Fast Weather App Browser Hijacker
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What is search.hfastweatherapp.com?
The Fast Weather App browser app supposedly allows users to search for weather forecasts directly from the homepage/new tab page. Do not use this app, since it is categorized as a potentially unwanted application (PUA), a browser hijacker. People tend to download and install it unintentionally.
Furthermore, Fast Weather App gathers browsing-related information and changes browser settings to promote a fake search engine called search.hfastweatherapp.com
This browser hijacker can be installed on browsers such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Internet Explorer. When installed, Fast Weather App immediately assigns the homepage, new tab URL, and default search engine to search.hfastweatherapp.com - this is the address of a fake search engine which, if used, does not deliver any unique results.
When a search query is entered, it simply opens search.yahoo.com and displays results generated by the Yahoo search engine. Search engines such as search.hfastweatherapp.com are useless, however, people who have Fast Weather App installed are forced to visit it when they open the infiltrated browser (or new tab) and enter search queries into the URL bar.
The only way to avoid it is to uninstall the Fast Weather App browser hijacker. Furthermore, when installed, this app (with its associated fake search engine) continually collects data relating to users' browsing habits. This includes IP addresses, geolocations, URLs of visited websites, entered search queries, and so on.
Some of these unwanted apps might also record personal/sensitive details. Developers share the data with other parties (potentially, cyber criminals) who misuse it to generate revenue.
| Name | Fast Weather App |
| Threat Type | Browser Hijacker, Redirect, Search Hijacker, Toolbar, Unwanted New Tab. |
| Browser Extension(s) | Weather, Fast Weather App. |
| Supposed Functionality | Weather forecast. |
| Affected Browser Settings | Homepage, new tab URL, default search engine. |
| Promoted Domain | search.hfastweatherapp.com |
| Detection Names (ShipmentTracker-19428848.exe) | Avast (Win32:AdwareSig [Adw]), AVG (Win32:AdwareSig [Adw]), ESET-NOD32 (a variant of Win32/WinWrapper.V potentially unwanted), Kaspersky (not-a-virus:HEUR:AdWare.Win32.WebSearch.gen), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal) |
| Symptoms | Manipulated internet browser settings (homepage, default internet search engine, new tab settings). Users are forced to visit the 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 browser tracking (potential privacy issues), display of unwanted ads, redirects to dubious websites. |
| Malware Removal (Windows) | To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. |
These apps can cause problems relating to browsing safety and privacy, and some might even lead to identity theft. Typically, PUAs are promoted as legitimate, useful apps, however, only few deliver any of the promoted features, tools, and so on. These apps are designed only to generate revenue for their developers.
Some examples of other apps categorized as browser hijackers include Easy Speed Test App, Mega Media Start, and Game Jungle.
How did Fast Weather App install on my computer?
Fast Weather App can be downloaded from a promotional website, however, it is more likely that people download and install it accidentally. This app is also promoted using a deceptive marketing method called bundling and is included in the set-ups of other software. When people download and install regular software, they also cause download/installation of unwanted apps.
This is because information about the inclusion of PUAs into set-ups is usually hidden in settings such as "Custom", "Advanced", and so on. If people leave the settings unchecked/unchanged, they download and install their programs together with PUAs. Clicking intrusive ads can also cause this problem, since they often run scripts that download and install PUAs.
How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?
Download all software from official, trustworthy websites, and avoid using third party software downloaders, Peer-to-Peer networks (such as torrent clients, eMule etc.), dubious pages, and other such tools. Additionally, install software properly, especially freeware. Study all settings included in set-ups and decline offers to install (or download) software before finishing.
Intrusive ads often seem legitimate, however, if clicked, they can open untrustworthy websites. These ads are usually displayed on pages relating to gambling, adult dating, pornography, and so on. Therefore do not click them.
If these ads appear regularly, or the browser causes unwanted redirects, we strongly recommend that you check installed plug-ins, extensions, and add-ons on your browser, and programs on your computer. Remove any unwanted, unknown, or suspicious entries immediately.
