How to remove Movie Zone browser hijacker and the redirects it generates

What kind of software is Movie Zone?

Our researchers found the Movie Zone browser extension while investigating dubious websites. It is endorsed as an easy-access tool for the latest film news. The extension modifies browser settings in order to generate redirects. It also collects sensitive browsing-related data. Due to this behavior, Movie Zone is classed as a browser hijacker.

Movie Zone browser hijacker overview

Browser-hijacking software typically reassigns browsers' homepages, default search engines, and new tab/window URLs to the addresses of promoted websites. Hence, the newly assigned webpage is force-opened whenever the user opens a new browser tab/window or enters a search query into the URL bar.

In most cases, browser hijackers promote fake search engines that cannot provide search results and redirect to legitimate Internet search sites. However, Movie Zone redirects to the Google search engine (google.com) without such an intermediary. Keep in mind that this extension could produce different redirection chains, as they may be influenced by factors like user geolocation.

Furthermore, browser-hijacking software commonly uses persistence-ensuring techniques to complicate its removal and prevent users from recovering their browsers.

What is more, hijackers usually have data-tracking functionalities, and this is also true of Movie Zone. Information of interest may include: URLs visited, webpages viewed, search queries typed, Internet cookies, usernames/passwords, personally identifiable details, finance-related data, and so on. The gathered information can be sold to third-parties or otherwise abused for profit.

To summarize, the presence of software like Movie Zone on devices may lead to system infections, severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

Threat Summary:

Name	Movie Zone
Threat Type	Browser Hijacker, Redirect, Search Hijacker, Toolbar, Unwanted New Tab
Browser Extension(s)	Movie Zone
Supposed Functionality	Easy access to movie news.
Promoted URL	google.com
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).
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.

Browser hijacker examples

Random Riddles, My Text Case, Password Manager, Task List, and FoodsIdea are merely a few examples of browser hijackers we have examined recently

Software within this classification typically appears legitimate and offers a wide variety of useful functionalities. However, these features are rarely operational since their purpose is to lure users into downloading/installing the hijacker.

It must be stressed that even if a browser extension or an application operates exactly as indicated by its promotional material – that is not a guarantee of either legitimacy or safety.

How did Movie Zone install on my computer?

Movie Zone has an "official" promotional webpage. In addition to such legitimate-looking pages, browser hijackers are endorsed on scam sites. Most visitors access them via redirects generated by intrusive ads, mistyped URLs, websites utilizing rogue advertising networks, spam browser notifications, or installed adware.

Browser-hijacking software is also distributed using the bundling marketing technique – packing ordinary program installers with unwanted/malicious supplements.

The threat of inadvertently allowing bundled content into the system is increased by downloading from dubious channels (e.g., freeware and free file-hosting websites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks, etc.) and by rushing through installation processes (e.g., skipping sections, using "Easy/Quick" settings, etc.).

Browser hijackers are proliferated by intrusive adverts as well. Once clicked on, some of these advertisements can execute scripts to perform sneaky downloads/installations.

How to avoid installation of browser hijackers?

We strongly recommend researching software and downloading only from official/trustworthy sources. Installation processes must be treated with caution by reading terms, studying possible options, using the "Custom" or "Advanced" settings, and opting out of all additional apps, extensions, tools, features, etc.

Another recommendation is to be vigilant while browsing since fraudulent and dangerous online content usually appears genuine and harmless. For example, intrusive ads may look innocuous – yet redirect to unreliable and questionable websites (e.g., scam-promoting, adult dating, pornography, gambling, etc.).

In case of continuous encounters with such adverts/redirects, inspect the system and immediately remove all suspicious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins. If your computer is already infected with Movie Zone, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate this browser hijacker.

Appearance of Movie Zone redirecting to the Google search engine (GIF):

Permissions asked by Movie Zone browser hijacker:

Website promoting Movie Zone 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 Movie Zone?
• STEP 1. Uninstall unwanted applications using Control Panel.
• STEP 2. Remove Movie Zone browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
• STEP 3. Remove google.com homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
• STEP 4. Remove rogue redirects from Safari.
• STEP 5. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.

Movie Zone 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, select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".

After uninstalling the potentially unwanted applications, scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.

Movie Zone browser hijacker removal from Internet browsers:

Video showing how to remove browser redirects:

Remove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "Extensions" and click "Manage Extensions". Locate "Movie Zone" and other recently-installed suspicious extensions, select these entries and click "Remove".

Change your homepage:

Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "Settings". In the "On startup" section, disable "Movie Zone", look for the promoted URL (hxxp://www.google.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 "google.com", when located click the three vertical dots near this URL and select "Delete".

• If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Google Chrome.

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the movie zone 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 extensions from Mozilla Firefox:

Click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window), select "Add-ons and themes". Click "Extensions", in the opened window locate "Movie Zone", as well as all recently-installed suspicious extensions, click on the three dots and then click "Remove".

Change your homepage:

To reset your homepage, click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window), then select "Settings", in the opened window disable "Movie Zone", remove hxxp://google.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 "Accept the Risk and Continue".

In the search filter at the top, type: "extensionControlled". Set both results to "false" by either double-clicking each entry or clicking the button.

Optional method:

Computer users who have problems with movie zone 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 movie zone 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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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the purpose of forcing users to visit google.com website?

The reason behind software that causes rogue redirects – is profit. In cases where the promoted websites are legitimate, the motivation may be to obtain illegitimate commissions by abusing the site's affiliate programs.

How did a browser hijacker infiltrate my computer?

Browser hijackers are primarily distributed via bundled installation setups, deceptive promotional webpages, freeware and free file-hosting websites, online scams, P2P sharing networks, spam browser notifications, and intrusive advertisements.

Will Combo Cleaner help me remove Movie Zone browser hijacker?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can scan computers and eliminate detected browser-hijacking applications. Keep in mind that manual removal (unaided by security tools) might not be ideal, especially when multiple browser hijackers are present. In these cases, after one is removed – the others may simply reinstall it. Furthermore, hijacker software may deny access to removal-related settings or undo user-made changes. Therefore, it is paramount to eliminate browser hijackers thoroughly and all at once.

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