Search.safensearch.com

Search.safensearch.com is a hijacker, and it was created by Pinwid Ltd. This hijacker could hijack the homepage of your browsers – including IE, Firefox, or Chrome – but it is unlikely to replace your regular search provider or modify the New Tab page. Obviously, if you notice these things, you have to make sure you adjust the removal of Search.safensearch.com appropriately to ensure that this threat is eliminated from your browsers completely. Are you shocked to learn that this strange search tool deserves elimination? You must not be because you have landed on this page while researching this threat, right? Well, if you want a short explanation, this hijacker is a potential threat to your virtual security, and, therefore, we advise deleting it. If you need more information, keep reading.

According to our malware experts, it is possible that the suspicious Search.safensearch.com was created by Snap.do. If you click the “About Us” link at the bottom of the home page of this hijacker, you will be immediately redirected to Snap.do’s representative website. Well, did you know that this company is also linked to Search.tagadin.com, Search.tappytop.com, and other hijackers whose removal is discussed in different reports? Obviously, it cannot be a good sign that the company linked to what appears to be a reliable search tool is also linked to hijackers. You should definitely consider this a red flag. Another red flag are the advertisements represented via Search.safensearch.com. If you install a search tool, don’t you want it to provide you with reliable search services? Well, considering that this hijacker cannot do that, we recommend deleting it from the infected browsers immediately.

The advertisements linked to Search.safensearch.com can be displayed on the home page of this threat, or they can be added to the search results. You will not miss these ads because of the “Ads” button attached to them. Obviously, we advise keeping away from these ads – as well as the banner ads on the home page – because they could be introducing unreliable services or links to malicious sites. In the worst case scenario, even virtual scams could be delivered via them, which is why you should refrain from any interaction. Now, if you have to restrict yourself and tiptoe around Search.safensearch.com, don’t you think it is worth looking into a more reliable and functional search engine to greet you upon startup? You must agree with that, but, first, you need to eliminate the hijacker, and there is one more thing you have to consider before you jump into the task.

Third-party malware. That is what you need to think about when dealing with Search.safensearch.com. This hijacker does not travel alone. In fact, you might have been forced into installing it along with some other, more attractive tool. Also, a software bundle full of unnecessary, unwanted, and unreliable programs might have been used to introduce you to the hijacker. Overall, other threats are likely to be active on your PC at the same time as the hijacker itself, and it is your job to identify and delete them all. We advise starting with a full system scan. Once you know how what kind of malware you are dealing with, it should be easier for you to successfully eliminate it.

Does the removal guide below intimidate you? Do not be scared because the steps are very easy to follow, and even though there might be quite a few of them, depending on which browser you are cleaning, we are sure you can handle the heat. Obviously, this is not the option for you if a malware scanner uncovers malicious threats that you need to eliminate right away. In such a case, it is best to employ anti-malware software to ensure that your operating system is cleaned quickly and reliably. What’s the next step after you delete Search.safensearch.com? Next, you need to employ security software to make sure that you do not encounter malware in the future. Even if you only encountered the hijacker, who’s to say that the next threat to attack is not going to be much more aggressive and dangerous?

Search.safensearch.com Removal

Internet Explorer:

1. Launch RUN (tap Win+R keys) and enter regedit.exe.
2. In the Registry Editor go to HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main.
3. Open the Start Page value and overwrite the hijacker’s URL in value data. Click OK.
4. Go to HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\SearchScopes\{0633EE93-D776-472f-A0FF-E1416B8B2E3A}.
5. Modify these values in the same way as shown in step 3: FaviconURL, FaviconURLFallback, TopResultURL, and URL.

Mozilla Firefox:

1. Launch Explorer by tapping Win+E keys on the keyboard.
2. Enter %AppData%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\ into the bar at the top and then move to the folder representing your unique Firefox profile.
3. Open the file named prefs.js (we recommend using Notepad).
4. Replace the hijacker’s URL in the user_pref("browser.startup.homepage", "http://Search.safensearch.com"); string.

Google Chrome:

1. Launch Explorer by tapping keys Win+E at the same time.
2. Enter %LocalAppData%\Google\Chrome\User Data\ into the bar at the top.
3. Open the Default folder (or the folder representing your unique Chrome profile).
4. Open the file named Web Data (use Notepad) and replace the hijacker’s URL with the desired URL.
5. Modify the files named Preferences and Secure Preferences in the same way as shown is step 4.