This article has been created with the sole purpose of helping you by showing how to remove the Searchtab(.)net redirect “virus” completely from your computer system.

Suspicious software, believed to be installed in the form of toolbar associated with the name Searchtab(.)net has started appearing on unsuspecting users computer, displaying various different types of advertisements. The software aims to modify the browsers of the affected computers by it and may change their homepage to Searchtab(.)net – a suspicious website which uses over 16 tracking technologies to collect information from your computer. Since this software may slow down your computer with various third-party advertisements, it is often regarded as a low-level threat. However, since it can also lead you to suspicious third-party websites that in some cases may even be malicious, it is recommended to read the following post and learn how to remove Searchtab(.)net from your computer.

Threat Summary

Name	Searchtab(.)net
Type	Browser Hijacker/PUP
Short Description	Displays suspicious advertisements on your computer, which may eventually lead to infection with malware. Collects information.
Symptoms	A lot of advertisements, slow PC, changed browser home page, browser redirects.
Distribution Method	Spam Emails, Email Attachments, Executable files
Detection Tool	See If Your System Has Been Affected by Searchtab(.)net Download Malware Removal Tool
User Experience	Join Our Forum to Discuss Searchtab(.)net.

Searchtab(.)net “Virus” How Did I Get It

The main method which could be used by the one spreading this suspicious software could be to utilize a rather aggressive strategy for marketing, also known as bundling. Bundling is basically to include the program files of Searchtab.net hijacker in the installers of other programs. The software may not even be seen in the installer, but if noticed, it may look like it is added “as a free extra” to the current installation.

Besides this method, there are other ways by which this suspicious software could have slithered into your system, such as:

• Other adware or malware that has previously infected your PC.
• Being downloaded by landing on a redirect or advertised page.

Searchtab(.)net “Virus” – Analysis

Generally the Searchtab(.)net software is not regarded as malicious, since it does not perform any administrative modifications on your computer that may be harmful to it or your files. However, we have detected that the software may modify various aspects of your web browsers (Chrome, Firefox, etc.) and change their settings to it’s interests. This means that your web page that is set as default, may be changed to Searchtab(.)net, for starters:

Another activity done by this so-called “virus” may be to install suspicious browser extensions on your favorite web browsers which additionally stuff it with unnecessary ads, causing your computer to run slower than usual.

But this is not all. When we take a look at the website itself, we have detected at least 16 different tracking technologies, such as:

• Pixels.
• Tags.
• Cookies.
• LSOs (Local Shared Objects).
• Other.

The tracking tech used by the company, behind the Searchtab(.)net website, called “Apply Advanced Mobile Technologies Inc.” may be used to obtain your:

• IP address.
• Location.
• Language.
• MAC address.
• Browsing History.
• Online clicks history.
• Search history..

The company may even collect personal information and disclose it, while hiding it with clever words under it’s privacy policy, as you can see below:

Reality may be that this information may be used to target you with suspicious advertisements that may either boost someone’s third-party website by having you clicked on the ads or causing browser redirects. The bad news here is that the software works with various third-party websites, which may also result in redirecting you to malicious or phishing websites, that could infect your PC with malware or trick you into entering your financial information, for example. This is the main reason why security experts recommend removing the Searchtab.net related virus from your computer.

Remove Searchtab(.)net Fully from Your PC

If you are seeing all of the symptoms of this suspicious software above, bear in mind that it creates multiple different objects on your computer which prevent it to be deleted the conventional ways. This is why we recommend removing the virus thoroughly by following our removal instructions below.

For maximum effectiveness and fastest removal, be advised that experts recommend using an advanced anti-malware software which will automatically perform all of those activities automatically.

Manually delete Searchtab(.)net from Windows and your browser

Note! Substantial notification about the Searchtab(.)net threat: Manual removal of Searchtab(.)net requires interference with system files and registries. Thus, it can cause damage to your PC. Even if your computer skills are not at a professional level, don’t worry. You can do the removal yourself just in 5 minutes, using a malware removal tool.

1. Remove or Uninstall Searchtab(.)net in Windows

Remove or Uninstall Searchtab(.)net in Windows.

Step 1: Remove/Uninstall Searchtab(.)net 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:

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 Searchtab(.)net.

