SafeSurf Virus

This page aims to help you remove SafeSurf. These SafeSurf removal instructions work for Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer, as well as every version of Windows.

Your browser has been invaded by SafeSurf? Here’s what you need to know

Does your screen get covered by a wall of intrusive online adverts every time you open your browser? If so, then you’ve probably had the program SafeSurf installed onto your computer, without you even knowing about it. It is a browser add-on associated with a particular type of software called browser hijacker. Programs that are considered browser hijacker are notorious for their intrusiveness and annoying behavior. Their most infamous feature is the generation of rage-inducing ads that heavily obstruct your browsing experience. Apart from that, some browser hijacker programs might attempt to alter some of your browser’s settings. For instance, they might change your front page without allowing you to change it back as long as they remain active on your PC.

SafeSurf’s purpose

The idea behind browser hijacker programs is that their developers gain revenue through them via the pay-per-click method. That is also why the ads you see being displayed on your screen tend to be so horribly annoying – it’s just so that after some time people would give it up and would click on them, just so that they can have them removed. However, this is a bad idea and we will explain why later in this article. In addition to this, we’ve included a guide that will help you remove the annoying program in just a few simple steps.

Comparison between SafeSurf “Virus” and malware 

Here;s the thing, contrary to what a lot of people think SafeSurf “Virus” is not a virus at all, nor it is a malware. It is a common misconception that programs such as SafeSurf are some kind of evil, malicious viruses that try to destroy your system, bust your passwords and spy on you. We already figured out what browser hijacker’s purpose is and it surely isn’t to annihilate your computer. There’s a very big difference between browser hijacker programs and viruses. While malicious software, such as Trojan Horses or Ransomware for example, is undoubtedly harmful to your PC, your files and your virtual security, browser hijacker applications such as SafeSurf are pretty much harmless. Of course, this does not mean they are any more wanted, which they are not. However, if you’ve gotten yourself browser hijacker, there’s no need to worry, since it is unlikely that it would damage your machine in any way.

Potential security threats you might encounter

As we already said, browser hijacker are programs that, as annoying as they might be, do not aim to harm your system. That being said, you should still keep in mind that they might still contain some security hazards you should be on the lookout for. It usually has to do with the ads that you see displayed all over your browser. You see, these ads usually redirect you to some other webpage, should you click on them. The thing is, you might get redirected to a page with questionable contents that might compromise your PC’s security, like the abovementioned ransomware, for example. Therefore, our advice for you is to avoid clicking on those pop-ups banners and box messages, even if you simply want to close them. Potentially harmful adverts are a rarity, but we believe that there’s no need to take any chances by interacting with those ads.

Distributing browser hijackers

One of the most important things that you need to know about browser hijacker programs is how they get distributed throughout the internet. There are many methods for spreading programs like SafeSurf and here we will attempt to list the most commonly used ones.

  • Hidden links – some sites (usually such with questionable contents) might contain links hidden among their pages. Often clicking on such a link might result in an unwanted program starting to download itself onto your PC. Sometimes you might not even have time to react and terminate the download process. Therefore, first of all, avoid shady sites and second – if you still happen to get on some suspicious website, be very careful what you click on.
    • Keep in mind that some free file-sharing sites often have big buttons that say Download – this is made to trick you into thinking that this is the download button for the file you want. In most cases this is a ruse and is in fact either a direct download link to some unwanted program or a link to a page that you’d probably be better off not visiting.
  • Spam e-mails – this is one of the most commonly used methods for distributing all sorts of unwanted software, be it browser hijacker or some more problematic programs. Sure, your inbox has a spam folder, but sometimes letters containing browser hijacker might get among your regular messages Therefore, always double-check the details of newly received messages that are from an unknown sender. If any of it looks suspicious, you’d better delete that e-mail without opening it.
  • Program-bundling – this is considered to be the most effective method for spreading browser hijacker programs like SafeSurf. With this method, the intrusive software is bundled with some other third-party program that is usually free or cheap. Using the regular settings to install that program would result in the browser hijacker getting on your PC as well. Therefore, always opt for the advanced installation settings. That way you’d be able to leave out of the installation any added content that you think may be unwanted. Simply uncheck the added installs that seem suspicious and carry on with the installation of the main program.

SUMMARY:

Name SafeSurf
Type Browser Hijacker
Detection Tool

SafeSurf Removal

You are dealing with a malware infection that can restore itself unless you remove its core files. We are sending you to another page with a removal guide that gets regularly updated. It covers in-depth instructions on how to:
1. Locate and scan malicious processes in your task manager.
2. Identify in your Control panel any programs installed with the malware, and how to remove them. Search Marquis is a high-profile hijacker that gets installed with a lot of malware.
3. How to clean up and reset your browser to its original settings without the malware returning.
You can find the removal guide here.

For mobile devices refer to these guides instead: Android , iPhone


About the author

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Brandon Skies

Brandon is a researcher and content creator in the fields of cyber-security and virtual privacy. Years of experience enable him to provide readers with important information and adequate solutions for the latest software and malware problems.

7 Comments

  • I’ve followed all of the steps on this guide for removing safesurf as my homepage for windows 10 on chrome and i found nothing on all steps. i cant seem to get rid of it. i’ve removed several browser hijackers before but i can’t get rid of this one, there were no hidden files any where, noting to uninstall, no rouge DNS, no start up programs that needed removing. wherever i look for any other guide to remove it, all i find is a list of things that they say i should download and it’ll fix it, but they are all the same, does a scan, finds something and tells you to pay to remove it. probably doesn’t even delete it anyway. i really need help to get rid of this damn virus

    • Hi Ethen,
      what you can do is download SpyHunter from one of our banners and use the free scan feature. The scan will locate the malicious files and then you can remove them manually by yourself to be sure.

  • Did you try using the instructions for manually removing the unwanted program that are provided within our guide?

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