Safer Web Virus
Safer Web is as a legitimate application, associated with the Reason Cybersecurity software suite, that offers users a safer online experience by disconnecting from dangerous websites, blocking ads and trackers, and preventing access to explicit content. It functions as a filter with a distinct URL and is not classified as a virus. However, confusion arises as users often find it installed on their systems, along with apps like RAV Endpoint Protection and RAV VPN, without a clear understanding of its origin and purpose and, for this reason, they typically wrongly refer to it as the “Safer Web Virus”.
Safer Web is not a virus in the traditional sense. It is typically classified as a potentially unwanted program (PUP) or a browser hijacker. Unlike viruses, which are malicious programs designed to harm your system, Safer Web may alter browser settings, redirect web traffic, and display advertisements. However, this behavior can be intrusive, besides, the program often gets installed on systems without the user’s explicit consent, which is a reason for many users to prefer to eliminate from their systems.
To delete Safer Web from your computer, you should start by using the standard uninstallation method through the “Apps & Features” section in your system settings. If this initial step doesn’t fully remove the software, you’ll need to do a more thorough cleanup. It’s advisable to use a reputable antivirus or anti-malware tool, which can help detect and remove any hidden components of Safer Web from your system.
How to Uninstall Safer Web
It can be challenging to uninstall Safer Web particularly because it tends to embed itself deeply within the system. The first step in removal is to try the standard method: navigating to the “Apps & Features” section in your PC’s settings and attempting an uninstallation. However, as shared by users, this method may not always be effective because the software often leaves behind remnants that continue to affect system performance and browser settings.
Therefore, for a thorough removal, users need to manually delete any related files by checking browser extensions, removing any suspicious add-ons, and resetting browser settings to their default. This process can be tedious, which is why we recommend using reliable antivirus or anti-malware tools that can save you time and efforts and uninstall Safer Web completely.
What is Safer Web on My PC?
According to the developers at Reason Labs, Safer Web aims to enhance browsing safety and provides a default configuration suitable for most users, although customization is possible through the app interface. Despite its intended functionality, however, users have complained about the way this software has been installed on their system and have raised concerns about its distribution practices. As reported, Safer Web’s presence on a computer is frequently attributed to the installation of LDPlayer software bundles without clear and explicit consent from the user.
The Safer Web App
Users of the Safer Web app have indicated that its processes require substantial CPU and memory resources, resulting in battery drain up, decreased system performance and slowdowns. Additionally, removing the Safer Web app can be challenging, as it may not appear in the list of installed programs or the browser’s extension list. This tactic is purportedly employed by the developers to prolong the app’s presence on the system. However, users are seeking effective methods to uninstall the software in cases where it has been installed unintentionally.
SUMMARY:
Name | Safer Web |
Type | PUP |
Anti-malware solution | parasite itself is not a malware, but there is likely other malware in your system. To save you hours of searching, we recommend using SpyHunter to scan and remove it for you. |
How to uninstall Safer Web
To try and remove Safer Web quickly you can try this:
- Go to your browser’s settings and select More Tools (or Add-ons, depending on your browser).
- Then click on the Extensions tab.
- Look for the Safer Web extension (as well as any other unfamiliar ones).
- Remove Safer Web by clicking on the Trash Bin icon next to its name.
- Confirm and get rid of Safer Web and any other suspicious items.
If this does not work as described please follow our more detailed Safer Web removal guide below.
If you have a Windows virus, continue with the guide below.
If you have a Mac virus, please use our How to remove Ads on Mac guide.
If you have an Android virus, please use our Android Malware Removal guide.
If you have an iPhone virus, please use our iPhone Virus Removal guide.
Some of the steps may require you to exit the page. Bookmark it for later reference.
Next, Reboot in Safe Mode (use this guide if you don’t know how to do it).
Uninstall the Safer Web app and kill its processes
The first thing you must try to do is look for any sketchy installs on your computer and uninstall anything you think may come from Safer Web. After that, you’ll also need to get rid of any processes that may be related to the unwanted app by searching for them in the Task Manager.
Note that sometimes an app, especially a rogue one, may ask you to install something else or keep some of its data (such as settings files) on your PC – never agree to that when trying to delete a potentially rogue software. You need to make sure that everything is removed from your PC to get rid of the malware. Also, if you aren’t allowed to go through with the uninstallation, proceed with the guide, and try again after you’ve completed everything else.
- Uninstalling the rogue app
- Killing any rogue processes
Type Apps & Features in the Start Menu, open the first result, sort the list of apps by date, and look for suspicious recently installed entries.
Click on anything you think could be linked to Safer Web, then select uninstall, and follow the prompts to delete the app.
Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc, click More Details (if it’s not already clicked), and look for suspicious entries that may be linked to Safer Web.
If you come across a questionable process, right-click it, click Open File Location, scan the files with the free online malware scanner shown below, and then delete anything that gets flagged as a threat.
After that, if the rogue process is still visible in the Task Manager, right-click it again and select End Process.
Undo Safer Web changes made to different system settings
It’s possible that Safer Web has affected various parts of your system, making changes to their settings. This can enable the malware to stay on the computer or automatically reinstall itself after you’ve seemingly deleted it. Therefore, you need to check the following elements by going to the Start Menu, searching for them, and pressing Enter to open them and to see if anything has been changed there without your approval. Then you must undo any unwanted changes made to these settings in the way shown below:
- DNS
- Hosts
- Startup
- Task
Scheduler - Services
- Registry
Type in Start Menu: View network connections
Right-click on your primary network, go to Properties, and do this:
Type in Start Menu: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts
Type in the Start Menu: Startup apps
Type in the Start Menu: Task Scheduler
Type in the Start Menu: Services
Type in the Start Menu: Registry Editor
Press Ctrl + F to open the search window
Remove Safer Web from your browsers
- Delete Safer Web from Chrome
- Delete Safer Web from Firefox
- Delete Safer Web from Edge
- Go to the Chrome menu > More tools > Extensions, and toggle off and Remove any unwanted extensions.
- Next, in the Chrome Menu, go to Settings > Privacy and security > Clear browsing data > Advanced. Tick everything except Passwords and click OK.
- Go to Privacy & Security > Site Settings > Notifications and delete any suspicious sites that are allowed to send you notifications. Do the same in Site Settings > Pop-ups and redirects.
- Go to Appearance and if there’s a suspicious URL in the Custom web address field, delete it.
- Firefox menu, go to Add-ons and themes > Extensions, toggle off any questionable extensions, click their three-dots menu, and click Remove.
- Open Settings from the Firefox menu, go to Privacy & Security > Clear Data, and click Clear.
- Scroll down to Permissions, click Settings on each permission, and delete from it any questionable sites.
- Go to the Home tab, see if there’s a suspicious URL in the Homepage and new windows field, and delete it.
- Open the browser menu, go to Extensions, click Manage Extensions, and Disable and Remove any rogue items.
- From the browser menu, click Settings > Privacy, searches, and services > Choose what to clear, check all boxes except Passwords, and click Clear now.
- Go to the Cookies and site permissions tab, check each type of permission for permitted rogue sites, and delete them.
- Open the Start, home, and new tabs section, and if there’s a rogue URL under Home button, delete it.
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