2. Remove Searchtab(.)net from Your Browser and Your Registry Editor

Remove Searchtab(.)net from Your Browser.

Remove a toolbar from Mozilla FirefoxRemove a toolbar from Google Chrome Remove a toolbar from Internet Explorer Remove a toolbar from Safari Fix registry entries created by Searchtab(.)net on your PC.

Start Mozilla Firefox Open the menu window

Select the “Add-ons” icon from the menu

Select Searchtab(.)net and click “Remove”

After Searchtab(.)net is removed, restart Mozilla Firefox by closing it from the red “X” in 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 Searchtab(.)net and click on the garbage bin icon on the right of it.

After Searchtab(.)net is removed, restart Google Chrome by closing it from the red “X” in the top right corner and start it again.

Start Internet Explorer:

Click “‘Tools’ to open the drop menu and select ‘Manage Add-ons’

In the ‘Manage Add-ons’ window, make sure that in the first window ‘Add-on Types’, the drop menu ‘Show’ is on ‘All add-ons’

Select Searchtab(.)net 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 Searchtab(.)net has been removed, restart Internet Explorer by closing it from the red ‘X’ in the top right corner and start it again.

Start Safari

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 Searchtab(.)net
Click ‘Uninstall’

A pop-up window will appear asking for confirmation to uninstall Searchtab(.)net. Select ‘Uninstall’ again, and the Searchtab(.)net will be removed.

Some malicious scripts may modify the registry entries of your computer to change different settings. This is why manual clean up of your Windows Registry Database is strongly recommended. Since the tutorial on how to do this is a bit lenghty, we recommend following our instructive article about fixing registry entries.

Automatically remove Searchtab(.)net by downloading an advanced anti-malware program

1. Remove Searchtab(.)net with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool and back up your data

Remove Searchtab(.)net with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool

1. Install SpyHunter to scan for and remove Searchtab(.)net.2. Scan with SpyHunter to Detect and Remove Searchtab(.)net. Back up your data to secure it against infections and file encryption by Searchtab(.)net in the future.

Step 1:Click on the “Download” button to proceed to SpyHunter’s download page.

Download

Malware Removal Tool

It is highly 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.

Step 2: Guide yourself by the download instructions provided for each browser.
Step 3: After you have installed SpyHunter, wait for it to automatically update.

Step1: After the update process has finished, click on the ‘Scan Computer Now’ button.

Step2: After SpyHunter has finished scanning your PC for any Searchtab(.)net files, click on the ‘Fix Threats’ button to remove them automatically and permanently.

Step3: Once the intrusions on your PC have been removed, it is highly recommended to restart it.

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 automatically with cloud backup and insure it against any type of data loss on your device, even the most severe. We recommend reading more about and downloading SOS Online Backup .

SOS Online Backup

Optional: Using Alternative Anti-Malware Tools

Remove Searchtab(.)net Using Other Alternative Tools

STOPZilla Anti Malware

1. Download and Install STOPZilla Anti-malware to Scan for And Remove Searchtab(.)net.
Step 1: Download STOPZilla by clicking here.
Step 2: A pop-up window will appear. Click on the ‘Save File’ button. If it does not, click on the Download button and save it afterwards.

Step 3: After you have downloaded the setup, simply open it.
Step 4: The installer should appear. Click on the ‘Next’ button.

Step 5: Check the ‘I accept the agreement’ check circle if not checked if you accept it and click the ‘Next’ button once again.

Step 6: Review and click on the ‘Install’ button.

Step 7: After the installation process has completed click on the ‘Finish’ button.

2. Scan your PC with STOPZilla Anti Malware to remove all Searchtab(.)net associated files completely.
Step 1: Launch STOPZilla if you haven’t launched it after install.
Step 2: Wait for the software to automatically scan and then click on the ‘Repair Now’ button. If it does not scan automatically, click on the ‘Scan Now’ button.

Step 3: After the removal of all threats and associated objects, you should Restart your PC.

Vencislav Krustev

A network administrator and malware researcher at SensorsTechForum with passion for discovery of new shifts and innovations in cyber security. Strong believer in basic education of every user towards online safety.

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