SimplePackageFinder Search - How to remove

SimplePackageFinder is a browser extension that is supposed to help users track shipments and packages. But once it’s installed, SimplePackageFinder hijacks your browser’s new tab page that has little to do with shipment tracking and more to do with promoting the Myway.com search engine. Moreover, it’s very possible that you installed SimplePackageFinder without meaning to – you and thousands of other people. That’s why SimplePackageFinder can be called a browser hijacker, a type of very mild malware.

On SimplePackageFinder in short:

Type of threat	Browser hijacker, potentially unwanted program.
Infection symptoms	home page and new tab page are changed, Myway.com (or Ask.com) return internet search results.
How SimplePackageFinder was installed	Downloaded with a free program as an optional offer, advertised on package tracking sites, advertised on alternative search engine sites.
Removing SimplePackageFinder	Manually remove extensions that change search and new tab settings, check your device for malware (Spyhunter for Windows, Combo Cleaner macOS, etc.).

How to remove SimplePackageFinder

SimplePackageFinder can be removed manually from your browser, but it’s important to check all of your extensions. The way that SimplePackageFinder gets installed sometimes leads to more browser hijackers. If you don’t remove all of them, your browser will remain hijacked. You can check extension permissions. Any that change your search settings or control the page that opens in your new tab might be browser hijackers.

I put illustrated browser extension removal settings at the bottom of the page, in the last section. But you might also want to scan your device with an anti-malware scanner, like Spyhunter for PC, Combo Cleaner for Mac, etc. Scan results should tell you if there are any suspicious files on your computer.

SimplePackageFinder effects

SimplePackageFinder makes a few changes to your browser:

• it changes your new tab page to Simplepackagefinder.com,
• it reads your browsing history,
• it can show you pop-up ads,
• it can install other extensions.

After SimplePackageFinder is installed, Simplepackagefinder.com opens in your browser’s new tab page. That page has a few links to package tracking sites where you can check the state of your shipments. But that’s it – Simplepackagefinder.com has buttons that open package tracking sites. It does not offer its own original functionality to help with tracking.

Instead, SimplePackageFinder offers a search box in the middle of the new tab that opens MyWay.com. MyWay being made by Mindspark, the same company that created SimplePackageFinder – no surprise there. SimplePackageFinder’s main goal is to drive traffic to affiliated sites which then show advertisements. Remember that SimplePackageFinder is a commercial product, just like TelevisionFanatic, OnlineFormsDirect, TrackaPackage, etc. These extensions, also made by Mindspark, are only a few of many. They use the same low-effort template and, together, have hundreds of thousands of users – if not millions.

After reading SimplePackageFinder’s privacy policy, we see what information is collected automatically: your IP, language, search queries, which search results you clicked, your search history, software installed on your computer, and devices connected to your computer. This data can be used to improve advertisement targeting.

How hijackers spread

SimplePackageFinder can be installed without you even realizing it. Mindspark’s extensions sometimes get bundled with free programs as an optional offer and if you don’t notice the checkboxes that warn you about these installations, you end up with a ton of potentially unwanted apps. Misclicking, failing to choose advanced installation options, even failing to read terms of service can let unwanted apps to be installed. Be careful when you download free commercial programs and programs from download sites.

Also, SimplePackageFinder (and other MyWay extensions) are advertised on legitimate package tracking sites like 17track. SimplePackageFinder’s ad has this picture of a “Continue” button right below 17track’s text box where you put in the tracking number. It’s likely that some people click the bright green “Continue” button by accident, thinking it to be the button that gives them the results. But it leads to SimplePackageFinder’s site that has another “Continue” button which then installs the extension. You may wonder why a site like 17track would let these deceptive ads to appear on it, but that’s what the ads are there for: to be clicked on.

Sometimes, ads for browser hijackers appear in your internet search results – but that only happens if your browser had already been hijacked. Some extensions can change how Google.com and other sites appear in your browser, adding links to Zapmeta, Kensaq, and other sites to the top of your search results. Being able to change your data on certain websites is mentioned in the extensions’ permissions, so these hijackers shouldn’t be too hard to find.

Automatic Malware removal tools

Manually remove browser extensions

TopRemove malicious extensions from Internet Explorer

• Press on the Gear icon→Manage Add-ons.
  
• Go through Toolbars and extensions. Remove everything related to SimplePackageFinder Search and items you do not know that are made not by Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, Oracle or Adobe.
  
• Close the Options.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

If you are still experiencing any issues related to SimplePackageFinder, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Press on the Gear icon->Internet Options.
  
• Choose the Advanced tab and click on the Reset button.
  
• Select a “Delete personal settings” checkbox and click on the Reset button.
  
• Click on the Close button on the confirmation box, then close your browser.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

TopRemoving SimplePackageFinder Search from Chrome

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Google Chrome window. Select “Settings”.
  
• Click “Extensions” on the left menu bar.
• Go through the extensions list and remove programs you do not need, especially similar to SimplePackageFinder. Click on the trash bin icon next to SimplePackageFinder Search or other add-ons you want to remove.
  
• Press on the “Remove” button on the Confirmation window.
  
• If unsure, you can disable them temporarily.
  
• Restart Chrome.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

If you are still experiencing any issues related to SimplePackageFinder, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on Chrome’s menu button (three horizontal lines) and select Settings.
  
• Scroll to the end of the page and click on the Reset settings button.
  
• Click on the Reset button on the confirmation box.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

How to remove SimplePackageFinder Search from Microsoft Edge:Top

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Microsoft Edge window. Select “Extensions”.

• Go through the extensions list and remove programs you do not need, especially similar to SimplePackageFinder Search. Click on the "Remove" icon next to SimplePackageFinder or other add-ons you want to remove.

• Press on the “Remove” button on the Confirmation window.

• If unsure, you can disable them temporarily.

• Restart Microsoft Edge.

TopRemoving SimplePackageFinder Search from Firefox

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla window and select the “Add-ons” icon (or press Ctrl+Shift+A on your keyboard).
  
• Go through Extensions and Addons list, remove everything SimplePackageFinder related and items you do not recognise. If you do not know the extension and it is not made by Mozilla, Google, Microsoft, Oracle or Adobe then you probably do not need it.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to SimplePackageFinder Search, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla Firefox window. Click on the Help button.
  
• Choose Troubleshooting Information on the Help menu.
  
• Click on the Reset Firefox button.
  
• Click on the Reset Firefox button on the confirmation box. Mozilla Firefox will close and change the settings to default.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.