Search.thesearchguard.com Redirect

What is thesearchguard.com?

search.thesearchguard.com is a fake search engine that is installed on web browsers through the TheSearchGuard browser hijacker app. This app offers encrypted searches, the ability to delete private search histories, and redirects to a privacy-safe search engine. It also offers a supposedly enhanced browsing experience, plus the most relevant and improved search results.

TheSearchGuard targets Google Chrome users only and is installed in the form of an extension. Once installed, it takes control over the browser by changing the search engine, homepage, and new tabs to the search.thesearchguard.com URL. If you try to search using this search engine, it redirects you to search.yahoo.com (a legitimate Yahoo search engine).

Most browser hijackers collect data, and this one is no exception. It collects information such as IP addresses, search queries, visited websites, and so on. Data tracking such as this can lead to privacy issues or even identity theft. The information is usually shared with third parties or even cyber criminals.

Browser hijackers generate revenue by providing users with misleading and unwanted results. Clicking these results is used to generate revenue for browser hijacker developers, and to proliferate computer infections (if the results redirect to malicious websites).

Threat Summary:

Name	TheSearchGuard 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. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

There are many browser hijackers available, including mysearchprotec.com, searchdims.network, and search14.co - most are similar to popular search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc., and are typically designed to appear legitimate. In fact, they offer various dubious features and diminish the browsing experience rather than providing any real benefit.

How did TheSearchGuard install on my computer?

TheSearchGuard browser hijacker app is available for anyone to download at thesearchguard.com, however, it is very likely that it was installed on your Chrome browser using the 'bundling' method or through intrusive ads. Bundling is essentially stealth installation of third party apps with regular software.

Therefore, apps such as browser hijackers are usually hidden in "Advanced", "Custom", "Manual" and other similar settings/options. Intrusive ads redirect to malicious websites and execute scripts that stealthily download and install software. In other cases, browser hijackers are installed through third party software installers/downloaders or torrents.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

Remember to install software with care, especially if you downloaded it free of charge. Free software tends to be ad-supportive, and will thus offer installation of extra software using the bundling method. Do not skip installation steps and check all available options and settings such as "Custom", "Advanced", and other similar sections of the installation process.

Avoid downloading software from unofficial websites, using torrent clients or other third party software downloaders/installers (use direct links only). Browse the web with care - avoid clicking pop-up ads, especially on unofficial/untrustworthy websites.

By clicking these ads, you may be tricked into downloading malicious software (or other unwanted software, such as browser hijackers) or simply have your computer infected.

Finally, keep your browser updated and ensure that antivirus software enabled. If your computer is already infected with TheSearchGuard, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate this browser hijacker.

Website promoting TheSearchGuard 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:
▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

Quick menu:

• What is thesearchguard.com?
• STEP 1. Uninstall TheSearchGuard application using Control Panel.
• STEP 2. Remove thesearchguard.com redirect from Internet Explorer.
• STEP 3. Remove TheSearchGuard browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove thesearchguard.com homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
• STEP 5. Remove thesearchguard.com redirect from Safari.
• STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.

TheSearchGuard 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, "TheSearchGuard"), select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".

After uninstalling the potentially unwanted programs that cause browser redirects to the thesearchguard.com website, scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.

TheSearchGuard 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://srch_s.thesearchguard.com 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 "thesearchguard".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the thesearchguard 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 "TheSearchGuard" 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.srch_s.thesearchguard.com) below the “Open a specific or set of pages” option. If present, click 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 "thesearchguard.com", 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 thesearchguard 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 "TheSearchGuard", 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 hxxp://srch_s.thesearchguard.com 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: "thesearchguard.com"
Right-click on the found preferences and select "Reset" to restore default values.

Optional method:

Computer users who have problems with thesearchguard 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 thesearchguard 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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