Prevent Search Hub from hijacking your browser

What is Search Hub?

Search Hub is a browser hijacker, advertised as a tool for enhancing web search and allegedly provides quick access to favorite websites.

It is designed to change certain browser settings in order to promote its fake search engine (search.hgetsearchhub.com) and it also spies on users' browsing activity. It is classified as a PUA (potentially unwanted application), due to the fact that most users install it inadvertently.

Browser hijackers typically target the most popular browsers (Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer). Once successfully infiltrated, these hijacking applications change browser's homepages, default search engines and new tab/window URLs.

Thus, effectively promoting their fraudulent web searching tools. Using an affected browser is an exercise in futility, as every new tab/window opened and every single search query typed into the URL bar - all redirect to a fake search engine. Search Hub browser hijacker promotes search.hgetsearchhub.com.

As the latter is unable to provide any search results, it redirects to search.yahoo.com - a legitimate search engine. While these modifications may appear relatively easy to undo, without removal of the hijacking app - it is impossible.

Attempting to manually change altered settings (while the hijacker is still present) will simply reset any changes made, given if access to said settings is at all permitted. It is noteworthy, that Search Hub promotes another browser hijacker, called Encrypted Search.

As previously mentioned, nearly all applications of this type are capable of tracking data. By monitoring users' browsing activity (URLs visited, pages viewed and search queries typed) they can gather personal information (IP address, geolocation and real-life personal details).

What is crucial to understand, is that this sensitive data is then sold to third parties, possibly even cyber criminals. Therefore, PUAs can not only cause various browser and systems infections and/or invasions, but also lead to serious privacy issues (even culminate in identity theft).

Should users suspect or detect any PUAs to be installed on their devices, they are advised to immediately remove them.

Threat Summary:

Name	Search Hub
Threat Type	Browser Hijacker, Redirect, Search Hijacker, Toolbar, Unwanted New Tab
Detection Names	Avast (Win32:AdwareSig [Adw]), DrWeb (Adware.Spigot.145), ESET-NOD32 (A Variant Of Win32/WinWrapper.V Potentially Unwanted), Kaspersky (Not-a-virus:Downloader.Win32.AdLoad.afaqc), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Browser Extension(s)	Search Hub by Search Smart, Search Hub
Supposed Functionality	Enhanced web search experience.
Promoted URL	search.hgetsearchhub.com
Serving IP Address (search.hgetsearchhub.com)	3.210.34.66
Affected Browser Settings	Homepage, new tab URL, default search engine
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.
Additional Information	Search Hub is distributed alongside with another browser hijacker called Encrypted Search.
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.

PUAs are innumerous, browser hijackers in no way a minority either. Nearly all unwanted applications share certain key traits, some apps are even identical. Browser hijackers similar to Search Hub include: Login To My Email, Earth & Satellite View, Current Weather App, MyQuickLotto and many others.

These rogue applications are designed for maximum legitimacy and offer a wide variety of "useful" and "beneficial" abilities/features. However, it must be stated, that PUAs serve but one purpose - to generate revenue for their developers; to users they have no genuine value.

Therefore, instead of having functional features that they advertise, these apps: hijack browsers, cause redirects to unreliable/malicious sites, run intrusive advertisement campaigns and gather vulnerable data.

How did Search Hub install on my computer?

PUAs can be unintentionally installed by users themselves or without their consent/knowledge. Some undesirable applications possess "official" download webpages; this is the case with Search Hub. Another mode of PUA proliferation are install packs/bundles.

"Bundling" is a deceptive marketing technique, by which ordinary software is packed alongside unwanted content. Rushed download/installation processes (e.g. ignored terms, skipped steps, used pre-set options and etc.) - increase the risk of PUA invasions.

Intrusive adverts are also known spreaders of undesirable apps. By clicking on said ads (which tend to look utterly ordinary), users can trigger them to execute scripts, designed to make autonomous downloads/installs.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

Desired content (programs, apps, features and etc.) should always be researched before downloading/installing, in order to verify its legitimacy. It is strongly advised to use only trustworthy and verified sources for downloading, as opposed to peer-to-peer sharing networks and other third party downloaders.

Untrustworthy download sources are more likely to offer software bundled with PUAs. Users are recommended to read download/installation terms, in order to learn whether they are getting exactly what they desire and whether it will behave as advertised.

Additionally, they should use "Custom/Advanced" install settings and opt-out/decline supplementary offers. In case of encounters with suspicious advertisements and rogue redirects, users are to inspect their systems and remove all dubious applications and/or browser extensions/plug-ins.

If your computer is already infected with Search Hub, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate this browser hijacker.

Search Hub browser hijacker installer set-up:

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

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

After uninstalling the potentially unwanted applications (which cause browser redirects to the search.hgetsearchhub.com website), scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.

Search Hub 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.hgetsearchhub.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 "Search Hub".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the search.hgetsearchhub.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 "Search Hub" and other recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons (e.g., "Encrypted Search"), 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 "Search Hub by Search Smart" or "Encrypted Search", look for a browser hijacker URL (hxxp://search.hgetsearchhub.com or hxxps://encryptedsearch.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 "hxxp://search.hgetsearchhub.com" and "hxxp://encryptedsearch.org", 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.hgetsearchhub.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 plugins from Mozilla Firefox:

Click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window), select "Add-ons". Click on "Extensions" and remove "Search Hub", as well as all other recently installed browser plug-ins (e.g., "Encrypted Search").

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 "Search Hub" or "Encrypted Search", remove hxxp://search.hgetsearchhub.com or hxxp://encryptedsearch.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.hgetsearchhub.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.hgetsearchhub.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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