Search.hthecalendar.co Redirect
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What is search.hthecalendar.co?
search.hthecalendar.co is one of many browser hijackers and fake search engines also known as The Calendar. The software is distributed by a Cyprus-based company called Polarity Technologies Ltd., and is installed on the browser as an extension, add-on, or program on the Windows Operating System.
You can ascertain if it is installed on your browser by studying its design: this fake browser engine contains two search boxes (the main one in the middle of the search engine and a smaller one in the top-left corner) and various graphic icons with links to websites such as amazon.com, gmail.com, yahoo.com, almanac.com, and timeanddate.com.
You can also see that it has an integrated clock showing the local time and a tab with the current local weather, which encourages you to visit a website called National Weather Agency. This browser hijacker seems very similar to others such as search.bittsearch.com and feed.amazingtab.com The only difference is that not all have the integrated clock and these search engines usually promote different websites/have different graphic icons with links.
When an enquiry is made, this particular fake search engine redirects you to search.yahoo.com, which is a search engine owned by Yahoo. The Calendar browser hijacker targets the most popular browsers such as Safari, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Internet Explorer.
Depending on the web browser, it can be installed as an extension, a program on the operating system, or an add-on. For example, if you are using Mozilla Firefox, you will find The Calendar installed as an extension. If Google Chrome is your default web browser, it is installed as an extension.
The same applies to Safari. If you are using Microsoft Edge or Internet Explorer, it is installed on Windows as a separate program. Once installed, it changes the homepage and search engine to search.hthecalendar.co When you open a new tab, your hijacked web browser also opens the search.hthecalendar.co website.
This situation allows first-party publisher or Partner Cookies to be installed on your browser, adds additional search-related services, and changes the error page functionality.
Name | The Calendar browser hijacker |
Threat Type | Browser Hijacker, Redirect, Search Hijacker, Toolbar, Unwanted New Tab |
Symptoms | Manipulated Internet browser(s) settings (homepage, default Internet search engine, new tab settings). User's are forced to visit hijacker's website and search the Internet using their search engines. |
Distribution methods | Deceptive pop-up ads, free software installers (bundling), fake flash player installers. |
Damage | Internet browsing tracking (potential privacy issues), displaying of unwanted ads, redirects to shady websites. |
Malware Removal (Windows) | To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. |
There are many browser hijackers such as The Calendar, and the number is growing daily. Even if they appear different and have various 'useful' features to offer, most affect your hijacked browser in similar ways. These fake search engines often have integrated shortcuts to popular websites such as gmail.com or yahoo, and extra shortcuts to various unknown websites.
These dubious sites claim to be legitimate search engines, but collect information about your online behaviour or generate revenue by redirecting to various other (mostly unknown) websites.
You might also experience misleading redirects, unwanted ads, etc. Clicking on these links could result in serious problems. Your computer might be infected by malware and viruses, could become more vulnerable to hacker attacks, and so on.
How did search.hthecalendar.co install on my computer?
Browser hijackers such as The Calendar are installed by dangerous, free software, shareware or ad-supporting programs, which include various toolbars, browser plug-ins, and so on. Browser hijackers are often bundled with free programs that you download from the Internet.
In most cases, these programs are free since they include browser hijackers or adware programs. Free software is not actually 'free'. In some cases, you do not even need to install anything to have your browser hijacked.
It is sometimes enough to click a pop-up button, which does not necessarily do what it states, and then installs an app onto your browser or operating system. There are also cases whereby the browser could be hijacked through emails, torrents, or software download managers.
How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?
Remember that software is rarely 'free', even if you do not have to pay for it (usually, there is a 'catch' or related scam). Check if the program you want to download and install is secure and legitimate. Google it to see what information you can find.
When installing a particular program, check "Advanced" or "Custom" installation options, and do not jump through the installation steps without checking the content of each. Look for ticked checkboxes where it states that you 'agree' to download various extra features or software (which could be browser hijackers).
These checkboxes are usually ticked by default. Do not click suspicious pop-up ads and avoid visiting untrustworthy websites. Keep your real-time antivirus software enabled and ensure that you have the latest operating system and browser version. Do not click links within emails from unknown senders.
The Internet is full of unwanted software and the easiest way to avoid it is to carefully choose what to click, download, and install. If your computer is already infected with The Calendar, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate this browser hijacker.
Website promoting The Calendar browser hijacker:
Instant automatic malware removal:
Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
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Quick menu:
- What is search.hthecalendar.co?
- STEP 1. Uninstall The Calendar application using Control Panel.
- STEP 2. Remove search.hthecalendar.co redirect from Internet Explorer.
- STEP 3. Remove The Calendar browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
- STEP 4. Remove search.hthecalendar.co homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
- STEP 5. Remove search.hthecalendar.co redirect from Safari.
- STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.
The Calendar browser hijacker removal:
Windows 11 users:
Right-click on the Start icon, select Apps and Features. In the opened window search for the application you want to uninstall, after locating it, click on the three vertical dots and select Uninstall.
Windows 10 users:
Right-click in the lower left corner of the screen, in the Quick Access Menu select Control Panel. In the opened window choose Programs and Features.
Windows 7 users:
Click Start (Windows Logo at the bottom left corner of your desktop), choose Control Panel. Locate Programs and click Uninstall a program.
macOS (OSX) users:
Click Finder, in the opened screen select Applications. Drag the app from the Applications folder to the Trash (located in your Dock), then right click the Trash icon and select Empty Trash.
In the uninstall programs window: look for any recently installed suspicious applications (for example, "The Calendar"), select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".
