Removal of Free Live Radio browser hijacker

What is Free Live Radio?

Free Live Radio is a rogue application identical to My Login Helper, Easy DIY App, My Classifieds List Pro, and many other unwanted apps. By offering features that allow users to listen to various radio stations online, Free Live Radio attempts to give the impression of legitimacy.

In fact, it is categorized as a potentially unwanted application (PUA) and a browser hijacker. There are three main reasons for these negative associations: 1) stealth installation without users' consent; 2) tracking of browsing activity, and; 3) promotion of a fake search engine.

This browser hijacker is designed to promote the search.hfreeliveradio.org fake search engine. Previously, however, Free Live Radio promoted search.hfreeliveradio.co. Updated variants of Free Live Radio browser hijacker promote search.freeliveradiotab.com fake search engine.

To achieve this, Free Live Radio hijacks the most popular browsers and assigns search.hfreeliveradio.org as the new tab URL, homepage, and default search engine. These modifications may seem insignificant, however, users are unable to revert them. Free Live Radio reassign browser options (or simply prevents access) when attempts are made to change them.

Therefore, returning browsers to their previous states becomes impossible and users are encouraged to visit search.hfreeliveradio.org when they search via the URL bar or open a new browser tab. This significantly diminishes the browsing experience.

In addition, search.hfreeliveradio.org is a useless search engine, since it generates no unique results and users are simply redirected to search.yahoo.com when they enter a search query. In this way, they end up searching via the Yahoo search engine, and thus search.hfreeliveradio.org becomes redundant. Another important issue is data tracking.

Browser hijackers and fake search engines gather information such as IP addresses, website URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries, and so on. This information is likely to include personal details that developers share with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) who misuse it to generate revenue.

Therefore, information tracking can lead to serious privacy issues or even identity theft. You are strongly advised to uninstall the Free Live Radio browser hijacker and never to return to search.hfreeliveradio.org

Threat Summary:

Name	Free Live Radio
Threat Type	Browser Hijacker, Redirect, Search Hijacker, Toolbar, Unwanted New Tab
Detection Names	Avast (Win32:AdwareSig [Adw]), Emsisoft (Application.Toolbar (A)), ESET-NOD32 (A Variant Of Win32/WinWrapper.V Potentially Unwanted), Kaspersky (Not-a-virus:HEUR:AdWare.Win32.WebSearch.gen), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Browser Extension(s)	Radio, Free Live Radio
Supposed Functionality	Access to radio stations via the Internet.
Promoted URL	search.hfreeliveradio.org, search.freeliveradiotab.com
Serving IP Address (search.hfreeliveradio.org)	54.211.198.162
Affected Browser Settings	Homepage, new tab URL, default search engine
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. ▼ 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.

As mentioned above, Free Live Radio is identical to dozens of other browser-hijacking applications developed by the same company.

Although these applications offer different functionality, all have identical behavior. The purpose of Free Live Radio and other browser-hijacking apps is to generate revenue for the developers. Rather than giving any real value for regular users, they cause redirects and gather data, thereby diminishing the browsing experience and posing a threat to your privacy/computer safety.

How did Free Live Radio install on my computer?

Although Free Live Radio does has an official download/promotion site, it often infiltrates systems without users’ permission. Developers proliferate browser-hijacking applications such as Free Live Radio using "bundling" and intrusive advertising methods. "Bundling" is essentially stealth installation of third party applications together with regular software.

Developers know that users often rush download/installation processes and skip steps. Therefore, all "bundled" apps are hidden behind "Custom/Advanced" settings (or other sections) of the download/installation processes.

Intrusive advertisements (most of which are delivered by adware-type applications) redirect users to dubious websites and execute scripts that download/install unwanted applications.

Rushing download/installation processes and clicking advertisements often leads to inadvertent installation of rogue applications. The main reasons for computer infections are poor knowledge of these threats and careless behavior.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

The key to computer safety is caution. Therefore, pay close attention when browsing the Internet and downloading/installing software. Study each step of the download/installation processes using the "Custom" or "Advanced" settings. Opt-out of all additionally-included programs and decline offers to download/install them.

Download programs from official sources only, preferably using direct download links. Third party downloaders/installers often include rogue applications, and thus these tools should never be used. Bear in mind that intrusive advertisements usually seem legitimate, however, most of these ads redirect to dubious websites (gambling, pornography, adult dating, and similar).

If you experience these ads/redirects, eliminate all suspicious applications and browser plug-ins. If your computer is already infected with Free Live Radio, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate this browser hijacker.

Screenshot of search.freeliveradiotab.com fake search engine:

Free Live Radio browser hijacker asking for permissions:

Free Live Radio browser hijacker installer set-up:

Website promoting Free Live Radio 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
• Scroll down, find and click "Settings"
• Scroll down again and click "View advanced settings"
• Click "Manage" under "Website permissions"
• Click the switch under each suspicious website

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

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Quick menu:

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

Free Live Radio 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, "Free Live Radio"), select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".

After uninstalling the potentially unwanted applications that cause browser redirects to the search.hfreeliveradio.org website, scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.

Free Live Radio 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.hfreeliveradio.org 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 "Free Live Radio".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the search.hfreeliveradio.org 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 "Free Live Radio" 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 "Free Live Radio" look for a browser hijacker URL (hxxp://www.search.hfreeliveradio.org) 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.hfreeliveradio.org", 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.hfreeliveradio.org 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 "Free Live Radio" (or simply "Radio"), 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 "Free Live Radio" (or simply "Radio") remove hxxp://search.hfreeliveradio.org 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.hfreeliveradio.org 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.hfreeliveradio.org 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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