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How to remove the Private Tab browser hijacker

Also Known As: privatetab.org redirect
Damage level: Medium

What is Private Tab?

The Private Tab application is advertised as a tool that deletes browsing history and other data when people launch their browsers. In fact, this app is a browser hijacker: it promotes a fake search engine (privatetab.org) and collects various data.

Browser hijackers are classified as potentially unwanted applications (PUAs), since people often often download and install them inadvertently.

privatetab.org browser hijacker

Typically, browser hijackers promote fake search engines by changing browser settings such as the address of the default search engine, homepage, and new tab URL. They also prevent users from undoing these changed so that they are forced to visit a specific address when they open a browser, new tab and enter search queries into the URL bar.

This is the case as long as the browser hijacker is installed on the browser and/or operating system. To undo the settings it is therefore necessary to uninstall the browser hijacker that originally assigned them. Research shows that Private Tab assigns browser settings to privatetab.org.

Note that this fake search engine does not generate any unique results and simply redirects users to bing.com or search.yahoo.com

In summary, it provides results generated by other, legitimate search engines. In cases when Private Tab does not change the aforementioned settings, it detects when users enter search queries into the URL bar and then provides results by a Bing or Yahoo search engine.

Private Tab and its associated fake search engine are useless. Browser hijackers also collect various data. They target details such as IP addresses, geolocations, entered search queries, addresses of visited pages and other browsing data. They can also record personal, sensitive information.

The developers often misuse the data by selling it to third parties (potentially, cyber criminals), who then misuse it to generate revenue in other ways.

People who have PUAs installed on their browsers and/or operating systems might thus become victims of identity theft, experience problems relating to browsing safety, privacy, and other issues. Remove all browser hijackers and PUAs from your system immediately.

Threat Summary:
Name Private Tab
Threat Type Browser Hijacker, Redirect, Search Hijacker, Toolbar, Unwanted New Tab.
Browser Extension(s) Private Tab
Supposed Functionality This app supposedly removes browsing data each time the user opens a browser.
Promoted URL privatetab.org
Serving IP Address (privatetab.org) 104.28.20.236, 104.28.21.236
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.
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Some examples of other apps of this type include My Video Converter, Logic Search and Directions Tab.

Browser hijackers and other PUAs supposedly deliver various features or other value, however, they help the developers to generate revenue. Having apps of this type installed on the browser and/or computer can lead to serious problems. Therefore, never trust or download any PUAs.

How did Private Tab install on my computer?

People usually cause download and installation of unwanted apps by clicking deceptive ads that execute certain scripts or when they download/install programs that have PUAs included in the set-ups. PUAs are included in set-ups of other programs and presented as "additional offers".

This distribution method is called "bundling" and is used to trick people into downloading and installing PUAs with regular programs.

In most cases, information about included apps can be found in "Advanced", "Custom" and other similar settings, however, people often leave these unchanged, thereby allowing PUAs to be downloaded and installed through the set-ups of programs that are used to distribute them.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

Check all "Custom", "Advanced", and "Manual" settings of the download and installation setups. Dismiss any offers to download or install unwanted software before completing the process. Do not download or install software through untrusted, unofficial websites, torrent clients, eMule (and Peer-to-Peer networks), third party downloaders, installers, and so on.

Software and files should be downloaded from official websites and via direct links. Intrusive ads that appear on dubious pages should not be clicked, since they can open potentially malicious pages or cause unwanted downloads and installations. Remove any unwanted, suspicious apps (extensions, add-ons, plug-ins) installed on the browser.

The same should be applied to programs of this kind that are installed on the operating system. If your computer is already infected with Private Tab, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate this browser hijacker.

Private Tab redirects to search.yahoo.com (GIF):

private tab detecting search query and redirecting to yahoo search engine

Private Tab asks for a permission to to access and modify data:

private tab browser hijacker asks for a permission to read and change data

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Quick menu:

Private Tab browser hijacker removal:

Windows 11 users:

Accessing Apps and Features in Windows 11

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:

Accessing Programs and Features (uninstall) in Windows 8

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:

Accessing Programs and Features (uninstall) in Windows 7

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:

Uninstall app in OSX (Mac)

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.

privatetab.org browser hijacker uninstall via Control Panel

In the uninstall programs window: look for any recently installed suspicious applications (for example, "Private Tab"), select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".

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

Private Tab browser hijacker removal from Internet browsers:

Video showing how to remove browser redirects:

Internet Explorer logoRemove malicious add-ons from Internet Explorer:

Removing privatetab.org related Internet Explorer extensions

Click the "gear" icon Internet Explorer options 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:

Removing privatetab.org from Internet Explorer homepage

Click the "gear" icon Internet Explorer options icon (at the top right corner of Internet Explorer), select "Internet Options", in the opened window remove hxxp://privatetab.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:

Removing privatetab.org from Internet Explorer default search engine

Click the "gear" icon Internet Explorer options 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 "Private Tab".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the privatetab.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.

Resetting Internet Explorer settings to default on Windows XP

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.

