SafeSearch is at the same time a browser hijacker linked to the address SafeSearch.net that imitates the same visual look as Google, and a toolbar supposedly built to help you know if the website you’re browsing is safe or not. SafeSearch install is offered to users at the same time as they install free software found in some download platforms. By going too fast while installing, a lot of people end up with unwanted programs such as SafeSearch. Here’s a clear example:
We think we’re installing Winzip, and if we go directly to “Accept” as the setup programs asks us to do, we found ourselves with SafeSearch installed in every browser present in our system, although Internet Explorer, Firefox and Chrome are the most vulnerable to this issue.
Once installed, besides setting its toolbar, SafeSearch configures your browser so SafeSearch.net becomes your homepage, configuring also your computer in such a way that to uninstall both the toolbar and the homepage becomes really difficult.
If you use Internet Explorer, you’ll see how even more difficult it becomes to get rid of the toolbar, because when clicking the little cross we get a message saying that in order to erase this element we must be a certain type of user, even if your user has administrator rights.
We have selected for the following guide, a list of steps your should follow if you wish to get rid of SafeSearch; make sure to execute all the steps even if some seem not to work.
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