What is Search.hfindmyroute.co? And how does it work?
Search.hfindmyroute.co, also known as “Find My Route”, is a browser extension created by Polarity Technologies. It is previously known as “SaferBrowser” and supposedly works as a search tool. It claims to provide users with maps and driving directions on the new tab page of their browser if they install it. And if you install this browser extension, it will change the default search engine as well as new tab page of your browser. Note that this is done without any permission which is why security experts tag it as a browser hijacker and a potentially unwanted program.
Upon installation, Search.hfindmyroute.co could also install add-ons, other dubious browser extensions, and toolbars in your browser. Because of this, you might experience constant redirects to unknown websites that you know nothing about. Such trait is common on browser hijackers like Search.hfindmyroute.co. Aside from that, it also tracks and monitors your browsing activities in order to obtain your browsing-related information such as your search queries, browser type, source of traffic acquisition, IP address, browsing history, websites you visit frequently and many more. The harvested data is used by crooks to produce more browsing related contents. What’s more is that the collected data might also be shared with its affiliated websites. This clearly shows that Search.hfindmyroute.co is not safe to use and is definitely a threat to your privacy. Moreover, it also has a tendency to deliver you ads like pop-ups, banners, in-text links. Some of which could redirect you to harmful websites that could potentially harm your computer.
How is Search.hfindmyroute.co disseminated over the web?
Search.hfindmyroute.co is disseminated in free sharing sites. It is a part of free software packages known as software bundles where it is added as one of the extra components along with other unwanted programs. This means that when you install software bundles, you may end up installing other unwanted programs like Search.hfindmyroute.co. To prevent this from happening, it would be better if you opt for the Advanced or Custom setup instead of the quick one when installing this kind of software package.
Use the removal guide prepared below to successfully uninstall Search.hfindmyroute.co from your browser and computer.
Step 1: The first thing you have to do is flush the DNS. To do so, right click on the Start button and click on Command Prompt (administrator). From there, type the “ipconfig /flushdns” command and hit Enter to flush the DNS.
Step 2: After that, restart your computer and then open all the browsers infected by Search.hfindmyroute.co. Reset all the affected browsers to default to their default state.
Google Chrome
- Open Google Chrome, then tap the Alt + F keys.
- After that, click on Settings.
- Next, scroll down until you see the Advanced option, once you see it, click on it.
- After clicking the Advanced option, go to the “Restore and clean up option and click on the “Restore settings to their original defaults” option to reset Google Chrome.
- Now restart Google Chrome.
Mozilla Firefox
- Open Mozilla Firefox and tap Ctrl + Shift + A to access the Add-ons Manager.
- In the Extensions menu Remove the unwanted extension.
- Restart the browser and tap keys Alt + T.
- Select Options and then move to the General menu.
- Overwrite the URL in the Home Page section and then restart the browser.
Internet Explorer
- Launch Internet Explorer.
- Next, click the wrench icon for Settings.
- Then click Internet Options.
- After that, go to the Advanced tab.
- From there, click the Reset button. This will reset Internet Explorer’s settings to their default condition.
- Now click OK to save the changes made.
- Restart your computer.
Step 3: Next, tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and type “appwiz.cpl” in the field and press Enter to open the Programs and Features in Control Panel.
Step 4: From the list of programs installed, look for Search.hfindmyroute.co or any unfamiliar program that could be related to it under the list of installed programs and once you’ve found it, uninstall it.
Step 5: Edit your Hosts File.
- Tap the Win + R keys to open then type in %WinDir% and then click OK.
- Go to System32/drivers/etc.
- Open the hosts file using Notepad.
- Delete all the entries that contain Search.hfindmyroute.co.
- After that, save the changes you’ve made and close the file.
Step 6: Hold down Windows + E keys simultaneously to open File Explorer.
Step 7: Navigate to the following directories and look for suspicious files associated to the browser hijacker such as the software bundle it came with and delete it/them.
- %USERPROFILE%\Downloads
- %USERPROFILE%\Desktop
- %TEMP%
Step 8: Close the File Explorer.
Step 9: Empty the contents of Recycle Bin.
Refer to the advanced instructions given below to ensure the removal of Search.hfindmyroute.co as well as all the file residues it left behind.
Perform a full system scan using [product-code]. To do so, follow these steps:
- Turn on your computer. If it’s already on, you have to reboot it.
- After that, the BIOS screen will be displayed, but if Windows pops up instead, reboot your computer and try again. Once you’re on the BIOS screen, repeat pressing F8, by doing so the Advanced Option shows up.
- To navigate the Advanced Option use the arrow keys and select Safe Mode with Networking then hit
- Windows will now load the Safe Mode with Networking.
- Press and hold both R key and Windows key.
- If done correctly, the Windows Run Box will show up.
- Type in the URL address, [product-url] in the Run dialog box and then tap Enter or click OK.
- After that, it will download the program. Wait for the download to finish and then open the launcher to install the program.
- Once the installation process is completed, run [product-code] to perform a full system scan.
- After the scan is completed click the “Fix, Clean & Optimize Now” button.
