologies) admit that all affected users automatically agree with the collection of all following details:

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

Data could be used for advertising or business purposes. At worst it could be released on underground forums and obtained by hackers.

How to Remove Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com Hijacker

In order to remove Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com hijacker and all associated files from your PC make sure to complete all the steps listed in the removal that follows. It presents both manual and automatic removal instructions that combined could help you to remove this undesired program in full. The automatic approach guarantees maximum efficiency as a scan with an advanced anti-malware tool reveals the presence of harmful files and further lists their exact location. So the results could enable you to access and remove all harmful files from your PC. Have in mind that files associated with this hijacker may be detected with different names than Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com.

In case that you have further questions or need additional help, don’t hesitate to leave a comment or contact us via email.

Gergana Ivanova

Highly motivated writer with 5+ years of experience writing for ransomware, malware, adware, PUPs, and other cybersecurity-related issues. As a writer, I strive to create content that is based on thorough technical research. I find joy in the process of creating articles that are easy to understand, informative, and useful. Follow me on Twitter (@IRGergana) for the latest in the field of computer, mobile, and online security.

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Guide 1: How to Remove Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com from Windows.
Guide 2: Get rid of Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com on Mac OS X.
Guide 3: Remove Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com in Google Chrome.

Guide 4: Erase Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com from Mozilla Firefox.
Guide 5: Uninstall Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com from Microsoft Edge.
Guide 6: Remove Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com from Safari.
Guide 7: Eliminate Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com from Internet Explorer.
Guide 8: Disable Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com Push Notifications in Your Browsers.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

How to Remove Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com from Windows.

Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com

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

1. Hold Windows key() + R

2. The "Run" Window will appear. In it, type "msconfig" and click OK.

3. Go to the "Boot" tab. There select "Safe Boot" and then click "Apply" and "OK".

Tip: Make sure to reverse those changes by unticking Safe Boot after that, because your system will always boot in Safe Boot from now on.

4. When prompted, click on "Restart" to go into Safe Mode.

5. You can recognise Safe Mode by the words written on the corners of your screen.

Step 2: Uninstall Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com and related software 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:

1. Hold the Windows Logo Button and "R" on your keyboard. A Pop-up window will appear.

2. In the field type in "appwiz.cpl" and press ENTER.

3. This will open a window with all the programs installed on the PC. Select the program that you want to remove, and press "Uninstall"

Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall most programs.

Step 3: Clean any registries, created by Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com on your computer.

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 Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:

1. Open the Run Window again, type "regedit" and click OK.

2. When you open it, you can freely navigate to the Run and RunOnce keys, whose locations are shown above.

3. You can remove the value of the virus by right-clicking on it and removing it.

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.

IMPORTANT!
Before starting "Step 4", please boot back into Normal mode, in case you are currently in Safe Mode.
This will enable you to install and use SpyHunter 5 successfully.

Step 4: Scan for Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool

1. Click on the "Download" button to proceed to SpyHunter's download page.

Download

Malware Removal Tool

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.

2. After you have installed SpyHunter, wait for it to update automatically.

3. After the update process has finished, click on the 'Malware/PC Scan' tab. A new window will appear. Click on 'Start Scan'.

4. 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.

If any threats have been removed, it is highly recommended to restart your PC.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Get rid of Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com from Mac OS X.

Step 1: Uninstall Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com and remove related files and objects

OFFER

Manual Removal Usually Takes Time and You Risk Damaging Your Files If Not Careful!

We Recommend To Scan Your Mac with SpyHunter for Mac

Keep in mind, that SpyHunter for Mac needs to purchased to remove the malware threats. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA and Privacy Policy

1. Hit the ⇧+⌘+U keys to open Utilities. Another way is to click on “Go” and then click “Utilities”, like the image below shows:

2. Find Activity Monitor and double-click it:

3. In the Activity Monitor look for any suspicious processes, belonging or related to Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com:

Tip: To quit a process completely, choose the “Force Quit” option.

4. Click on the "Go" button again, but this time select Applications. Another way is with the ⇧+⌘+A buttons.

5. In the Applications menu, look for any suspicious app or an app with a name, similar or identical to Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com. If you find it, right-click on the app and select “Move to Trash”.

6: Select Accounts, after which click on the Login Items preference. 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 Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com. Check the app you want to stop from running automatically and then select on the Minus (“-“) icon to hide it.

7: Remove any left-over files that might be related to this threat manually by following the sub-steps below:

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 Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com 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:

Disclaimer! If you are about to tamper with Library files on Mac, be sure to know the name of the virus file, because if you delete the wrong file, it may cause irreversible damage to your MacOS. Continue on your own responsibility!

1: Click on "Go" and Then "Go to Folder" as shown underneath:

2: Type in "/Library/LauchAgents/" and click Ok:

3: Delete all of the virus files that have similar or the same name as Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com. If you believe there is no such file, do not delete anything.

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 Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com files from your Mac

When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com, 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.

Click the button below below to download SpyHunter for Mac and scan for Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com:

Download

SpyHunter for Mac

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Remove Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com 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.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Erase Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com 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.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Uninstall Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com 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.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Remove Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com 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 Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com will be removed.

How to Reset Safari
IMPORTANT: Before resetting Safari make sure you back up all your saved passwords within the browser in case you forget them.

Start Safari and then click on the gear leaver icon.

Click the Reset Safari button and you will reset the browser.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Eliminate Search.hwatchonlinestreams.com 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.