If your computer is already infected with Fast Weather App, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate this browser hijacker.
Fast Weather App browser hijacker installer set-up:
Website promoting Fast Weather App browser hijacker:
Another website used to promote Fast Weather App browser hijacker;
IMPORTANT NOTE! This deceptive site asks to enable web browser notifications.
Therefore, before commencing, perform these steps:
Google Chrome (PC):
- Click the Menu button (three dots) on the right upper corner of the screen
- Select "Settings", scroll down to the bottom and click "Advanced"
- Scroll down to the "Privacy and security" section, select "Content settings" and then "Notifications"
- Click three dots on the right hand side of each suspicious URL and click "Block" or "Remove" (if you click "Remove" and visit the malicious site once more, it will ask to enable notifications again)
Google Chrome (Android):
- Click on the Menu button (three dots) on the right upper corner of the screen and click "Settings"
- Scroll down, click on "Site settings" and then "Notifications"
- In the opened window, locate all suspicious URLs and click on them one-by-one
- Select "Notifications" in the "Permissions" section and set the toggle button to "OFF"
Mozilla Firefox:
- Click the Menu button (three bars) on the right upper corner of the screen
- Select "Options" and click on "Privacy & Security" in the toolbar on the left hand side of the screen
- Scroll down to the "Permissions" section and click the "Settings" button next to "Notifications"
- In the opened window, locate all suspicious URLs, click the drop-down menu and select "Block"
Internet Explorer:
- Click the Gear button on the right upper corner of the IE window
- Select "Internet options"
- Select the "Privacy" tab and click "Settings" under "Pop-up Blocker" section
- Select suspicious URLs under and remove them one by one by clicking the "Remove" button
Microsoft Edge:
- Click the menu button (three dots) on the right upper corner of the Edge window and select "Settings"
- Click on "Site permissions" in the toolbar on the left hand side of the screen and select "Notifications"
- Click three dots on the right hand side of each suspicious URL under "Allow" section and click "Block" or "Remove" (if you click "Remove" and visit the malicious site once more, it will ask to enable notifications again)
Safari (Mac):
- Click "Safari" button on the left upper corner of the screen and select "Preferences..."
- Select the "Websites" tab and then select "Notifications" section on the left pane
- Check for suspicious URLs and apply the "Deny" option for each
Instant automatic malware removal:
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Quick menu:
- What is search.hfastweatherapp.com?
- STEP 1. Uninstall Fast Weather App application using Control Panel.
- STEP 2. Remove search.hfastweatherapp.com redirect from Internet Explorer.
- STEP 3. Remove Fast Weather App browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
- STEP 4. Remove search.hfastweatherapp.com homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
- STEP 5. Remove search.hfastweatherapp.com redirect from Safari.
- STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.
Fast Weather App 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, "Fast Weather App"), select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".
After uninstalling the potentially unwanted applications that cause browser redirects to the search.hfastweatherapp.com website, scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.
Fast Weather App browser hijacker removal from Internet browsers:
Video showing how to remove browser redirects (Windows OS):
Video showing how to remove Fast Weather App browser hijacker using Combo Cleaner (MacOS):
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.hfastweatherapp.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 "Fast Weather App".
Optional method:
If you continue to have problems with removal of the search.hfastweatherapp.com redirect, 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 "Fast Weather App" 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, disable "Fast Weather App" (or simply "Weather") look for a browser hijacker URL (hxxp://www.search.hfastweatherapp.com) 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.hfastweatherapp.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 search.hfastweatherapp.com redirect, 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 "Fast Weather App" (or simply "Weather"), 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, disable "Fast Weather App" (or simply "Weather"), remove hxxp://search.hfastweatherapp.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: "moz-extension"
Right-click on the found preferences and select "Reset" to restore default values.
Optional method:
Computer users who have problems with search.hfastweatherapp.com redirect 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 search.hfastweatherapp.com redirect, 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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Outstanding!
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