Microcosm New Tab

Microcosm New Tab is a new questionable browser extension that only works in Google Chrome. As its name clearly suggests, this application sets a new tab page for you, which is a search page with "special" features or, in other words, "with animated background and the weather forecast" if we want to put it the way its creators did. While it might be tempting to have a nicely animated abstract background, a search box, local weather information, and a few more features on the same page, we would like to warn you that this tool might pose an indirect threat to your virtual security by showing you potentially modified search results and entering your computer with other questionable programs or even worse, malicious software installers. All in all, we have categorized this indirect threat as a potentially unwanted program, or PUP, although some other malware specialists may call it a browser hijacker. We do not think that it is a good idea to keep any questionable program on your computer because this could make your system more vulnerable to malicious attacks. Therefore, we suggest that you remove Microcosm New Tab from your browser so that you have one less possible threat source to worry about.

This PUP is available for download officially on its webpage, microcosmtab.com. This page is rather simple and contains very limited information. In fact, it is so limited that you cannot even find any legal documents, such as Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. This is very suspicious because these are the main and most basic ones that each and every website should have. Most of the time even malicious or questionable websites that promote malware infections or PUPs have such documents so when you land on a page that lacks these, it obviously makes you wonder about the reliability. When you click on the "Get Chrome Extension" button, you are redirected to the Chrome web store page, chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/microcosm-new-tab/nagnmfhgkjkplbhplkbicmpkfopmnefp. We need to mention that every time you are installing such a tool, a small window pops up at the top of the page, which explains about the permissions your target application needs to have. You should know that this PUP can "read and change all your data on the websites you visit, read and change your bookmarks, and know your e-mail address." If these facts are not enough for you to want to delete Microcosm New Tab from your computer, let us go on with the list.

The real bad news comes when you learn that this extension can be found in bundled versions in addition to the official channels. Why is this bad news? Well, do not think for a second that these bundles are all trustworthy and only pack legitimate software. Unfortunately, schemers can promote malicious programs, including adware programs, Trojans, fake alerts, browser hijackers among PUPs; all packed together. If you are unlucky enough to install such a package, your system could lose serious resources, your privacy could be breached, and you could be exposed to dangerous third-party content, such as malicious websites. This is why it is vital that you be aware that you can download such bundles with a single click on the wrong third-party ad or other disguised third-party content (fake buttons, invisible scripts, etc.). We recommend that you avoid questionable file-sharing (torrent and shareware) websites, online gaming, gambling, and dating page because these can host unsafe third-party ads. If you cannot recall installing this PUP, we strongly advise you to run a system malware scan to find all possible threats on board after you delete Microcosm New Tab from your computer.

This Google Chrome browser extension provides you with a new tab page that has "beautiful abstract animation" as background, a search box, thumbnail links to popular websites, such as YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook, and at the bottom of the page, local weather information. While all these may sound useful and fun to have in your browser, let us remind you that "all that glitters ain't gold." In other words, this tool may present to you third-party advertisements, it might redirect you to questionable websites, and it may also display potentially unreliable search results by forwarding your requests to a possibly modified Google search results page. Since this extension may gather data about you and your online activities, it is possible that you will see relevant ads and links on this page, i.e., ones that you feel connected to. Unfortunately, cyber criminals can take advantage of this and send unreliable ads and links to your screen. If you click on such contents, you could infect your computer with more threats or you could open malicious pages on new tabs or in new browser windows. The latter may also result in losing money from your bank account if you fall for an online scam of some sort. As you can see, this PUP may not be a monster of a threat but it might still cause some headaches indirectly. This is why we would vote for your removing Microcosm New Tab as soon as possible.

The only good thing we have found about this PUP is that it only affects Google Chrome and therefore it is very simple and quick to eliminate it. Practically, you just need to remove the extension called "Microcosm - New Tab" and your browser will be free of this questionable tool. If you have no clue how to do this, you can use our guide below. Even if you are a beginner user, you can easily accomplish this in a single minute. Unfortunately, we cannot tell you the same about the rest of the potential threats on your system. If you would like to feel secure in your virtual world, we suggest that you use a reliable anti-malware program, such as SpyHunter to automatically handle all security-related issues on your PC.

How to remove Microcosm New Tab from your browser

Google Chrome

1. Tap Alt+F to open the menu.
2. Go to Settings.
3. Select Extensions in the left panel.
4. Find the unwanted extension in the list.
5. Click on the trash can icon on its right.
6. In the pop-up window, click Remove.