Resetting Internet Explorer settings to default on Windows 7

Windows 8 users: Open Internet Explorer and click the gear icon. Select Internet Options.

Reseting Internet Explorer settings to default in Windows 8 - accessing

In the opened window, select the Advanced tab.

Resetting Internet Explorer settings to default on Windows 8 - Internet options advanced tab

Click the Reset button.

Resetting Internet Explorer settings to default on Windows 8 - click the Reset button in the Internet options advanced tab

Confirm that you wish to reset Internet Explorer settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

Resetting Internet Explorer settings to default on Windows 8 - confirm settings reset to default by clicking the reset button

Google Chrome logoRemove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

Removing privatetab.org related Google Chrome extensions

Click the Chrome menu icon Google Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "More tools" and click "Extensions". Locate "Private Tab" and other recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons, and remove them.

Change your homepage:

Removing privatetab.org from Google Chrome homepage

Click the Chrome menu icon Google Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "Settings". In the "On startup" section, disable "Private Tab", look for a browser hijacker URL (hxxp://www.privatetab.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:

Removing privatetab.org from Google Chrome default search engine

To change your default search engine in Google Chrome: Click the Chrome menu icon Google 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 "privatetab.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 privatetab.org redirect, reset your Google Chrome browser settings. Click the Chrome menu icon Google 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.

Google Chrome settings reset step 1

After scrolling to the bottom of the screen, click the Reset (Restore settings to their original defaults) button.

Google Chrome settings reset step 2

In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Google Chrome settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

Google Chrome settings reset step 3

Mozilla Firefox logoRemove malicious plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox:

Removing privatetab.org related Mozilla Firefox extensions

Click the Firefox menu firefox menu icon (at the top right corner of the main window), select "Add-ons". Click on "Extensions" and remove "Private Tab", as well as all other recently installed browser plug-ins.

Change your homepage:

Removing privatetab.org from Mozilla Firefox homepage

To reset your homepage, click the Firefox menu firefox menu icon (at the top right corner of the main window), then select "Options", in the opened window disable "Private Tab", remove hxxp://privatetab.org and enter your preferred domain, which will open each time you start Mozilla Firefox.

Change your default search engine:

Removing privatetab.org from Mozilla Firefox 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: "extensionControlled"
Set both results to "false" by either double-clicking each entry or clicking the Mozilla Firefox switch about:config entry button button.

Optional method:

Computer users who have problems with privatetab.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, firefox menu icon in the opened menu, click Help.

Accessing settings (Reset Firefox to default settings step 1)

Select Troubleshooting Information.

Accessing Troubleshooting Information (Reset Firefox to default settings step 2)

In the opened window, click the Refresh Firefox button.

Clicking on Refresh Firefox button (Reset Firefox to default settings step 3)

In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Mozilla Firefox settings to default by clicking the Refresh Firefox button.

Confirm your want to reset Firefox settings to default (Reset Firefox to default settings step 4)

safari browser logoRemove malicious extensions from Safari:

Removing browser hijackers from safari step 1 - accessing preferences

Make sure your Safari browser is active and click Safari menu, then select Preferences...

removing browser hijacker from safari step 2 - removing extensions

In the preferences window select the Extensions tab. Look for any recently installed suspicious extensions and uninstall them.

Removing browser hijackers from safari step 3 - changing homepage

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.

removing browser hijackers from safari step 4 - changing the default Internet search engine

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...

resetting safari step 1

In the opened window select all history and click the Clear History button.

resetting safari step 2

Microsoft Edge (Chromium) logoRemove malicious extensions from Microsoft Edge:

Removing browser hijackers from Microsoft Edge step 1

Click the Edge menu icon Microsoft Edge (chromium) 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:

Removing browser hijackers from Microsoft Edge step 2

Click the Edge menu icon Microsoft Edge (chromium) 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:

Removing browser hijackers from Microsoft Edge step 3

To change your default search engine in Microsoft Edge: Click the Edge menu icon Microsoft Edge (chromium) 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 Microsoft Edge (Chromium) puzzle icon near it and select "Disable".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the privatetab.org redirect, reset your Microsoft Edge browser settings. Click the Edge menu icon Microsoft Edge (chromium) menu icon (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge) and select Settings.

Microsoft Edge (Chromium) reset step 1

In the opened settings menu select Reset settings.

Microsoft Edge (Chromium) reset step 2

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.

Microsoft Edge (Chromium) reset step 3

  • If this did not help, follow these alternative instructions explaining how to reset the Microsoft Edge browser.

Summary:

declining installation of browser hijackers while downloading free software sampleA 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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About the author:

Tomas Meskauskas

Tomas Meskauskas - expert security researcher, professional malware analyst.

I am passionate about computer security and technology. I have an experience of over 10 years working in various companies related to computer technical issue solving and Internet security. I have been working as an author and editor for pcrisk.com since 2010. Follow me on Twitter and LinkedIn to stay informed about the latest online security threats. Contact Tomas Meskauskas.

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Software uninstall instructions
Malware activity

Global malware activity level today:

Medium threat activity

Increased attack rate of infections detected within the last 24 hours.

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