Cybersearch.xyz Hijacker - How to remove

Cybersearch.xyz is a fake search engine that has recently been noticed hijacking people’s browsers, opening unwanted webpages and collecting their information.

While Cybersearch.xyz is just a website, it works with a malicious browser extension. Remove the extension and Cybersearch.xyz will disappear from your browser.

About Cybersearch.xyz:

Classification	Adware
How Cybersearch.xyz works	Hijacks your browser, opens unexpected webpages, logs browsing data.
How hijackers spread	Advertised on unsafe websites, included in the installers of various programs.
How to remove Cybersearch.xyz	Uninstall the associated browser extension manually or with an antivirus tool (Combo Cleaner for Mac, Spyhunter for PC, others).

What is Cybersearch.xyz?

Fake search engine

Cybersearch.xyz is a fake search engine. It’s a website that allows you to put in a web search query and then opens Webcrawler.com, Bing.com, or another site to display the search results. It doesn’t seem to have any useful features that would make it worth using.

At first glance, Cybersearch.xyz looks very similar to Chumsearch.com and Searchmine.net. Even their About pages match. Either Cybersearch.xyz’s developer copied those sites or they’re made by the same person.

All these sites are search hijackers – malicious sites meant to redirect people’s search queries. They make money in two ways:

• By collecting user browsing data and selling it or using it to build an ad network.
• By advertising to users through their own ad network or by forcing them to visit affiliated sites.

Cybersearch.xyz claims that it doesn’t display ads in its FAQ, but it also says that it does deliver ads in its Privacy Policy.

Malicious add-on

Cybersearch.xyz is not used by people for its features, rather, it hijacks browsers to force people to use it. It does this with the help of malicious browser extensions. These extensions get installed on a web browser, change its settings, intercept webpages being opened to redirect the user to other sites.

Without a malicious extension forcing your browser to open Cybersearch.xyz, it would be just another website that you can freely ignore. So, if your browser is hijacked by Cybersearch.xyz, you can stop that by finding the add-on responsible and removing it.

How hijackers spread

Infected installers

If you did not install Cybersearch.xyz intentionally, the most likely explanation of how it came to be on your computer is that you downloaded an infected app. Maybe an installer had adware embedded in it and did not warn you about it.

The program that you downloaded would have been genuine, but it’s trivial for a malicious actor to take a legitimate installer and repackage it with malware. Then, upload it on some random website and hope that people download it. This way, you might install a safe program without realizing that adware also gets installed. Then, when Cybersearch.xyz shows up, it’s difficult to know how it infected your device.

Unsafe websites

One popular example of infected installers is fake Flash Player updates. Scammers spread all kinds of adware and malware with the help of ads made to look like warnings about outdated media players.

Malicious ads are a big problem. They are used to distribute browser hijackers, promote notification spammers, spread tech support scams, and other scams. If you often visit sites that show obnoxious ads, consider using an ad blocker on those sites. It would stop at least some malicious websites from showing up.

How to remove Cybersearch.xyz

Find and remove or disable the browser extension that is responsible for Cybersearch.xyz. This add-on can be found where all of your extensions are listed. If you’re not sure which extension is at fault, then disable all of your add-ons until you find the culprit.

Use an antivirus program – Combo Cleaner for macOS, Spyhunter for Windows, others – to scan your computer for malicious extensions and other problems.

Cybersearch.xyz is likely to affect Mac users. If your Mac has been hijacked, check your System Preferences for Profiles. If you have profiles, check them for unfamiliar entries and remove them.

Automatic Malware removal tools

Manual removal instructions

TopRemoving Cybersearch.xyz Hijacker from Safari (Mac OS X)

• Click on the Safari menu.
• Choose Preferences.
  
• Click on the Extensions Tab.
• Click on the Uninstall button near the Cybersearch.xyz. Remove all other unknown or suspicious entries too. If you are not sure whether you need the extension or not, you can simply uncheck the Enable check-box to disable the extension temporarily.
  
• Restart Safari.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

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

• Click on the Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Reset Safari.
  
• Select which options you want to reset (usually all of them come preselected) and click on the Reset button.
  

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

TopRemoving Cybersearch.xyz 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 Cybersearch.xyz Hijacker. Click on the trash bin icon next to Cybersearch.xyz 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 Cybersearch.xyz Hijacker, 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 Cybersearch.xyz Hijacker 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 Cybersearch.xyz. Click on the "Remove" icon next to Cybersearch.xyz Hijacker 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.

TopRemove malicious extensions from Internet Explorer

• Press on the Gear icon→Manage Add-ons.
  
• Go through Toolbars and extensions. Remove everything related to Cybersearch.xyz 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 Cybersearch.xyz Hijacker, 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 Cybersearch.xyz 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 Cybersearch.xyz Hijacker 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 Cybersearch.xyz, 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.