Uninstall Savvy.search.com (Browser Hijacker/PUP)

What is Savvy.search.com? And how does it work?

Savvy.search.com is a browser extension that supposedly works as a search provider that claims to provide users with improved search results to enhance browsing experience. Aside from generating improved search results, it also provides users with the latest news. It may seem like a legitimate search provider since it appears to be related to CBS network but it’s not. Savvy.search.com is not, in any way, related to the CBS network. In fact, security experts categorize this browser extension as a browser hijacker that will hijack your browser if it gets installed.
If installed, Savvy.search.com will hijack your browser by changing the default search provider, homepage and new tab page. Consequently, you will begin to notice the sudden increase in numbers of different kinds of advertisements, from pop-ups, banners, to in-text links and so on. Some of these ads have the tendency to redirect you to misleading websites that might lure you into providing personal information in exchange for some bogus price. Moreover, this browser hijacker also uses cookies and it monitors all your browsing activities to collect browsing-related information. The information collected is then used to generate more customized and personalized ads for you. This kind of activity is common on browser hijackers and even if it’s not really fatal, this browser hijacker might put your privacy and computer at risk. Thus, there is no use risking that over some fake search engine.
How is Savvy.search.com disseminated over the web?
Savvy.search.com is disseminated using several techniques. One of them involves software bundling where this browser hijacker, along with other unknown programs, is added as a part of extra components in a free software package. This is why installing software bundles are quite tricky because you could end up installing the extra components or programs in the package without knowing it. To prevent that from happening, you must always use the Advanced or Custom setup instead of the standard one.
Use the removal guide given below to uninstall Savvy.search.com from your browser as well as your computer.
Step 1: Close the browser infected with Savvy.search.com but if you are unable to do so, you can close it via Task Manager. Tap Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys to open the Task Manager and from there, end the browser’s process.
Step 2: Afterwards, you have to flush the DNS cache. To do that, just, 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 3: After that, restart your computer and then open all the browsers infected by Savvy.search.com. 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 4: 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 5: From the list of programs installed, look for Savvy.search.com 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 6: 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 Savvy.search.com.
After that, save the changes you’ve made and close the file.

Step 7: Hold down Windows + E keys simultaneously to open File Explorer.
Step 8: 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 9: Close the File Explorer.
Step 10: Empty the contents of Recycle Bin.
To make sure that Savvy.search.com is completely removed from your computer including all the files it has left behind, refer to the advanced instructions given below.
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.
1. To navigate the Advanced Option use the arrow keys and select Safe Mode with Networking then hit
2. Windows will now load the Safe Mode with Networking.
3. Press and hold both R key and Windows key.
1. If done correctly, the Windows Run Box will show up.
2. Type in the URL address, [product-url] in the Run dialog box and then tap Enter or click OK.
3. After that, it will download the program. Wait for the download to finish and then open the launcher to install the program.
4. Once the installation process is completed, run [product-code] to perform a full system scan.
1. After the scan is completed click the “Fix, Clean & Optimize Now” button.