After uninstalling the potentially unwanted programs that cause browser redirects to the search.hthecalendar.co website, scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.
The Calendar browser hijacker removal from Internet browsers:
Video showing how to remove browser redirects:
Remove malicious add-ons from Internet Explorer:
Click the "gear" icon (at the top right corner of Internet Explorer), select "Manage Add-ons". Look for any recently installed suspicious extensions, select these entries and click "Remove".
Change your homepage:
Click the "gear" icon (at the top right corner of Internet Explorer), select "Internet Options", in the opened window, remove hxxp://search.hthecalendar.co and enter your preferred domain, which will open each time you launch Internet Explorer. You can also enter about: blank to open a blank page when you start Internet Explorer.
Change your default search engine:
Click the "gear" icon (at the top right corner of Internet Explorer), select "Manage Add-ons". In the opened window, select "Search Providers", set "Google", "Bing", or any other preferred search engine as your default and then remove "The Calendar...".
Optional method:
If you continue to have problems with removal of the the calendar browser hijacker, reset your Internet Explorer settings to default.
Windows XP users: Click Start, click Run, in the opened window type inetcpl.cpl In the opened window click the Advanced tab, then click Reset.
Windows Vista and Windows 7 users: Click the Windows logo, in the start search box type inetcpl.cpl and click enter. In the opened window click the Advanced tab, then click Reset.
Windows 8 users: Open Internet Explorer and click the gear icon. Select Internet Options.
In the opened window, select the Advanced tab.
Click the Reset button.
Confirm that you wish to reset Internet Explorer settings to default by clicking the Reset button.
Remove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:
Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "More tools" and click "Extensions". Locate "The Calendar" and other recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons, and remove them.
Change your homepage:
Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "Settings". In the "On startup" section, look for a browser hijacker URL (hxxp://www.search.hthecalendar.co) below the “Open a specific or set of pages” option. If present, click on the three vertical dots icon and select “Remove”.
Change your default search engine:
To change your default search engine in Google Chrome: Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "Settings", in the "Search engine" section, click "Manage search engines...", in the opened list, look for "search.hthecalendar.co", and when located, click the three vertical dots near this URL and select "Remove from list".
Optional method:
If you continue to have problems with removal of the the calendar browser hijacker, reset your Google Chrome browser settings. Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome) and select Settings. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen. Click the Advanced… link.
After scrolling to the bottom of the screen, click the Reset (Restore settings to their original defaults) button.
In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Google Chrome settings to default by clicking the Reset button.
Remove malicious plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox:
Click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window), select "Add-ons". Click on "Extensions" and remove "The Calendar" (or simply "Calendar"), as well as all other recently installed browser plug-ins.
Change your homepage:
To reset your homepage, click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window), then select "Options", in the opened window, remove The Calendar (or simply "Calendar") and enter your preferred domain, which will open each time you start Mozilla Firefox.
Change your default search engine:
In the URL address bar, type about:config and press Enter.
Click "I'll be careful, I promise!".
In the search filter at the top, type: "moz-extension"
Right-click on the found preferences and select "Reset" to restore default values.
Optional method:
Computer users who have problems with the calendar browser hijacker removal can reset their Mozilla Firefox settings.
Open Mozilla Firefox, at the top right corner of the main window, click the Firefox menu, in the opened menu, click Help.
Select Troubleshooting Information.
In the opened window, click the Refresh Firefox button.
In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Mozilla Firefox settings to default by clicking the Refresh Firefox button.
Remove malicious extensions from Safari:
Make sure your Safari browser is active and click Safari menu, then select Preferences...
In the preferences window select the Extensions tab. Look for any recently installed suspicious extensions and uninstall them.
In the preferences window select General tab and make sure that your homepage is set to a preferred URL, if its altered by a browser hijacker - change it.
In the preferences window select Search tab and make sure that your preferred Internet search engine is selected.
Optional method:
Make sure your Safari browser is active and click on Safari menu. From the drop down menu select Clear History and Website Data...
In the opened window select all history and click the Clear History button.
Remove malicious extensions from Microsoft Edge:
Click the Edge menu icon (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge), select "Extensions". Locate any recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons, and remove them.
Change your homepage and new tab settings:
Click the Edge menu icon (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge), select "Settings". In the "On startup" section look for the name of the browser hijacker and click "Disable".
Change your default Internet search engine:
To change your default search engine in Microsoft Edge: Click the Edge menu icon (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge), select "Privacy and services", scroll to bottom of the page and select "Address bar". In the "Search engines used in address bar" section look for the name of the unwanted Internet search engine, when located click the "Disable" button near it. Alternatively you can click on "Manage search engines", in the opened menu look for unwanted Internet search engine. Click on the puzzle icon near it and select "Disable".
Optional method:
If you continue to have problems with removal of the the calendar browser hijacker, reset your Microsoft Edge browser settings. Click the Edge menu icon (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge) and select Settings.
In the opened settings menu select Reset settings.
Select Restore settings to their default values. In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Microsoft Edge settings to default by clicking the Reset button.
- If this did not help, follow these alternative instructions explaining how to reset the Microsoft Edge browser.
Summary:
A browser hijacker is a type of adware infection that modifies Internet browser settings by assigning the homepage and default Internet search engine settings to some other (unwanted) website URL. Commonly, this type of adware infiltrates operating systems through free software downloads. If your download is managed by a download client, ensure that you decline offers to install advertised toolbars or applications that seek to change your homepage and default Internet search engine settings.
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